Designer
Wataru Kumano
Wataru Kumano was born in Tokyo in 1980. In 2001 he moved to Finland, studying furniture design at Lahti Polytechnic (BA, 2001–2004) and at the University of Art and Design Helsinki (Aalto University) (MA, 2005–2008). Back in Japan from…
Biography
Background
Wataru Kumano was born in Tokyo in 1980. In 2001 he moved to Finland, studying furniture design at Lahti Polytechnic (BA, 2001–2004) and at the University of Art and Design Helsinki (Aalto University) (MA, 2005–2008). Back in Japan from 2008, he worked as a designer at Jasper Morrison's Tokyo studio, and in 2011 he founded his own design office, kumano.
Signature Style
Kumano works across interior, furniture and product design. Karimoku describes his theme as design with a background — environment, functionality and regional characteristics. His projects often start from material: MAS for Karimoku explores how softer, lighter Japanese conifer wood can be used for robust furniture.
Notable Works
- December chair with Jasper Morrison for Nikari (2012)
- STOOL with Jasper Morrison for More Trees, in hinoki (2017)
- MAS furniture collection for Karimoku
- Hammock Chair in knitted fabric for Kvadrat (2020)
- ETS bench prototype made by Nikari for the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale (2019)
- Projects with Tendo Mokko and Ishinomaki Laboratory
Legacy
In 2021 Kumano was invited to ECAL in Lausanne and became an associate professor at Musashino Art University, teaching in its Department of Industrial, Interior, and Craft Design.