Kengo Kuma creates pair of Christmas trees from timber furniture components
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has unveiled a pair of Christmas trees made from elements that will become furniture at the Edition hotels in Toranomon and Ginza, Tokyo.
Each of the trees was made from timber components arranged to form the shape of a traditional Christmas tree. After the holiday season, the trees will be disassembled and made into furniture by Japanese wooden furniture manufacturer Karimoku.
"I designed the Christmas tree as an architectural structure for this project," said Kuma.
"The trees have a story of their own assembly; even after it is finished, they will live forever. In this sense, I realised the ideal way of architecture in the future through the Christmas tree."
Named Kigumi, the first tree was placed in the lobby of the Tokyo Edition, Toranomon hotel, which was also designed by Kuma.
The tree was assembled from linear timber pieces made from six types of wood – oak, castor aralia, magnolia, Japanese walnut, Japanese maple and North American walnut – that were completed with silver and bronze metallic finishes.
The components will be used as table legs after the tree is dissembled.
The second tree, named Komorebi, was placed in the lobby bar of the Tokyo Edition, Ginza, another Kuma-designed hotel.
It was assembled from rounded elements made from oak, castor aralia, magnolia, Japanese walnut and Japanese maple. The elements were made from pieces of curved timber that are often discarded.
Following Christmas, the tree will be disassembled with the solid elements becoming table tops and the hollow pieces legs for a desk.
"This project of reusing the wood used for the event as furniture is very attractive because it aligns with what we cherish daily," said Karimoku board director Eiichiro Kato.
"We hope that by purchasing the table, you will be able to enjoy the variety of the wood used in the table and feel the charm of the wood and the individuality of the forests we benefit from through our daily lives."
Other Christmas trees spotted this year include a twisting column created by Anna Lomax for the V&A, while British artist Liz West unveiled a neon tree in Kings Cross.
The photography is courtesy of Edition.
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