There’s a quiet thoughtfulness to Michelle Mackintosh’s world. Books, design, travel and making are woven into her everyday life, while her home is filled with objects collected slowly over time, each carrying a memory of where it came from and why it mattered.
For our latest Heart-to-Heart, we visit Michelle, a book designer, illustrator and author whose long-held love of Japan has shaped both her creative career and the way she sees the world. After first visiting in the late ’90s, Michelle became captivated by the care, beauty and intention she found in everything from typography and packaging to gardens, ceramics and everyday objects.
That same philosophy can be felt throughout her home, where Japanese treasures sit alongside mid-century and Scandinavian pieces, and nothing is saved simply for a special occasion. We sat down with Michelle to talk about her creative life, more than 25 years of travelling to Japan, the making of Tokyo Story and why the most meaningful objects are often the imperfect ones collected along the way.
Shop Tokyo Story by Steve Wide & Michelle Mackintosh here.
Meet Michelle
Tell us a little about yourself...
Hi, I’m Michelle Mackintosh. I’m a book designer and illustrator, and I also write books predominantly on Japan. I have a graphic design degree from RMIT and I love design, but I really love books and I’m a huge reader.
When I was in high school, we had a Japanese exchange student in my year and I guess I fell in love with Japan through her eyes. Then at university, I fell in love with Japanese design.
I basically saved up after finishing university and getting my first job to go on an overseas trip. I went to Japan for the first time in the very late ’90s and it really just changed my life.
Shop our lounge decor here.
What do you love most about the process of designing a book?
Every author that I work with has a really unique perspective, and it feels so special to be able to think about what they would love and the way they would love their work to be in the world.
The publishers that I work with always have an incredible vision too, so it’s a really fantastic process. Everything from mood boards for photography shoots, going to the shoot, researching typography and colours, to layout, possibly illustrating, and just working in a collaborative way with a really amazing industry.
How do you make space for creativity outside of your work?
Every weekend I try and make at least one thing, whether it’s kokedama in the garden, baking some kind of present for somebody, paper craft or letter writing. Just making something.
Our garden was made so that we could feel relaxed and perhaps bring a little bit of Japan into our own home in a way that is really mindful.
Shop our accessories here.
What is it about Japan that keeps drawing you back?
The people are really kind in Japan. If you asked for directions, someone would walk five blocks with you.
I had an experience where the first time I went to Japan, I went to the same coffee shop for five days in a row. The next year I went back there to order my coffee and the man said to me, “Would you like your usual?”
The colours, the light, the fabrics, nature, the shops, the art galleries, the trains, absolutely everything about it I just loved. Every time I came back, I tried to book a trip as soon as I could, just so it was in my mind that I could get back there.
What makes Tokyo Story different from a traditional travel guide?
The book is in ten chapters, and we tried to chapter it in ways that we hadn’t done in other books and hadn’t seen done in other books.
For example, there’s a chapter on Eco Tokyo and a lot of these places are new and greening up the city. There’s a chapter on free experiences, and I think with the cost of living it’s really important that people know they can go to places and have a beautiful day without breaking their budget.
There’s a chapter on nighttime Tokyo, but it’s not just late night bars. It’s where you could go and walk around a temple at night. There’s also a chapter on mindful Tokyo, and that feels quite special to me because Tokyo can be a really busy city. It’s about finding those pockets of calm within the city, including onsen, gardens and places to eat that have vegetarian food.
What do you find yourself collecting when you travel to Japan?
I’ll often book trips around vintage markets. I love to collect things from the Taisho era, which is the very early 20th century. I guess it’s a little bit like Japanese Art Deco.
Any kind of vintage fabric, wooden box, fan or something like that, and then a piece of ceramics, a teacup or a plate or something for the kitchen.
For me, it has to be something that I can use every day, not keep for a special occasion, and it has to be something that is almost imperfect. It’s not that perfect thing that you find in a store that looks like the next cup, plate or bowl. It has to be made by hand.
Shop our lounge decor here.
Is there one piece you’ve collected that holds a particularly special story?
I have a Nambu tekki pot from Morioka that I have a really beautiful story around. I had seen this pot and loved it, and I went to the store to buy it. The lady said to me in broken English, “I’m sorry, this is our display pot. You can’t buy it. It takes six to nine months to order one.”
I had to accept that, but she raced behind the noren curtain and came back. She had asked the person who was the maker and owned the store if I could buy it, and they let me buy it.
That’s probably my favourite piece because when I look at that pot, I think about the kindness of people in Japan and that the people in the store knew how much I loved it.
How would you describe the way you’ve brought your collections together at home?
Many things collected in our house are from Japan, and I guess we’ve always had a love for mid century pieces and a lot of Scandinavian pieces, which are very connected to the Japanese sensibility.
My problem is that I collect a lot of small things that I love to style around my house.
In my studio I have an exquisite Japanese cabinet. It’s probably my favourite piece in the house, but it’s almost hidden in my room. It’s something that my desk looks upon and most visitors to the house won’t see it. It seems like an almost secret piece in my house that’s so beautiful. I keep it in a precious spot so I can just look at it myself.
Shop our Babette collection here
Watch the full house tour here
With a whole lotta love xx