P R E S S R E L E A S E

A P R I L 2 0 2 0

THE HIGH-END FURNITURE

COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY

LIFESTYLE BRAND

KARIMOKU CASE STUDY

K A R I M O K U C A S E S T U D Y

After a successful pre-launch and pres-

entation in the Kinfolk gallery in Co-

penhagen in 2019, the Japanese lifestyle

brand Karimoku Case Study extends its

first successful collection with addition-

al pieces and announces its cooperation

with two new top tier furniture dealers

in North America.

Developed by Japan’s largest wooden

furniture manufacturer Karimoku Furni-

ture Inc., Karimoku Case Study is a col-

laborative brand with the well-known

architecture and design studios Norm

Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design.

Starting point of the collaboration be-

tween Karimoku Furniture Inc., Keiji

Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects

was the renovation of two apartments

of the Kinuta Terrace apartment pro-

ject in Tokyo. For both apartments, tai-

lor-made furniture was created, leading

to the founding of the brand Karimoku

Case Study and its first collection.

With the new Lounge Chair N-LC01 and

N-LC02, the side table N-ST01 and the

dining chair N-DC02, Karimoku Case

Study extends its first successful col-

lection to now comprise 12 furniture

pieces. Additionally, some pieces are

now available in a variation of differ-

ent sizes. Characterised by the use of

high-quality materials and traditional

craftsmanship, the Kinuta collection has

a restrained design language and well

thought-out details.

This spring, Karimoku Case Study has

started its cooperation with top tier re-

tailers A+R Store in Los Angeles (aplusr-

store.com) and Mjölk in Toronto (www.

mjolk.ca), where the high-end collection

can be seen and purchased.

A B O U T K A R I M O K U

C A S E S T U D Y

Emerging from shared design values,

Karimoku Case Study is a contemporary

lifestyle brand based in Japan and born

out of admiration and love for serene

beauty, material richness and timeless

appeal. The Case Study collections are

brought to life by the world’s leading ar-

chitects through individual cases, and the

story of each collection is told through its

native setting. With Karimoku Case Study,

Karimoku introduces its third high-end,

contemporary furniture brand, following

Karimoku New Standard which celebrated

its 10th anniversary in Milan this year, and

Karimoku Kunst, a collection of timeless

furniture masterpieces.

K A R I M O K U

The origins of Karimoku date back to 1940,

when Shohei Kato took over a longstand-

ing timber company and established a

small woodworking shop in the town of

Kariya, Aichi. The company produced var-

ious wooden parts in the ensuing decades,

developing a range of techniques before

launching its own line of wooden furniture

in the 1960s. Building upon the concept of

manufacturing high-tech and high-touch

products, the company established bases

in timber production areas and soon de-

veloped into one of Japan’s leading manu-

facturers of wooden furniture.

N O R M

A R C H I T E C T S

Norm Architects was founded in 2008.

The multidisciplinary design studio works

within the fields of industrial design, res-

idential architecture, commercial in-

teriors, photography and art direction.

Much like human well-being, the essence

of Norm Architects’ work is found in bal-

ance—between richness and restraint, be-

tween order and complexity.

K E I J I A S H I Z A W A

D E S I G N

Keiji Ashizawa Design is an architectural

and product design studio based in Tokyo,

Japan. Formed in 2005 by Keiji Ashiza-

wa, following 10 years’ working experi-

ence in both architecture and steel fab-

rication, the studio is comprised of both

architects and designers, each bringing

unique skills to the team. Through logical

thinking and open-mindedness, the studio

presents works of “honest” design: sim-

ple yet refined, thoughtful and of a light

manner—and derived naturally through

the process of maximising the potential

of each material and its functions.

A - D T 0 1

D E S I G N : K E I J I A S H I Z A W A

Inspired by the crude beauty and

roughness of the demolished Kinuta

apartment interiors, prior to their res-

toration, the geometrical design of the

apartments is reflected in the struc-

ture of the table. The design unleashes

the beauty of the material through its

succinct structure, shown through the

transparent glass top, while providing

a warm and relaxing atmosphere when

accompanied by chairs in a space.

N - C T 0 1

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

With its construction being based on

the many facades and doors that you

find in shrines, temples and tradition-

al architecture all over Japan, the var-

ious wooden parts of the sofa table

are intentionally spaced and levelled

with high precision, making the furni-

ture piece light in its appearance. The

spacing between each element lets the

light travel through to make for an or-

ganic, living piece of furniture. The stone

top carries references to the minimal-

ist designs by famous, Danish designer

Poul Kjærholm.

T H E K I N U T A C O L L E C T I O N

A - S 0 1

D E S I G N : K E I J I A S H I Z A W A

Inspired by the crude beauty and

roughness of the demolished Kinuta

apartment interiors, prior to their res-

toration, the geometrical design of the

apartments is reflected in the struc-

ture of the table. The design unleashes

the beauty of the material through its

succinct structure, shown through the

transparent glass top, while providing

a warm and relaxing atmosphere when

accompanied by chairs in a space.

N - S 0 1

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

The rhythms in the sofa carries refer-

ences to traditional Japanese architec-

ture methods and democratic Danish

furniture design from the 50’s. All ele-

ments are visible and proudly displayed

through an honest design language. The

armrest continues along the backrest of

the sofa, creating a shelf-like element

that increases the functionality of the

furniture piece, making it suitable for

the small home.

N - S S 0 1

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

Inspired by the umbrella- and shoe

racks by the entrance of Japanese

temples and Shrines, similar construc-

tion techniques were used to create the

shelving system with inherent function-

alities, such as removable shelves and

bookends that aren’t visible at first

sight. The shelving system is a custom-

izable piece of furniture in solid wood

that serves the needs of its owner in an

understated way.

A - C T 0 1

D E S I G N : K E I J I A S H I Z A W A

Matching the height of the sofa while

referencing the traditional Japanese,

short legged chabudai dining table, the

sofa table can be utilized while seated

on the floor. The transparent glass top

highlights the structure of the legs in an

honest way, celebrating the material.

N - D T 0 1

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

Playing with the balance between

light and heavy elements, the dining

table is dimensioned like the branch-

es of a tree — thus making it appear

paper-thin from some angles and more

robust where it needs to be. Like with

the architectural works of the studio,

Norm have explored the negative space

within the furniture pieces, emphasis-

ing the materials and details by high-

lighting the places where the light can

shine through.

N - D C 0 1

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

The dining chair was born out of the

exploration around Karimoku’s many

factories, workshopping on sight with

the craftsmen, using existing parts and

updating others, until a hybrid between

the Japanese and Scandinavian design

aesthetic emerged. The result is a clas-

sic chair, simple in its design and com-

position, but with a warm and welcom-

ing feel to it.

N - L C 0 1

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

The lounge chair Kinuta N-LC01 be-

comes a hybrid between the dining

chair and sofa. By combining the wide

armrest from the sofa with the sleek

lines and transparent look of the dining

chair, we’ve arrived at a sophisticated

and functional piece of furniture that

also carries references to the 50’s Scan-

dinavian cabinet makers’ traditions.

N - S T 0 1

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

Much like the dining table and desk,

there is a play between the light and

heavy. The solid wooden base chang-

es in thickness according to where it

needs to be strong - being sturdiest in

the middle of the construction where

the elements meet, and thinnest at the

ends. This creates a visually lighter ex-

pression, without losing its strength. The

rounded marble top highlights the un-

derlying wood base through a subtle

cut-out, emphasizing the relationship

between the materials and indicating

direction.

N - D C 0 2

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

The dining chair was born out of the

exploration around Karimoku’s many

factories, workshopping on sight with

the craftsmen, using existing parts and

updating others, until a hybrid between

the Japanese and Scandinavian design

aesthetic emerged. The result is a clas-

sic chair, simple in its design and com-

position, but with a warm and welcom-

ing feel to it.

N - L C 0 2

D E S I G N : N O R M A R C H I T E C T S

This version of the Kinuta lounge chair

has the same basic construction as its

relative, the N-LC01, but with a free

hanging seat in either leather or can-

vas. The seat forms according to the

body of the user and creates a much

more lightweight expression - a con-

cept which carries its references from

the traditional “safari chairs”.

P L E A S E C O N T A C T F O R T R A D E I N Q I R I E S A N D O R D E R S :

I N F O - C A S E S T U D Y @ K A R I M O K U . C O . J P

P R E S S C O N T A C T

F O R A D D I T I O N A L P R E S S I N F O R M A T I O N , H I G H - R E S O L U T I O N I M A G E S O R I N T E R V I E W R E Q U E S T S ,

P L E A S E C O N T A C T :

B R A N D . K I O S KS U S A N N E G Ü N T H E R / D A N A I C O L L A E C A S E S T U D Y @ B R A N D - K I O S K . C O M

T + 4 9 ( 0 ) 6 9 2 6 4 9 1 1 2 2W W W . B R A N D - K I O S K . C O M

K A R I M O K U - C A S E S T U D Y . C O M