jasper morrison + wataru kumano shape ‘stool’ from hinoki wood

nanban, the e-commerce and distribution platform that offers the best of japanese creations in italy and europe, presents a new chapter in the east meets west series: stool. designed by jasper morrison and wataru kumano, a design team from east meets west, ‘this stool,’ in their own words ‘is all about distance. human, product, and space would naturally connect with pleasant distance by the friendly shape and pure hinoki material.’

stool was first presented at maison et objet — see our previous coverage here
all images by giulio boem

handcrafted by local craftsmen using hinoki wood from higashi-shirakawa in gifu, a strong, fragrant wood traditionally used in the construction of japanese temples and harvested sustainably, this stool exemplifies jasper morrison’s super normal design approach and is supplied as a self-assembly kit (possibly with the use of glue, not included).

stool celebrates the tenth anniversary of the japanese forest conservation organization more trees, founded by the famous musician ryuichi sakamoto. more trees’ goal is to re-establish a link between cities and local forests, promoting responsible use of the forests, preserving them, while supporting the creation of wooden objects to use and enjoy every day. to this end, part of the proceeds will be used to finance the conservation of japanese forests.

nanban’s DNA is to create a bridge between europe and japan: this does not only mean offering the european public the best of japanese production, but also strengthening ties with japan through the search for additional areas of encounter. it wants to represent all the richness of japanese culture through its creations, starting from the masterpieces of masters such as sori yanagi and keisuke serizawa, to the inventions of anonymous craftsmen, carefully telling the story behind each object.

project info:

name: stool

designers: jasper morrison and wataru kumano

produced by: nanban

available in two formats:

stool: 33 x 76.5 x 40.5 cm
bench: 76.5 x 33 x 40.3 cm