Masashi Ifuji encountered his first Shaker box while flipping through a magazine when he was in high school: “I was amazed by the existence of such a dainty, elegant object.” Later, when his training as a master woodworker was underway, Ifuji went on a Shaker pilgrimage to the Eastern US: “I visited Pleasant Hill, Mount Lebanon, Hancock, Enfield, Canterbury, Watervliet, Sabbathday Lake, and Old Chatham Shaker sites and museums: it was a very thorough journey,” he told John and Juli Baker of Mjölk in Toronto, which recently staged a Ifuji show.
Mjölk is one of several of our favorite design destinations to spotlight Ifuji’s work of late. Join us for an appreciatory tour.
Photography courtesy of Ifuji, unless noted.
Above Ifuji’s line also includes table and stools newly available at March in San Francisco. The Folding Tables, $2,500, a March exclusive, are made by hand of maple finished with a dye made from logwood, a dark heartwood. The design is modeled after British early 20th century campaign furniture and collapses for easy storage. Photograph via March.
Ifuji crafts his boxes the traditional way, by boiling the wood, shaping it, and allowing it to dry in a mold for two days. Photograph via Mjölk.
Featured image: Ifuji’s own showcase of his designs.
More Shaker design—and contemporary versions of it:
- In the Dwelling House: 16 Design Ideas to Steal from Canterbury Shaker Village
- The Design Ideas Behind the Shaker-Inspired Commerce Inn in NYC
- Shaker Style in Marseille: Studio Classico Designs a Shaker-Inspired Bakery
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