ARIAKE PRESENTS: NAGARE 流れ
Ariake’s 3daysofdesign exhibition, co-presented with ourEuropean distributor Est.18, is located at DesignHouse CPH on
Kanonbådsvej 4A – a repurposed warehouse with a beautiful
view of the river. This special installation will feature Ariake
furniture amongst Bonsai and Washi sculptures with the river
as a backdrop, in collaboration with Bonsai artist Jan Leungfrom Bonsai Murin and Gen Taniguchi of Nao Washi.
The name Nagare means flow in Japanese, and refers not only
to water but also to the flow of events. We chose this namefor this year’s exhibition because the 2024 collection is the fruitof the Ariake Design Workshop held in October 2023, where thedesigners of Ariake went to Saga for one week to prototype newideas with our craftsmen. Our design workshop is the soul ofAriake and how our brand was born, but we had to pause themfor four years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, when Japan was hit
especially hard with travel restrictions. We are overjoyed to beable to resume Ariake’s flow of creation, and put our design
workshop back at the heart of our brand.
During our 2023 workshop, our designers visited the Hinoki
forest close to our factories to learn about how our partners
grow, harvest and process Hinoki, the revered Japanese Cypress
known for its natural fragrance and health benefits. We also
visited Nao Washi, a family-run handmade washi mill that has
operated for more than three hundred years in the mountains
of Nao in Saga. The process of growing and harvesting Kaji trees
to making washi with well water was explained by Gen Taniguchi,
owner and master craftsman of Nao Washi.
At the Nagare exhibition, we will be launching 8 new products
designed by Gabriel Tan, Anderssen&Voll, Keiji Ashizawa, NormArchitects, Monica Förster, Naoki Terada, and Christian Haas,
with the latter trio being welcomed as new members to ourdesign family. The collection includes three new products madefrom Hinoki and a new cabinet made with Washi. We will also beputting a focus on our Sumi (Japanese ink made from candlesoot) finish, which was developed during our first design
workshop in 2016. Ariake is, to our knowledge, the only furniture
brand in the world that uses Japanese Sumi to colour woodfurniture, resulting in a “soft black” finish that we are proud of.

EXHIBITION VENUE
DesignHouse CPH, Kanonbådsvej 4A
12th to 14th June, 9am to 6pm
DesignHouse Boat runs every 15 mins
from/to corner of Havnegade & Nyhavn from 9am to 6pm
PRESS EVENT
Designers Meet & Greet
12th June, 9am to 12noon
PRESS CONTACT
info@ariakecollection
Image Bank: here
Exhibition Creative Direction by Gabriel Tan
Graphic Design/Art Direction by Martina Perrin
Photography by Sebastian Stadler

ARIAKE 有明 2024 COLLECTION

KOI CHAIR コイ GABRIEL TAN
The Koi chair is a dining armchair designed by Gabriel Tan.
The chair features a generous backrest, with organic armrests
shaped like the curved body of a Japanese carp, hence its name.
The designer’s vision is a solid wood dining chair that is extremely
comfortable, one that showcases the craftsmanship of Ariake
and being suitable as both a dining chair and home office chair,as our homes and workspaces have evolved to become more
hybridised today.

FUTAGO NESTING TABLES フタゴ GABRIEL TAN
Futago means “Twins” in Japanese, and is a pair of nesting tables
designed by Gabriel Tan. Each table has a primary and secondary
surface, with the second surface serving as a low platform forbooks and magazines whilst acting as a structural component.
The smaller table glides seamlessly into and out of the larger
one, allowing the user to lengthen one’s coffee table or to use
the smaller one as a separate side table. Futago tables are alsoavailable in a slimmer depth for compact spaces.

SEDAI CHAIR セダイ CHRISTIAN HAASThe Sedai lounge chair is meant and made to last. Taking on
the historical sling chair typology, Christian Haas reinvents anew expression through its structural design and detailing ofthe leather sling. The result is a contemporary chair with good
comfort for casual lounging. The chair has an energetic but
understated aura, with layers and details to discover over time.
It has a solid wood structure, an upholstered fabric seat pad
and a sling made of Japanese saddle leather, that will patinate
beautifully and conform to the body over time.

HINODE DRESSING TABLE ヒノデ MONICA FORSTER
Hinode, which translates to „sunrise“ in Japanese, is a dressing
table designed by Monica Förster Design Studio. This piece
encapsulates the minimalistic and poetic essence sharedby Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics. The round mirror
emerges from the surface of the table, reminiscent of the sun
rising from the sea. Its proportions delicately balance structural
strength with visual lightness, evoking the fluidity of calligraphy
in its silhouette.

NAO CABINET 名尾 KEIJI ASHIZAWA
Made of hinoki wood and washi from Saga, the Nao Cabinet
is made in collaboration with Nao Washi, a washi mill that has
been operating for over 300 years in the mountains of Nao.
Washi is a durable material that can last for centuries andhas been used in Japanese daily life since ancient times. Keiji
Ashizawa wanted to express a new form of traditional Japanese
shoji screen through the design of this cabinet. Delicatedetails, such as the recessed handle and edge hinges, elevate
its minimalist design. When one opens its doors, the natural
fragrance of hinoki wood can be enjoyed.

BRAID CHAIR ブレイド NORM ARCHITECTS
The Braid Chair is a natural extension of our beloved Braid Sofa
collection by Norm Architects. Featuring the recognizable paper
cord woven armrests from the Braid collection, now sweeping
around the back to form a crescent-shaped backrest, thisversatile chair is perfect for luxurious dining, at the writing desk,or as a compact lounge chair. It is available in two different seatheights, suitable for dining or lounging..

TONBO SOFA トンボ NAOKI TERADA
Tonbo means framing or cutting marks in the Japanese print
industry. Tokyo-based designer and architect Naoki Terada took
inspiration from this graphical mark to design a sofa with a solid
Hinoki structure that frames its cushions. The result is a sofa
that is both graphical and architectural. The compact size of thesofa and density of the softly edged geometric cushions makethis sofa ideal for hospitality and contract interiors. The oiled
Hinoki wood frame gives off a light, natural citrus fragrance.
Also available in Ariake standard wood finishes of smoked,
whitened and natural oak, as well as Sumi ash.

ZABU CHAIR ザブ ANDERSSEN&VOLL
With the Zabu chair, Anderssen & Voll were seeking to create
a comfortable lounge chair where a dynamic, laidback andtransparent, wooden construction would play the main role.
The gesture and the detailing of the cushions are inspiredby the Zabuton, a traditional Japanese floor cushion. The belts
supporting the cushions are on display along the front andback bars of the seat. Together they create an ornamental
rhythm that explains the structure.

HOYO SOFA ホウヨウ FRANCESCO ROTA
Meaning “embrace” in Japanese, Hoyo is a modular sofa
designed by Francesco Rota. Each individual module featuresa plush seat cushion and backrest cradled or “embraced”
by a curved wooden frame. Francesco‘s design is based ona precise and rational approach that makes formal cleanlinessits distinctive feature, reducing elements to their essentials
for maximum visual impact. The ends of the wooden runners
have been designed and tooled with a 3D-machined cylindical
section to open up the possibility of connecting multiple
modules together, providing a recognizable solution ofcontinuity. ———— Originally launched in Milan in 2022 atCipango: Japan Reimagined, the Hoya Sofa has undergone“kaizen” (good change), and the improved version is now
re-launched for market orders and retail sales.

ARIAKE DESIGN WORKSHOP OCTOBER 2023

Hinoki forest visit

Gen Taniguchi of Nao Washi

Naoki Terada with the Tonbo Sofa prototype

Naoki Terada sketching the Tonbo Sofa

Gabriel Tan with Kai Taishi & Tomoko Miyachi

ARIAKE DESIGN WORKSHOP OCTOBER 2023

Christian Haas with the Sedai Chair Prototype

Keiji Ashizawa sketching the Nao Cabinet

Braid Chair Prototype

Ariake craftsman working on the Koi Chair

Designers and craftsmen with the prototypes on the last day of workshop