Postalco × Karimoku

STAKKO
Chunks & Blocks

curated by Postalco Design Studio

Postalco Design Studio collaborated with Karimoku to create new furniture line. Exhibition at the KARIMOKU RESEARCH CENTER presents furniture that resonates and evolves with the people who use it.
Exhibition: April 26 (Sat) - August 8 (Fri), 2025

Introducing STAKKO

"A room should not be fixed, should not create a static mood, but should lend itself to change so that its occupants may play upon it as they would upon a piano."
Buckminster Fuller

An entirely new modular design system conceived by Postalco and produced by Karimoku Furniture. Made in Japan.

STAKKO, as the name suggests, is a new furniture design system under development that encourages customization through stacking. Designed by Mike Abelson, with name and logo design by Yuri Abelson. STAKKO uses a modular system-encouraging users to stack single box-shaped blocks to form a variety of functional furniture pieces, including shelves, chairs, tables, sofas, and more.

The concept of stacking was realized when it was overlaid with the shifting nature of our day-to-day lives, and was brought to life using the technology and experience of Karimoku Furniture. Wood and natural materials were used in the construction of the furniture system. The comfort and ease that comes from being in contact with natural materials spreads throughout the entire space, proposing a new way of living that is in tune with the user's senses.

The elements that make up our day-to-day lives are constantly shifting and resettling: new homes, new jobs, new hobbies, new family members, new values. STAKKO gives us the freedom to use existing furniture in ways that suit the existing version of you. Furthermore, the texture of the wood deepens over time, and the scratches and imperfections that accumulate, echo our memories, etching moments in time. STAKKO is a vessel, a time capsule that accumulates moments, yet adapts as we age.
These are prototypes currently under development.

Exhibition at KARIMOKU RESEARCH

The exhibition STAKKO Chunks & Blocks will be held at KARIMOKU RESEARCH CENTER, 1st floor, THE ARCHIVE, from April 26.

Great products are born from honest materials and a careful attention to detail. They adapt and change over time, rather than fight against it. Fading, decomposing, evolving—this process of aging creates an intrinsic value, one that resonates with the distinctive rhythm of its owner. These products are insync with our lives, or as Postalco likes to say, they are our “silent supporters”. They exist alongside us, in harmony with our movements, quietly accompanying our daily lives, and naturally shifting through ebbs and flows.

The exhibition will feature an entirely new modular design system conceived by Postalco and produced by Karimoku Furniture, alongside spatial and interior designs that showcase its functionality and beauty.

4/26 - 8/8, 2025
Monday-Friday & National Holiday
12-6pm (Closed Sat/Sun)
※Open 4/26 Sat, 4/27 Sun

Talk Event

Mike Abelson of Postalco Design Studioand Hiroshi Kato of Karimoku Furniture will discuss the exhibition covering topics such as the collaborative process, material selection, and production techniques.

4/26 Sat
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Limited to 50 participants

Ticket

Photo Credit: Tomooki Kengaku

ADDRESS
2-chome-24-2 Nishiazabu, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 106-0031
10-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Omotesando Station, Exit A5

Spatial design: Postalco Design Studio
Styling: Makoto Kobayashi (out of museum)
Greenery: PUPUA INTERNATIONAL　

Google Map

Karimoku Furniture was founded in 1940 when founder Shohei Kato took over a well-established lumber yard in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture. There, he set up a small woodworking shop, refining his skills until the early 1960s when he began selling his own furniture. His production ethos of “high tech and high touch” combined advanced machine technology with craftsmanship and laid the foundations for the brand to become one of Japan’s leading wooden furniture manufacturers.

KARIMOKU RESEARCH exists to survey, archive,and innovate the many different ways people live. The project features a series of Surveys that focus on a single topic. Each Survey invites outside researchers and collaborators to explore and realize new ways of living. Building on Karimoku Furniture’ s tradition of transcending furniture-making boundaries, it reimagines fulfilling lifestyles shaped by diverse cultural spheres, generations, and industries. By documenting these insights and combining them with Karimoku Furniture's technological expertise, the project aims to co-create innovative outputs that extend beyond furniture in collaboration with a wide range of partners.

Based in Tokyo, Postalco is a design studio creating products that focus on the details of everyday life. From apparel to furniture, spaces and graphic design they apply a unique perspective. In a time when disposable products are on the rise, they’re committed to Japanese manufacturing, designing each product with longevity in mind.