Development of Rain table was begun in 2010, and it was launched in 2011 when our entire product
line faced a turning point. The orientation of our products was significantly changed by a group of
products launched right after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. With our previous design
concept, our products used to have a sense of tension due to an unwritten law for the product
design, which was to have a polyhedral composition by clearly dividing the planes, and to always
have edges with lines and surfaces. The basis of our products was the outlines consisting of edgy
cubes. The composition was coming to an end. We were flustered by the premonition, and unable
to create new products for a while. Changing the rules meant abandoning our characteristics.
Simultaneously, we wondered if it also meant disappointing customers who supported our
products. When we launched the new products, there were indeed many such opinions.
Creation of new products and abandoning our rules bring risks. However, new products cannot be
created continuously, without having the courage to abandon them. Many mistakes we had made
during the process led to our products today. This Rain table was created with such a process. Rain
table was completed after we addressed a number of difficulties. One problem was the creation
of a product with a sense of tension, while not having the characteristic edges like in our former
products. The tabletop surface and its cut end were connected by one continuous round surface,
which was gradually angled from the tabletop center to the cut end while maintaining a sense of
tension. We focused on a natural and organic connection without creating a border between the
tabletop and the cut end. The task of seeking a new tabletop continued, by checking the chamfered
tabletop shape after planning it down. Rounding only the cut end resulted in an unnatural border
between the tabletop surface and the cut end. A sense of unity was achieved after eliminating such
an unnatural joint. The apron, supporting the tabletop, was connected to the legs by carving large
curves from a solid piece of wood. A strength was added to the entire table by fixing the tabletop
on the large circled apron. The legs and apron was chamfered to create a soft curved shape while
maintaining an overall sense of tension. We also focused on natural joints between the legs and
apron, and sought a tapered leg shape.
Our result was a large-sized round table. The tabletop, apron, and legs were finished with beeswax,
which deepen its glossiness after everyday use. The beeswax – a unique mixture of sunflower oil
from Hokkaido and domestic beeswax – was independently developed to provide an even more
moisturized appearance to the gently carved tabletop and frame.