A Mechanism Hidden Within a Lattice Door Design

"NIPPON FORM" is a "lifestyle showroom" that introduces furniture and daily necessities that blend seamlessly into the lives of contemporary Japanese people, unbound by traditional "Japanese" or "Western" styles. It proposes interior spaces based on Japanese living customs such as removing shoes indoors and sitting on the floor, as well as a consideration for seasons and nature. The newly released living cabinet "Rin" embodies NIPPON FORM's unique manufacturing perspective.


The name "Rin" is derived from the word "凛," meaning "stern and dignified." In fact, this new item was selected in the furniture competition "Woody Frontier Shizuoka" in 2001. Although it was produced and well-received, it was later discontinued. Now, NIPPON FORM has taken the initiative to produce it as an original product and bring it back into production.

One of the defining features of this cabinet is its sliding doors, which operate with a mechanism akin to a Zen koan exchange: "it opens when closed, and closes when opened." By sliding the lattice doors, the cabinet opens and closes. When slid open, one door stacks against the other, forming a single-door appearance and "closing" into place. Conversely, when the doors are closed, they return to their lattice form on both sides, creating an "open" state.

Furthermore, if lighting fixtures are placed inside the cabinet, beautiful light will spill through the gaps in the lattice. These mechanisms embody the designer's desire to create furniture whose expression is not fixed, but can be freely altered by the user. The design was handled by the design unit "ao2." Manufacturing was undertaken by "imada," a woodworking furniture maker in Hiroshima renowned for its advanced woodworking techniques.