From Saturday, August 29 through Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Karimoku Furniture is holding "Behind the Archives - special stock sale vol.1 -," an exhibition and sale of custom-made furniture originally created for past exhibitions and events, at the 1F gallery space of Karimoku Commons Tokyo.
The exhibition features custom furniture born from collaborations with creators in Japan and abroad — including Torafu Architects, who designed a symbolic tree installation, and Kii and Yoh Komiyama, who handled the venue design and direction for the office furniture trade show ORGATEC Tokyo — all originally made for past exhibitions and events. From this archive of pieces preserved as valuable technical and design assets, more than 20 items will be exhibited and offered for sale.
Ahead of the exhibition, a special feature page will go live on the e-commerce site Karimoku Commons Shop at 6:00 PM on Friday, July 31, 2026, offering an early look at the story behind each piece — the background of how each product came to be, behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the factory staff who made them, and tips for using them in everyday life.
Each piece featured in the exhibition is a one-of-a-kind item that could only have come into being at that particular time and place. With the hope that visitors will appreciate the subtle differences in each item in person, most pieces will be sold through an auction format limited to those who visit the venue, while a select number of items will also be available for direct purchase on-site.
Archived Custom-Made Furniture, Waiting to Tell Their Stories
Behind the many exhibitions and events held over the years, specially made furniture tailored to each venue and theme has been created time and again.
Collaborating with designers from Japan and abroad and responding to a wide range of lifestyles, Karimoku Furniture has built a flexible production system capable of accommodating custom orders in size and color — a foundation of craftsmanship the company has cultivated since its founding. It's this system that has made it possible to create special furniture, found nowhere else, for each individual event.
However, much of this furniture never took center stage, with few opportunities for people to see the pieces in person, and it instead remained archived as a record of technique and design. Since 2022, the archive built up from seven such events and collaborations has grown to a certain depth, and this exhibition marks the first time Karimoku Furniture itself has selected pieces from it for public display and sale. As the name "vol.1" suggests, this is only the first step, with further installments planned to continue.
More than 20 pieces have been selected from the archive for this exhibition. Each item carries its own story — the circumstances behind its creation and the thoughts of the creators and staff involved.
Product Introductions (Featured Selections)
Event: Spiral Xmas Market 2022 — Venue: Spiral Garden (Spiral, 1F) — Photo: Masaki Ogawa
AA HIGH STOOL by Karimoku - Special Model for Spiral Xmas Market 2022
This is the "AA HIGH STOOL by Karimoku," displayed as the symbolic tree installation at "Spiral Xmas Market 2022," held in Omotesando. It's a special model made in five limited colors — gold, silver, red, moss green, and indigo blue — matched to the event's image colors.
The tree was designed by Torafu Architects, who stacked 144 units of the "AA HIGH STOOL by Karimoku" — a piece they themselves designed — to create a symbolic tree roughly 7 meters tall. The tree also included "upcycled models" made from unused domestic timber unsuited for furniture and reclaimed factory pallets, giving the installation a message of its own as it was displayed in the atrium of Spiral Garden.
Karimoku New Standard, MAS - Special Models for ORGATEC Tokyo 2025
These are special models of the "Castor Chair" series and the "WK Chair 01" series, displayed at Karimoku Furniture's booth at the office furniture trade show ORGATEC Tokyo 2025. They were made using unused domestic timber not found in the standard versions, along with a custom finish with gradually controlled levels of sheen.
At ORGATEC Tokyo 2025, the design unit Kii handled the venue design while Yoh Komiyama directed the exhibition, producing and displaying a wide range of pieces that expressed the full breadth of Karimoku Furniture's craftsmanship. The chairs being sold this time were also made under Kii's supervision. By developing a variety of special models based on existing chairs, the exhibit presented the depth of Karimoku Furniture's woodworking expression and its flexible ability to accommodate special orders.
NASHI Pen Stand / Card Holder - Special Model for the "Dialogues" Exhibition
This is a pen stand / card holder from Karimoku New Standard (hereafter, KNS), made in the special color "Pale Lilac." Its plump, pear-like form gives a soft impression both visually and to the touch. A groove on the underside also lets it double as a cable weight on a desk.
"NASHI" was designed by Geckeler Michels, a designer for KNS. This special color was made for "Dialogues," a retrospective exhibition looking back on their 10 years of work, held at Karimoku Commons Tokyo in April 2025. It can be purchased directly at the venue.
Exhibition Overview
Dates: August 29 (Saturday) – September 15 (Tuesday), 2026
Closed: Sundays
Hours: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Venue: Karimoku Commons Tokyo, 1F Gallery Space
Admission: Free
Organizer: Karimoku Furniture
Facility website: https://commons.karimoku.com/location/tokyo/
How to Purchase
Among the products featured in this exhibition, eligible items will be sold through an auction format limited to visitors at the venue. Some items will instead be available for direct, in-person purchase.
Auction Items
Lineup announced: From 6:00 PM on Friday, July 31, 2026 (previewed in advance on the special feature page)
Eligibility: Visitors who come to the venue during the exhibition period
How to bid: Register the item you want along with your bid amount through a dedicated form available at the venue. Whoever has placed the highest bid by the close of the exhibition will be able to purchase the item.
Bidding period: 1:00 PM on Saturday, August 29 – 6:00 PM on Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Direct-Sale Items
Starting from 1:00 PM on the exhibition's opening day, Saturday, August 29, 2026, these items will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the venue. Please note that quantities are limited.
