Creating a Room with the Charm of Bamboo

Bamboo, with its refreshing, straight-growing form.
Nurtured abundantly in nature, bamboo has given rise to
many products that serve us well in everyday life.

Japan is home to many bamboo groves.
It's a material you encounter often, even just a short trip outside the city.
Bamboo has an extremely strong vitality and grows very quickly.
According to some records, it has grown more than 1 meter in a single day.
Because its growth cycle is so fast, it has the advantage of being usable as timber within just a few years.

On the other hand, if bamboo groves are left unattended without proper care,
it can have a negative impact on the natural environment and ecosystem,
which is why managing bamboo groves is an important part of Japan's forestry industry.

What you notice when you actually touch bamboo is
its flexible strength.
Even if you hold the end of a piece of bamboo and bend it,
it forms a beautiful curve without breaking.
This coexistence of strength and flexibility is bamboo's greatest characteristic.

Since bamboo is hollow when split open,
it is also characteristically much lighter than other types of wood.

Furthermore, as can be seen from the old practice of
wrapping onigiri (rice balls) in bamboo leaves,
bamboo is said to have antibacterial properties.
Because bamboo has many fine pores,
it has the ability to absorb odors, giving it a deodorizing effect as well.
Even without any special processing,
bamboo possesses not only durability as an advantage,
but also antibacterial, deodorizing, and humidity-regulating properties.
This gives us a glimpse of why bamboo has been used not only for building materials but also for baskets and small items.




Bamboo—a durable material that can be used for a long time.
Bamboo products can be utilized in every corner of a room.

Let's first look at bamboo products that can be used in the kitchen.
Bamboo products with antibacterial properties are also ideal for kitchen items that come into contact with food.
The fact that bamboo can be processed into shapes suited to cooking motions like "gripping," "scooping," and "shaving"
is another reason it is used so widely.



Chopsticks—an indispensable part of any meal.
Bamboo chopsticks are very light, and because their fibers are well-aligned, they have a beautiful finish.
Chopsticks carefully shaved all the way to the tip make it easy to pick up food,
while also feeling gentle against the mouth.



A fork set that makes use of bamboo's supple curves.
Since the outer skin of the bamboo is used, the natural grain and coloring of the material appear just as they are.
Despite being made extremely thin, the strength that keeps it from breaking
allows it to be shaped into delicate forms like a crane.

This is an oni-oroshi grater carved along the grain of the bamboo.
Because bamboo is so strong, it can grate hard root vegetables like daikon radish with ease.
Furthermore, being made of bamboo, it generates less frictional heat when grating,
preserving the fibers of the food as they are,
so you can enjoy a satisfying, crisp texture.


Next, let's look at bamboo products for the living room.
In the living room, you can incorporate bamboo products in the form of
small items that fit on a tabletop.

That said, bamboo's high strength has traditionally made it difficult to process.
Today, advances in processing technology have made it possible to use bamboo in small items.
Among these, laminated bamboo is a processing technique in which sheets of bamboo are layered and bonded together many times over,
revealing a beautiful cross-section.
Because a single stalk of bamboo is hollow inside and cannot be used as lumber on its own,
turning it into laminated material has allowed bamboo to be used in an increasingly wide range of products.
Additionally, forming bamboo into laminated material has the advantage of producing products that are
less prone to cracking or warping.




TEORI's NUTS is a small storage container made by hollowing out laminated bamboo
into a nut-like shape.
Its smooth curves are beautiful, and you can also enjoy
the wood grain that appears in the cross-section of the laminated material.
The polished surface is smooth and finished into a beautiful form.



Kohchosai Kosuga's laminated bamboo bud vase is also made from laminated bamboo.
It's a rectangular bud vase made by combining long, thin strips of bamboo.
Inside is a glass container, allowing you to arrange flowers.
Even though it's made of bamboo, its shape gives it a design that suits both Japanese and Western interiors.


And then there are places that require storage, such as bathrooms and closets.
Bamboo items are useful in spaces like these as well.



The BOW hanger, shaped like a bow, makes use of bamboo's natural flexibility.
Since this too is made of laminated bamboo, formed by combining flat strips of bamboo,
it has even greater strength, so there's no need to worry about it breaking even when bent this much.
The coloring of the white bamboo (shirotake) gives it a clean, refreshing impression.



Bamboo is also a material that gains durability when woven.
The Gozame-me Storage Basket in white bamboo is a storage basket handwoven by artisans.
The basket itself is very light, yet it holds up well even when filled with heavy items.
It can be used for a wide range of purposes, such as holding towels in the bathroom or as a clothing storage case.

When it comes to caring for bamboo products, one important point is drying.
Like other types of wood, bamboo absorbs moisture from the air
and releases it when humidity is low,
almost as if it were breathing.
However, since it's a material that originally contains a lot of moisture,
please be aware that excessive humidity can lead to
mold or decay.

■Bamboo Cutlery and Cooking Utensils

After using them for cooking or eating, wash them as soon as possible.
After washing, wipe off the moisture with a dry cloth, and store them
in a well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight.

■Storage Containers and Flower Vases

Wipe the surface of storage containers occasionally with a dry cloth.
For flower vases, take care not to let water touch the bamboo parts.
Leaving items in a place exposed to direct sunlight for long periods may cause discoloration, so
please be careful about where you place them.  

■Storage items and baskets

In places with moisture, such as bathrooms,
please avoid placing them where they will come into direct contact with water.
We recommend occasionally placing them somewhere with good ventilation to
let them dry out.
If they become dirty, rather than washing them with water,
please wipe them with a cloth that has been dampened and firmly wrung out.