Published on : Monday, November 4, 2019
Japanese architecture and design studio Keiji Ashizawa and Danish design studio Norm Architects complete the Kinuta Terrace apartment project in Tokyo, featuring the twelve initiating furniture pieces and first collection of Karimoku Case Study. The interior design project, encompassing the renovation of two apartments in central Tokyo, provoked the creation of twelve tailor-made furniture pieces by Keiji Ashizawa and Norm Architects and the founding of the new lifestyle brand Karimoku Case Study by Japan’s leading wooden furniture manufacturer Karimoku Furniture Inc.
In 2018, Tokyo-native architecture and design studio Keiji Ashizawa asked the Danish design studio Norm Architects to collaborate on the renovation of two apartments in the Kinuta Terrace apartment complex, comprising a total of 36 units. Originally built back in the 1980s, Kinuta Terrace features an integrated courtyard that gives residents the advantages of a single-family home.
Working with transparency, light and shadow, the collaborating studios have strived to use the existing architecture to frame both the outside and the inside living spaces in an attempt to open up and guide its inhabitants from one space to the next. Through the unique skills and production capabilities of Karimoku, Japan’s leading wooden furniture manufacturer, the collaborating studios were able to use the best possible natural materials for the interior furnishing, ultimately creating design that lasts, maintaining the highest possible standards throughout.
The Kinuta collection, which also makes up the first collection of Karimoku Case Study, was specially designed by Norm Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design for the two apartments. Each piece of the Kinuta collection draws heavily on the natural references of the connected courtyard in an attempt to invite in nature as much as possible – in their design language as well as through their material composition. Comprising of 12 tailor-made pieces for the two apartments, the Kinuta collection features two sofas and coffee tables as well as a dining table set, lounge chair and shelf.
Drawing on Karimoku Furniture’s years of experience in the manufacturing of wooden furniture, the Kinuta collection reflects the genuine admiration for the material wood and quality craftsmanship. Many pieces feature thoughtful details inspired by structures seen in Japanese temples and gardens; for example, the rhythm of the roof lines in temples that the studios paid visits to are evident in the long coffee table. The backrest of the sofa Kinuta N-S01 offers additional storage surface, if placed against the wall.
Tags: Danish design studio, Japanese architecture and design studio, Karimoku Case Study, Keiji Ashizawa, norm architects, The Kinuta Terrace Project
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