JAPANESE ARCHITECT KENGO KUMA’S WORK has always been revered for its respect for, and exploratory use of, natural materials and craft. For example, the National Stadium in Tokyo uses wood from the 47 prefectures of Japan as a unifying strategy, while the V&A Dundee in the UK abstracts the region’s cliffs using thin layers of precast concrete. In Singapore, he designed the Founders Memorial, together with K2LD Architects, based on the concept of rising out of the landscape. 

Not everyone can boast of a home or building designed by the prolific architect, but you can bring a piece of his design ethos home. Here are six products designed by Kuma that reflect his ideas and showcase his expertise with materials.

Time & Style – Fu sofa

Kuma is a long-time collaborator of Japanese furniture brand Time & Style. He is particularly inspired by the zabuton – a cushion with a thin edge “like a fine line”, he describes. “This edge design enables the zabuton to merge with the space, allowing air to flow over it.”  

An example is the Fu sofa, the design of which combines two zabutons – one vertical and one horizontal. To provide stability while maintaining the seating’s form, the seats are unconventionally filled with rubber resin.

Available for order from the Time & Style website. Pricing upon request. 

Lasvit – Yakisugi lamp

Kuma’s Yakisugi collection for Czech glass-making company Lasvit was inspired by the ancient yakisugi (or shou sugi ban) technique of preserving construction timber by charring its surface.

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“The idea behind the Yakisugi collection is... questioning the materiality of glass and natural wooden textures. My intention was to plumb the depth of the wooden soul, captured inside the glass,” Kuma says.

Dry wood is used in place of traditional pre-soaked moulds. The molten glass chars the wood, and the burnt texture is imprinted on the glass surface. This means that no two pieces are alike.

Available for order from Lasvit (Singapore), with prices ranging from US$360 for a pair of glasses to US$3,390 for a large pendant lamp.

Gan – Goz rugs

Kuma’s dexterity with materials is seen in the Goz collection for Gan – the rug-making arm of Spanish furniture company Gandia Blasco. Each rug features teak wood rods – a material rarely used in rug-making – woven into a framework of virgin wool using a manual loom. The result contrasts the softness, density and warmth of wool with the consistency of wood. 

The texture and aroma of traditional Japanese houses’ tatami floors inspired Kuma. Named Kiri, Ame and Tsuchi (fog, rain and soil in Japanese), the three designs aim to evoke the moods of these natural phenomena.

Available from Grafunkt in Singapore. Pricing available upon request. 

Aman Interiors – Migumi chair

Aman junkies can now bring home a piece of the brand with Aman Interiors – the luxury hotel operator’s new venture launched in December 2023. This division comprises a Foundations Collection that features bespoke furniture. There will also be limited edition pieces designed in collaboration with architecture and design greats, with the first being Kuma.

The Migumi collection features a dining table and chair. Calacatta marble is layered upon an intricate frame of white oak, designed to create dynamic shadows according to shifting sunlight. Kuma was inspired by the sunlight he encountered while designing the Aman Miami Beach Residences (targeted for completion in 2026).

Pricing available upon request. 

Eins zu Eins – Kigumi table 

Eins zu Eins’ unique furniture is handmade by interior outfitter Ludwig Seufert – a business started in 1898. There are only 10 pieces of Kuma’s Kigumi table for the brand available worldwide. Each is made to order, and will be engraved with a unique edition number and the architect’s signature. 

Kigumi is the Japanese craft of joining wood without nails or metal fittings. The architect’s table features a delicate lattice base made out of 20 mm by 20 mm timber slats. “It is a wood cloud that supports a simple glass plane, which in itself is visually light but physically not,” says Kuma.

Pricing available upon request. 

Galerie Philippe Gravier – Urushi Project

Galerie Philippe Gravier works with architects to create furniture that is more sculptural than utilitarian. Under its Elements of Architecture series, only limited editions of five are crafted for each design, which are made to order in France by artisans and specialists who are the best in their fields of craft. 

Kuma’s Urushi collection, comprising a console, coffee table, chandelier, dining table and screen, showcases the traditional Japanese technique of urushi. The gloss and fiery red colour of the lacquering craft dating back 9,000 years emphasises the pieces’ sleek, modern forms.

Pricing available upon request.