Karimoku Furniture to Exhibit and Unveil SEYUN Collection for First Time in Asia at Design Shanghai 2023

Karimoku Furniture Inc., headquartered in Higashiura, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, will exhibit at Design Shanghai 2023 in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center in Shanghai, China, from Thursday, June 8, to Sunday, June 11, 2023. The company will unveil its SEYUN collection of furniture for the first time at an international event held in Asia. The SEYUN collection comprises chairs, armchairs, and tables manufactured by the company and designed by ZAHA HADID DESIGN (ZHD), one of the studios founded by architect Zaha Hadid, who passed away in 2016.

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SEYUN collection, which references Zaha Hadid’s pioneering designs, is manufactured by combining asymmetrical surfaces with the contrast of soft outlines and hardwood. The pleasantly textured oak furniture undergoes high-precision machining and passes through the hands of skilled artisans who ensure the edges, joint lines, and other details are as perfect as can be. The lineup shows the versatility of wood; while some pieces feature the familiarly bright, smooth finish of natural wood, others are painted to look almost metallic rather than wooden at first glance.

ZHD was also in charge of the company’s booth design, an abstract representation of SEYUN complete with curves resembling cubic functions, a hallmark of Zaha Hadid’s designs. Each design feature announces the arrival of SEYUN collection. The signs fashioned in the image of the wooden boxes used in international logistics sit atop a bespoke wool rug.

The company announced the SEYUN collaboration in Japan in 2021 and introduced SEYUN collection to the world at Milan Design Week in Italy this past April. Now, the company is poised to unveil SEYUN collection in Asia. China is home to many of Zaha Hadid’s surviving architectural works. By providing information to local media and dealers there, Karimoku Furniture aims to increase brand recognition among consumers and expand business in the Chinese market.

Description of exhibit

- SEYUN Chair

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Size: W 49.5 cm x D 53.5 cm x H 78.0 cm, seat height 46.0 cm

Colors: 6 (Grain Matte Black, Metallic Black, Metallic Blue, Pure Oak, Silver, Smoked Oak)

Local price and release date: To be determined

- SEYUN Armchair

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Size: W 58.5 cm x D 53.5 cm x H 78.0 cm, seat height 46.0 cm, arm height 66.0 cm

Colors: 6 (Grain Matte Black, Metallic Black, Metallic Blue, Pure Oak, Silver, Smoked Oak)

Local price and release date: To be determined

The company will also exhibit a SEYUN Table prototype.

Collaborator

- ZAHA HADID DESIGN

"Reinterpreting everyday items into something unimaginable"

Zaha Hadid’s important contributions over the past 40 years include research and development spanning many sectors. Her second studio, ZAHA HADID DESIGN (ZHD), features a portfolio that offers a glimpse beyond her widely recognized achievements in architecture, revealing the surprising depth of her creative methodology and process through progressive designs in fashion, jewelry, furniture, installations, and exhibition space arrangement. From collaborations with world-renowned luxury brands to projects with influential galleries, exhibition space arrangements for major cultural institutions, and product labels designed by Hadid herself, ZHD defines new, experimental ways to design to continue exploring its role in the context of contemporary culture.

- About Zaha Hadid

Born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1950. After studying mathematics at the American University of Beirut, she moved to London in 1972 and earned a bachelor’s degree from the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA School) in 1977. She founded Zaha Hadid Architects in 1979 and completed her first building, the Vitra Fire Station, in Germany in 1993. In 2004, she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture’s highest honor. She also received the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize in consecutive years (2010 and 2011). Although she passed away on March 31, 2016, her legacy lives on in the DNA of the studio.

Exhibition overview

- Exhibition title: Design Shanghai 2023

- Venue: Booth B-14, Hall 1, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center

- Dates: Thursday, June 8, to Sunday, June 11, 2023

- Hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (until 20:00 on the first day)

- Organizer: Clarion Events Ltd

Website: https://www.designshanghai.com/design-shanghai

About Karimoku Furniture Inc.

In 1940, Shohei Kato founded a woodworking shop in the city of Kariya in Aichi Prefecture. Building on skills developed in the process of fabricating wood products, the shop eventually became a furniture manufacturer that began retailing its own wooden furniture in the 1960s. Under its philosophy of "Quality First", the company engages in furniture manufacturing with "High-tech & High-touch" -- a combination of advanced machine fabrication and sophisticated craftsmanship. Receiving the bounty of nature, such as trees, it has always aspired to create furniture that contributes to the enrichment of people’s lives, and this stance has never changed. Furthermore, in pursuit of safety, peace of mind, and environmental friendliness, the company also meets the standards for made-in-Japan furniture labeling set out by the Japan Furniture Industry Development Association.

Website:

English: https://www.karimoku.com/en/main.php

Chinese: https://www.karimoku.com/ch/main.php