Skip To Main Content
Issue 62 - Living in the Environment Issue

Issue 62

Living in the Environment Issue

Issue 62 is the first issue of the year and always a great time to put our best foot forward. With Adam Goodrum, the loveliest man in design, as Guest Editor, we draw on his insights as a furniture designer, artist and educator to look at the makers shaping our design world. Sustainability has never been more important, and increasingly this is a consideration from the start with projects designed to address their immediate environment as well as the longevity of the planet. From the coldest winters to the most tropical of summers, addressing how we live in the environment is crucial to creating the perfect home.

Order Issue

A Product of

Grafunkt Welcomes Ariake
ProductsHabitusliving Editor

Grafunkt Welcomes Ariake

Wood, ink, paper, leather – Ariake offers impeccably crafted furniture pieces designed by an international team with a unique Japanese twist.


Named after the Ariake Sea in Southern Japan, Ariake is a furniture brand owned by Legnatec and Hirata Chair – two factories from the furniture town of Morodomi in Saga prefecture, Japan.

The word ‘ariake’ means daybreak in Japanese, and symbolises a new beginning for the two factories as they collaborate not only with each other (Legnatec is a cabinet specialist and Hirata Chair a chair specialist) but also with a team of international designers.

The Ariake brand and inaugural collection were born from an intensive workshop in Morodomi. Legnatec and Hirata Chair engaged Singaporean designer Gabriel Tan, whom they met at IFFS last year, to form an international creative team to create a new collection for the international market.

This international team consists of furniture designers Tan, Espen Voll of Norwegian design studio Anderssen & Voll, Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa, and Swedish designer Staffan Holm with Swiss design studio AnnerPerrindesigning the branding and Swiss photographer Sebastian Stadler documenting the visuals.

The result of an eight-day intensive workshop in Morodomi is a collection of 18 furniture pieces that utilises the best of hand and machine.

Inspired by the spirit of Japanese culture and urban living contexts, Ariake collection is very much international in taste, with a Japanese twist. The collection mixes wood both imported (white oak, ash, cedar) and native Japanese (hinoki), pairs them with leather, paper chord and unique finishes such as sumi ink, indigo and burnt cedar.

Indigo is used for a dark blue finish while burnt cedar brings a smoky effect. Made from candle soot, sumi ink (a common staple in Japanese painting) is used to dye the wood black without diminishing its natural grain like paint can. The availability of sumi in Japan has also made it a more economical choice than black paint, lending to a reasonable price point for the quality. Ariake is the first brand to use sumi for commercial production.

Ariake collection
ariakecollection.com

Ariake Collection Rikyu Sideboard
Ariake Collection Saga Stool
Ariake Collection Saga Chair
Ariake Collection Sky Ladder Low Shelf

About the Author

Habitusliving Editor

Tags

Ariake collection


Related Articles
Issue 62 - Living in the Environment Issue

Issue 62

Living in the Environment Issue

Issue 62 is the first issue of the year and always a great time to put our best foot forward. With Adam Goodrum, the loveliest man in design, as Guest Editor, we draw on his insights as a furniture designer, artist and educator to look at the makers shaping our design world. Sustainability has never been more important, and increasingly this is a consideration from the start with projects designed to address their immediate environment as well as the longevity of the planet. From the coldest winters to the most tropical of summers, addressing how we live in the environment is crucial to creating the perfect home.

Order Issue