Conde House Co., Ltd Japan

Philosophy

For centuries, Japanese culture has represented a unique synthesis of traditional elements and contemporary influences. The country’s geographical and political distance from other cultures has enabled it to preserve fundamental values and techniques for centuries, while cautiously adopting outside influences. The world’s oldest surviving wooden building, dating back to the 7th century, can be found in Japan, as well as the hyper-modern architecture of Tokyo and other mega-cities.

It is not confrontation and insistence upon rigid standpoints, but harmony and a quest for perfection that are the fundamental pillars which underpin Japanese culture and society. And Japanese design has always been influenced by the perfection of form, even in the smallest details. Traditionally, these values have been found in Bonsai; modernity is being characterized by any number of influences in electronics, fashion, architecture and in home furnishings, as well. Experience a synthesis of the traditional and the contemporary. In combination with contemporary design and consummate manufacturing methods, wood is transformed into a timeless piece of furniture – timeless in the truest sense of the word.

Facts & Figures

Early on the company’s founder Minoru Nagahara (70) discovered his love of wood as a material. At the same time he recognized that this fascination alone would not be enough to establish and sustain a successful furniture-making operation. So in the late 1960s, this furniture pioneer set off for Germany to be inspired by European manufacturing technology and design during the course of the three years he worked and studied there. His further travels in Scandinavia, first and foremost, also had a major influence on him – which is why today’s Conde House design would also appear to be a symbiosis of Japanese influences and Scandinavian elements.

Today, Nagahara is the owner of one of Japan’s most important furniture companies with a workforce of some 400 people. Following the establishment of Conde House Europe, Conde House exhibited for the first time at the International Furniture Show in Cologne (imm cologne) in the spring of 2005. This successful premiere was followed by the opening of the first Conde House showroom in Cologne.