Kumiko: A Picture of Our Stories

We love Kumiko patterns because each piece while in itself isn’t much but they all work together to produce something beautiful. It’s the way our stories work too. The small moment-to-moment parts of our lives can make something beautiful if we look to make things good.

Kumiko is a Japanese form of woodworking. Thinly slit wooden pieces are grooved, punched, and mortised, and then fitted individually using a plane, saw, chisel, and other tools to make fine adjustments.

Kumiko panels slot together and remain in place without the use of nails or glue but through pressure alone. The maker uses meticulous chiseling, cutting, and arranging which results in a complex pattern of art that can stand alone like this piece or be incorporated into furniture or cabinetry.

The designs for Kumiko pieces aren't chosen randomly. Many of the nearly 200 patterns used today have been around since the early 1600s. Each design has a meaning or is mimicking a pattern in nature. The patterns are designed to look good, but also to distribute light and wind in a calming and beautiful way.