Design Year Book

Posted: 25 May 2011 09:43 AM PDT

A harmonious blend of tradition and craft, Naoto Fukasawa's Hiroshima chair exhibits an honesty of materials and subtle warmth while harmoniously utilizing advanced technology and hand-craftsmanship within the production process. With perfectly seemed joints, the armchair appears to be hand-carved from a solid block of wood. Unaltered, the texture and color of the beech and oak wood used for the collection give the chairs a feeling of freshness while recalling the traditional Japanese wooden chairs of the past. The tapering of the sides of the arms, the seat of the chair and the table accentuate the beauty of the light shining on their surfaces.

Following Maruni's tradition of industrializing Japanese craft-work for over 80 years, the Hiroshima chair's simplicity and natural warmth are the result of complex manufacturing processes. Through advanced computer-aided routers, each piece of the chair is machine cut from raw wood, ensuring the perfect fit when assembled. In addition to the industrialization of the process, the final details of the chair are done by skilled craftsmen who sand the wood to a smooth finish.