Maruni
Maruni is a Japanese manufacturer whose goal is to create furniture that combines robustness with lightness and finesse to create designs that will still be relevant a hundred years from now. With nearly a century of experience in high-quality wooden furniture production, no compromises are made in form, seating, comfort and finishes. Their most famous product in which all these qualities come together is the timeless Hiroshima dining chair designed by Naoto Fukasawa.
MARUNI PHILOSOPHY AND THEIR DESIGNERS
Maruni is looking for the highest achievable quality of wooden furniture which is obtained through the collaboration of craftsmanship and technology, which is deeply rooted in the brand from the beginning as well as their profound knowledge and fascination for wood.
Naoto Fukasawa began his collaboration with Maruni in 2006 and later became the first art director of the international market. Maruni Wood Industry presenting his famous Hiroshima chair as part of the first international collection in 2008. This collection was co-created with Jasper Morrison who later became co art director.
For thirteen years, they were also the only two who design the furniture collection that grew annually. In 2022, a new table and chair by successful Danish designer Cecilie Mainz was added and she also joined as co-art-director of the Maruni Wood Industry collection. Additional some pieces included in the collection, such as the shoe-horn by Nendo and the Sanaa chair from the 2005 Maruni Next exhibition.
THE MODELS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS.
The brand, what consists of more than pieces, collections is very extensive. There are chairs and stools, high and low, with and without armrests and upholstered or not in a large range of fabrics. Each collection also has its own chairs and tables in multiple sizes, and there are a few additional tables such as the new monumental solid wood SETO conference table that Naoto originally designed for his own office.
When Jasper Morrison designed his very unique Fugu series (which is a Japanese means fish dish), his friend Naoto Fukasawa designed the Tako series which means octopus and you will recognize this in the organic shapes of the legs.
All models are also available in multiple wood types and finishes so the choice is really huge. The internationally very successful Hiroshima chair, one of the most important new classics of this century, is available in beech, oak or walnut finished with a urethane lacquer or oil, natural, black or whitish. At the time, Apple chose the beech urethane whitish version as the base chair for their headquarters in Cupertino.
Some other collections are also available in Maple or Ash.
The high-quality designs and diversity of the collections makes them well suited for hospitality projects, work environments as well as residential use where people are willing to invest in long-lasting quality.
THE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND HISTORY OF MARUNI
Maruni was created in 1933 by Takeo Yamanake who grew up in the Hiroshima area, with its rich tradition of craft woodwork. He was fascinated early on by the possibilities of wood and the shape it can create. Maruni was born out of Showa bentwood, the bentwood factory established in 1928 where the furniture was made in the traditional way until then.
After completing his university studie in mechanical engineering, Yamanake researched developments in furniture made from bentwood, at the time an unusual and new process. He also studied European and especially German techniques in detail.
With his knowledge of mechanical engineering and wooden furniture, the name of the traditional factory was changed to Maruni in 1933. From then on, the focus was on high-quality industrial furniture production with Western influences but always a traditional sense of beauty. In the 1990s, the focus on the Japanese ideas and aesthetics became more important again.
In 2004, Next Maruni was launched in which a selection of top international designers were invited to design chairs for the presentation at the 2005 Milan Furniture Fair. This was Maruni's first introduction to the international market and three years later it presented itself as Maruni Wood Industry with the designs of Naoto Fukasawa and Jasper Morrison.
Maruni is a Japanese manufacturer whose goal is to create furniture that combines robustness with lightness and finesse to create designs that will still be relevant a hundred years from now. With nearly a century of experience in high-quality wooden furniture production, no compromises are made in form, seating, comfort and finishes. Their most famous product in which all these qualities come together is the timeless Hiroshima dining chair designed by Naoto Fukasawa.
MARUNI PHILOSOPHY AND THEIR DESIGNERS
Maruni is looking for the highest achievable quality of wooden furniture which is obtained through the collaboration of craftsmanship and technology, which is deeply rooted in the brand from the beginning as well as their profound knowledge and fascination for wood.
Naoto Fukasawa began his collaboration with Maruni in 2006 and later became the first art director of the international market. Maruni Wood Industry presenting his famous Hiroshima chair as part of the first international collection in 2008. This collection was co-created with Jasper Morrison who later became co art director.
THE MODELS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS.
The brand, what consists of more than pieces, collections is very extensive. There are chairs and stools, high and low, with and without armrests and upholstered or not in a large range of fabrics. Each collection also has its own chairs and tables in multiple sizes, and there are a few additional tables such as the new monumental solid wood SETO conference table that Naoto originally designed for his own office.
When Jasper Morrison designed his very unique Fugu series (which is a Japanese means fish dish), his friend Naoto Fukasawa designed the Tako series which means octopus and you will recognize this in the organic shapes of the legs.
All models are also available in multiple wood types and finishes so the choice is really huge. The internationally very successful Hiroshima chair, one of the most important new classics of this century, is available in beech, oak or walnut finished with a urethane lacquer or oil, natural, black or whitish. At the time, Apple chose the beech urethane whitish version as the base chair for their headquarters in Cupertino.
Some other collections are also available in Maple or Ash.
The high-quality designs and diversity of the collections makes them well suited for hospitality projects, work environments as well as residential use where people are willing to invest in long-lasting quality.