Mikos
Kumiko Design Studio
Explore pattern, wood, and empty space before the first cut.
Mikos began as a way to quickly see how kumiko designs come together. Adjust the lattice, swap patterns, explore wood choices, and watch the result update in real time.
Test combinations, compare variations, and save what works — whether it's a full panel or a single pattern fragment for later use.
Early beta
Mikos is still taking shape. For interest, questions, feedback, or anything that feels worth sharing, email admin@mikos.app.
The design canvas needs a larger screen.
On a phone, you can still browse inspiration and manage saved projects. Open the design tool on a tablet or desktop when you are ready to draw.
material palette
Hinoki
Walnut
Cedar
Maple
build notes
How it works
Design
Place patterns on a canvas, explore lattice types, and test combinations — no wood required.
Materials
Assign wood species, preview palettes, and get a rough cut-list estimate before you order stock.
Build
Move the finished design into a build tracker. Mark cells complete and stay organized in the shop.
Inspiration
From admiration to a working design process.
The inspiration came from the beautiful, contemporary work of Tanihata, whose art shows how an ancient craft can feel architectural, abstract, and unmistakably alive in a modern room.
What stood out was not only the density of the latticework. It was the judgment around where to stop: how negative space can hold the form together, how a quiet field can make a complex passage feel more vivid, and how wood tone can shift a piece from decorative pattern into something with real presence.
I wanted to explore how to build something in that spirit, but I lacked the background to even begin. I needed a way to see the available patterns, study colors and wood species, and weave those decisions together long before I started experimenting with actual wood.
What the app helps with
A sketchbook for the decisions that happen before craft.
Mikos is for the early, uncertain stage of a kumiko project: the part where you are still learning the language, testing combinations, and trying to understand whether an idea has enough balance to deserve time in the shop.
Pattern library
Browse traditional motifs, compare their structure, and place them into a panel without needing to memorize the vocabulary first.
Wood and color studies
Try species, tones, and contrast relationships early, while the idea is still flexible enough to change.
Negative space planning
Work with open cells, dense fields, and quiet pauses so the finished panel has rhythm instead of just ornament.
From study to build
Keep the practical questions connected to the visual ones.
The design canvas is tied to project planning, so a composition can become a material estimate and then a build tracker without losing the thinking that shaped it.
- Track linear feet by wood species
- Estimate project cost from your own prices
- Save studies as projects before committing
- Move a design into a build checklist
Made with love,
Hand crafted in Ohio.
You can start creating immediately — no account required.
Registering an account gives your projects a more reliable home, protecting them from being lost if your browser or device clears stored data. It also makes it easier to revisit and build on your work over time.
I (Anorak) hate nagware and I'm exhausted by petty subscription models, so there are no paywalls planned. If Mikos proves useful, consider supporting the work and sharing it with someone who might enjoy it.