Karimoku New Standard

Heritage

Karimoku New Standard was founded in 2009 by the Japanese furniture manufacturer Karimoku. Its parent's origins go back to 1940, when Shohei Kato took over a longstanding timber company and set up a small woodworking shop in the town of Kariya, Aichi. Karimoku produced wooden parts for decades, building up techniques and technology, before launching its own line of wooden furniture in the 1960s and growing into one of Japan's leading wooden furniture manufacturers.

Philosophy

The brand is defined by a fusion of progressive ideas and manufacturing excellence, bringing together Karimoku's craftsmen and a select group of international designers to present new standards in Japanese furniture design. Responsible production starts with the material: sustainably grown Japanese hardwoods from northern Japan, including low-diameter trees that are often discarded or used as paper pulp, are processed in regional workshops and shaped through skilled craftsmanship and advanced technology.

Iconic Works

The collection is designed with studios such as BIG-GAME, Scholten & Baijings, Christian Haas, Geckeler Michels, Moritz Schlatter, Jörg Boner, Léonard Kadid, Nathalie Du Pasquier, David Glättli and the Karimoku Design Team. BIG-GAME's Castor series, including the stackable oak Castor Chair, is among its best-known families.

Today

Karimoku New Standard is one of several brands in the Karimoku Group, which spans procurement, production, retail and distribution. Its furniture is used in homes and in contract projects such as cafés, offices and libraries, including Blue Bottle Coffee Harajuku Cafe and Dick Bruna Japan's office.