Kimono New York Introduces the Kicho Screen, a Contemporary Twist on the Traditional Japanese Screen, at the 22nd International Contemporary Furniture Fair Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York City, May 15-18, 2010
Imagine combining the silk textiles of the legendary Japanese Nishijin weavers with a sleek contemporary design to reinvent the time-honored Japanese screen. This is what Kimono New York, a company dedicated to promoting the use of kimono fabrics for interior decor, has done with its latest piece. It has teamed up with designer Anthony S. Morris and his company Walter P. Sauer, a fine furniture manufacturer based in Brooklyn, to produce the Kicho Screen, an elegant modern screen with kimono textiles.
Consisting of five panels, the Kicho Screen will be on display for the first time at the 2010 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) from May 15-18. Also on display will be a selection of Nishijin silk textiles, as well as the Hakama Chair and Ottoman, which premiered at the ICFF in 2009.
Please download our ICFF 2010 Media Kit Brochure as PDF
Designer Anthony
S. Morris and the Kicho screen in production at Walter
P. Sauer.
Photos: Copyright 2010 Todd Weinstein.
Kimono New York is dedicated to promoting the use of kimono and obi fabrics
for fine furnishings and décor. It is located in the heart of New York
City’s garment district and offers designers and manufacturers access
to over 50 of Japan’s top-rate kimono and obi manufacturers. Kimono
New York also promotes the use of natural fibers for fabric production and
environmentally sustainable design.
The tradition of the kimono and its intricate hand-woven silk fabrics date back over a millennium and are a fundamental part of Japan’s cultural heritage. It is our mission to help sustain and support this tradition by encouraging the Japanese to wear the kimono and by introducing Americans to the timeless beauty of kimono and obi fabrics. We partner with American designers and manufacturers to create fine décor using these fabrics and provide unparalleled access to Japan’s top fabric producers. As part of our mission we endorse environmentally sustainable design by working only with fabrics manufacturers that use natural fibers.
Kimono Chaise and Hakama Chair and Ottoman
For its first project Kimono New York has commissioned the design and manufacture of two chairs: the Kimono Chaise and the Hakama Chair and Ottoman. Created by the American designer William Gordon and produced by the Brooklyn-based custom-furniture manufacturer Walter P. Sauer, these two chairs unite the thousand-year-old tradition of Japanese textile weaving with the sleek lines of contemporary Western furniture for the first time in the history of design.
The Kimono Chaise and the Hakama Chair with Ottoman were on display for the first time at the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City from May 16-19, 2009.
Press feedback after the ICFF Show in 2009 in New York City:
www.time.com:
Ethnic Weaving: Japan
www.apartmenttherapy.com:
The Textures of ICFF 2009
www.stylenorth.ca/blog:
Material Matters: ICFF, New York City
www.rugnews.com:
Report on ICFF Show
PDFs
Shukan New York Seikatsu
2009
Design International
2009
Bahrain Clientele 2009
Interior Design 2009
The Kimono Chaise and the Hakama Chair with Ottoman were also on display at CA Boom Design Show in Beverly Hills, CA, June 26-28, 2009.
The Kimono
The kimono is traditional Japanese wear. It consists of an ankle-length robe that is wrapped around the body and is held together with a wide sash known as an obi. Women’s kimonos and obis come in a broad range of colors and detailed designs that reflect the formality of the occasion, the seasons and the wearer’s age and marital status. Kimonos worn by men sport muted colors and simpler patterns on the exterior. Samurai warriors wore their kimonos with a seven-pleated pair of pants called a hakama.
Nishijin Obis
The obi is the broad sash that ties together the kimono. Since the earliest days of the kimono, the finest obi weavers have been located in the Nishijin district of Kyoto, Japan. The Nishijin weavers are renowned for their unique artisanship and their elaborate designs, originally created for the nobility that patronized them over the centuries when Kyoto was the capital of Japan. Unlike Chinese silk fabrics, Nishijin obis are not embroidered and they are only seldom dyed. Instead the weavers of Nishijin usually dye the fine silk yarn first and then use complex weaving techniques handed down over generations to create their beautiful fabrics. Nishijin obi designs often depict scenes from nature and other traditional Japanese motifs.