nendo: akimoku bentwood furniture collection for edition blue

nendo: akimoku bentwood furniture collection for edition blueall photos by akihiro yoshida

akimoku (akaita mokko) is japan’s only workshop which specializes in making bentwood furniture. in wanting to celebrate the firm’s 102-year history, nendo selected a few of its signature pieces as starting points for a collection of seating and table designs for edition blue by otsuka, which take advantage of the unique techniques practiced by akimoku. aptly named after the atelier, the collection of bentwood furniture by nendo reveal modifications of the chosen objects–they have simplified them in a way that reduces production costs (seen through the use of new metal molds and fixtures) while offering alternative functionality that still continues to showcase the charm of the original bentwood details at the same time.

the upper portion of the akimoku windsor chair’s backrests are painted in a range of colors

for example, with one of the designs, nendo has turned the legs of a stool upside down, using them instead as legs for a low table. in another instance, the legs of a dining table are applied as supports for a workbench-style table. the classic akimoku windsor chair gets a facelift in which the japanese studio has painted the top of the backrests in a variety of colors; from the 720mm mark upwards, the measured height of a dining table. their transformation still manages to retain the simple and natural finish of the pieces, but offers unexpected visual interest when the chairs are pushed up against a table. other modifications see the upholstery of sofa cushions being made reversible. the resulting furniture highlights the practice of the bentwood technique, expressed in new contemporary forms.

the legs of a dining table are re-purposed to create trestles for a workbench-style table