NAGANO INTERIOR CO.,LTD
Special Interview
JAPAN FURNITURE SHOW by IFFT 2026
The Strength of Staying “Basic”: NAGANO INTERIOR’s Pursuit of Timeless Beauty in Furniture
Woodworking furniture maker NAGANO INTERIOR celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Handling every step in-house, from sourcing and drying timber to woodworking, upholstery, packing and shipping, the company has long pursued furniture-making under the motto “One Order, One Story.” Ahead of its exhibit at JAPAN FURNITURE SHOW, we spoke with Vice President Yohei Nagano and Product Development Department General Manager Keisuke Maeda about the philosophy behind the design concept “Think Basic,” the new lounge chair OSLO Lounge, and ANOTHER FURNITURE, a sustainable brand born from wood offcuts.
NAGANO INTERIOR’s Fundamental Approach
Guided by 80 Years of DNA: “Sound Furniture-Making Through Intelligence and Skill”
“We want to leave room that can fit each customer’s way of life. We want to stay basic.” (Nagano)
NAGANO INTERIOR was founded in 1946 and is now celebrating its 80th anniversary. Could you tell us about the fundamentals of furniture-making that you have upheld even as times have changed?
Nagano: Our 80-year history has been passed down as NAGANO INTERIOR’s DNA, and it is the reason our work today exists. Building on that, what we value most is our design concept, “Think Basic.” At its core is a phrase woven through those 80 years: “sound furniture-making through intelligence and skill.”
Every customer’s life has its own style. As a brand, we do need to express our own character, but what matters even more to us is staying close to each person’s way of life. That is why we deliberately leave “room,” so that the final result can settle according to each customer’s tastes and wishes.
Leaving “room” is an interesting way of thinking.
Nagano: Built around that idea of room, NAGANO INTERIOR has three basics: designs that can be used for many years, the freedom for users to customize, and the versatility to be used in many different settings. Because we handle everything in-house, from sourcing timber to woodworking, upholstery, packing and shipping, each order gives rise to its own story. The phrase “One Order, One Story.” carries our hope for furniture that people grow attached to over time.
Chapter 1
Design Concept: “Think Basic”
Design Driven Not by Trends, but by “Quality-to-Price”
“True technique is designing systems that let anyone easily do work that looks difficult.” (Maeda)
What is non-negotiable for you in making furniture that people will love for years?
Nagano: Safety and peace of mind are absolutely non-negotiable; that principle goes back to our founding. In addition, the first item in the production policy of the “Nagano Mind Book,” a handbook given to every employee, is “quality-to-price.” Making something difficult in a difficult way and passing that on in the cost does not make a good product. We aim for designs that stay basic and simple, keep the number of parts to a minimum and still feel appealing. Striking that balance is what “quality-to-price” is all about.
How do you share what makes NAGANO INTERIOR distinctive within the company?
Maeda: Every day, each department reads the “Nagano Mind Book” aloud together. It defines technique as “designing systems that let anyone easily do work that looks difficult.” Our designers and production engineering team put their heads together to build a workflow that runs smoothly on the factory floor.
Yohei Nagano, Vice President
Keisuke Maeda, General Manager, Product Development Department
The more you strive to be basic, the further you move away from trends. Where does the strength not to follow them come from?
Nagano: Our strength is the flexibility to keep evolving with the times. In the 1970s we specialized in sofas, from the 1980s we made a full range of furniture, and later we focused on dining furniture. Our style has changed with the times. The designs may be simple, but they build in the functionality and comfort people expect.
Maeda: This also ties into how we present ourselves at exhibitions. To inspire people to think, “I’d like to live like this,” we have created a style book called “3 Natural Styles.” It proposes combinations of wood species, finishes and upholstery for the same products in three styles: “Pure,” “Blend” and “Chic.”
Please also tell us about the criteria you use to turn timeless beauty into concrete furniture forms.
Maeda: First, we pay close attention to material yield and design thoroughly to avoid waste. As a result, the forms naturally become simple. For strength, our approach is to combine side-frame parts, each drawn as if in a single stroke, into a three-dimensional structure. In an age when anyone can produce complex 3D shapes with a five-axis CNC router, we study techniques for making single-stroke designs, organized in two dimensions, look beautiful in three. The result is highly productive products and furniture-making with excellent quality-to-price.
Nagano: This is the way of thinking I love most. I feel the romance of making things in it. I believe it connects directly to our philosophy of “sound furniture-making through intelligence and skill.”
Chapter 2
The Concept Made Real: “OSLO Lounge”
Bringing Hotel-Style Relaxation into Everyday Life
“We wanted to bring hotel-like relaxation into the home.” (Maeda)
Could you tell us about your new lounge chair, OSLO Lounge?
Maeda: It was designed by Kiyoshi Sadogawa of Zero First Design. While it subtly recalls “SKYLARE,” a combined living and dining piece we released around 2000, it has been redesigned with a contemporary interpretation. With more dual-income households and families of three, people increasingly spend time in their own way on smartphones or tablets rather than watching TV together, sharing the same space while staying loosely connected. So our theme became the “home lounge”: bringing hotel-style relaxation into the home.
It is a round chair with a swivel function, so you can turn to face each other or turn away. The structure is extremely simple, too: just three bent vertical posts inserted into the base frame. The design strength of “Think Basic” is put to work as it is.
What should visitors look for when they try it at the venue?
Maeda: At our Tokyo Aoyama store, we plan displays that show real-life scenes, such as chairs arranged around a 1,100 mm round table or placed beside a sofa. At the Midtown exhibit, visitors can also trace how the design evolved from the earliest prototypes and see the thinking behind the cushion structure.
Nagano: We hope people will sit in it for a good while and experience its comfort and the swivel function that lets it turn freely in any direction.
Chapter 3
A Sustainable Initiative: “ANOTHER FURNITURE”
“Using Every Last Piece”: Giving Offcuts New Life as Another Piece of Furniture
“We hope goods made from offcuts will help younger generations discover NAGANO INTERIOR.” (Maeda)
Please tell us about ANOTHER FURNITURE as a sustainable initiative.
Maeda: This project focuses on the offcuts that are inevitably produced in the furniture-making process. Until now, we had no choice but to throw them away and burn them. Out of respect for the material, we want to make use of every last piece. Working with designer Yasuhiro Suzuki (SUPER YOU DESIGN Inc.), we have adopted the perspective of mitate, perceiving a form in a new light, to transform them into art pieces such as eyeglass stands, hangers and photo frames. We use offcuts from the production of signature NAGANO INTERIOR products such as the 354 Chair and the Friendly!! Sofa. Making the most of each offcut’s shape with a small touch of arrangement, we aim to create one-of-a-kind pieces, each with its own character.
Because the offcuts come from real products, they connect directly with the chairs and sofas on display and carry a story of their own. Most people buy furniture only about three times in their lives, at most. We hope these pieces become an entry point for connecting with people in their 20s and early 30s who are interested in interiors but have not yet bought furniture.
They can also give customers a reason to visit our stores again after a purchase. Through limited editions and collaborations, we want to share fresh news and strengthen how we communicate our brand.
Experience It at Our Tokyo Aoyama Store
See It, Touch It, Feel It for Yourself
“We will keep sharing new lifestyles and exciting projects.” (Nagano)
Finally, do you have a message for buyers and visitors who are thinking of coming?
Nagano: NAGANO INTERIOR celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. With a new lounge chair that builds on “SKYLARE,” along with ANOTHER FURNITURE, we will keep sharing new lifestyles and exciting projects. We hope you will visit our Aoyama store and the JAPAN FURNITURE SHOW venue to experience them for yourself.
Event Information
We will exhibit the new lounge chair "OSLO Lounge" and the new chair "LARGO," both announced this October. At the main JFS venue, we will showcase the initial prototype of the OSLO Lounge. Additionally, at the shop, alongside chairs and sofas, we will display miscellaneous goods crafted from leftover wood materials.
Designed by Kiyoshi Sadogawa for Zero First Design, the OSLO Lounge blends sculpted solid wood with plush cushioning to achieve a refined, craft-inspired silhouette. Featuring a half-arm design and 360-degree swivel functionality for effortless movement, it offers a body-embracing seating experience. Naturally harmonizing shared family moments with private relaxation, it creates a comforting atmosphere and elevated living space for diverse lifestyles.
Designed by Hisao Hara, this standard chair pursues "utterly ordinary furniture" built to support everyday human life. Rather than novelty in structure or silhouette, it distinguishes itself through refined details and seating comfort. Stripped of ornamentation in a simple form, it expresses the soft warmth of wood via meticulous elliptical chamfering. Firm yet slightly resilient, it is a versatile standard chair suited for both residential and contract spaces.
For 80 years in Asakura, Fukuoka, NAGANO INTERIOR has crafted furniture that lives closely with everyday life. Infusing deep respect for the material into the offcuts left behind in the making, and partnering with designer Yasuhiro Suzuki through the traditional Japanese lens of mitate (perceiving a form in a new light), we have breathed new life into them as art pieces—creating a brand-new interior collection.
Wood, a blessing of nature, reborn as another product. As another piece of furniture.
Venue
Nagano Interior Tokyo Aoyama
Address
In addition to the OSLO Lounge debuting in October, early prototypes tracing its genesis will also be on display.
Comparing the prototypes allows you to experience the design commitment and trajectory of handcraftsmanship firsthand.
Design: Kiyoshi Sadogawa (Zero First Design)
We invite you to experience the pieces in person at Nagano Interior Tokyo Aoyama.
Venue
TOKYO MIDTOWN — Midtown Garden
Address
Company name
NAGANO INTERIOR CO.,LTD
Head office
2153.Amagi,Asakura-city,Fukuoka,838-0068,JAPAN
Home
About
Brands
Open Factory
News
Contact
IFFT With the Tokyo Streets as its Stage
Oct. 31 (Sat.) – Nov. 3 (Tue.), 2026
