Chidori Furniture is a unique piece of furniture designed after a Japanese toy of the same name. This furniture was designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates in conjunction with the East Japan Project.
The East Japan Project seeks to aid the communities of Japan directly affected by the recent earthquake and nuclear plant meltdown through design. Chidori Furniture is made by artisans in the Tohoku region who are known for creating world-class wooden furniture by hand and consists of a six-sided wooden board and twelve wooden sticks. The multiple edges of the boards make it easy to combine multiple units together to create a massive shelf or the base of a coffee table. Chidori Furniture is currently being exhibited in Bals Tokyo Nakameguro and Ginza stores and is also available for purchase.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Modular Furniture Design
- There is an opportunity for businesses to explore modular furniture design, allowing customers to combine multiple units to create customized furniture pieces.
- Community-focused Design
- Designing products that directly aid communities affected by natural disasters can be a disruptive innovation opportunity.
- Handcrafted Woodworking
- Capitalizing on the growing demand for handmade wooden furniture can lead to disruptive innovation within the woodworking industry.
Sectors Adopting This
- Furniture Manufacturing
- By incorporating modular design principles, furniture manufacturers can offer customizable furniture solutions to meet customer needs.
- Disaster Relief Products
- Developing products and designs that directly benefit communities affected by disasters can drive disruptive innovation within the disaster relief industry.
- Artisanal Woodworking
- Investing in skilled artisans and promoting handcrafted wooden furniture can create disruptive innovation opportunities within the woodworking industry.
