The Karimoku Research Center in Tokyo, designed by Keiji Ashizawa, serves as the physical hub for Karimoku Furniture, providing a dedicated space for exploring the intersection of design, craftsmanship, and technology.
With its exhibition spaces, material laboratories, and archive, the Karimoku Research Center fosters collaboration, learning, and hands-on exploration of innovative ideas. The hub is the initiative dedicated to studying, documenting, and reimagining various aspects of human life. Through a series of research-based "Surveys," each focused on a specific theme, external researchers and collaborators are invited to explore and develop new ways of living. By combining these insights with Karimoku’s technological expertise, the project aims to create innovative solutions that extend beyond traditional furniture-making.
The interior design features a raw, monolithic aesthetic with exposed concrete surfaces, giving it a slightly brutalist yet refined character. This minimalistic approach creates the perfect blank canvas for presenting lab works, allowing materials and forms to take center stage.
One of the first research projects is "Survey 01: NEW TRADITION," which examines the meaning and relevance of tradition today. Karimoku Research aims to understand how tradition interacts with innovation, seeking to uncover its essence and potential to generate new value and perspectives. As part of this study, Los Angeles-based design studio WAKA WAKA and New York-based firm Lichen collaborate on reinterpreting traditional home furniture forms, giving them new life and function.
Another key project is "The Age of Wood," created by the Danish design studio Christian+Jade. This exhibition explores wood as a material that has been central to human craftsmanship for centuries, bridging tradition and innovation. Through a series of sculptural objects and installations, the project highlights wood as an organic carrier of history, time, and beauty.
Through these efforts, Karimoku Research seeks to create new opportunities for designers, local manufacturers, and future collaborators, both in Japan and globally, redefining the boundaries of furniture-making and exploring diverse ways of living.
