Articles

Following our annual tradition, we at OOKKUU recently hosted an end of the year party to thank our close friends and clients for a wonderful year. At this event, which took place in our South Pasadena showroom, we were able to share good food, drinks, and conversation with our guests. We even had an impromptu performance of the musical Hairspray by three of our talented, young guests!    We would like to thank everyone for coming, and we hope to see you again soon in the new year. We wish everyone a very happy and prosperous 2017! -Your OOKKUU Team  

How three Japanese makers are using tradition to innovate in Lighting. Lighting is often the unsung hero of a room, illuminating the things that we wish to highlight without standing out itself. Other times, the lighting itself can be the highlight of the room. No matter how it is used, it is clear that despite the relatively short history of electrical lighting, the field has seen profound innovation and experimentation over the years. In the 20th century, lamps and lanterns developed not only as functional pieces, but as art, with notable contributions like the ARCO floor lamp by Achille and...

The Harvard Business Review projected in 2009 that by the year 2020, 50% of private wealth in the United States would be in the hands of women. According to other sources this number might have already been met. This mirrors the increasing number of women entering and staying in the work force. The worldwide upward trend of women’s wealth and buying power may be good news for businesses looking for opportunities to climb out of slumps, as female consumers are generally more willing to spend money on products and services that can boost a sense of well-being and improve their...

What image comes to mind when one hears the word Zen? Perhaps a rock garden or a meditating monk? At first, Zen may seem like something distant and separate from our daily lives, but as we learn from the influential book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, that is not the case. To the author Pirsig, Zen, a state of peace and insight sought after in Buddhism, can be achieved with regards to any pursuit, but only when one is attuned to the experience and committed to quality work. An understanding of what constitutes “quality...

While speaking in London in 1957, renowned architect and designer Alvar Aalto expressed this philosophy of design: “We should work for simple, good, undecorated things, but things which are in harmony with the human being and organically suited to the little man in the street.” Although Aalto was Finnish born, it would not be unusual to find a similar sentiment expressed in traditional Japanese design. This similarity in design aesthetics is perhaps not that surprising, though, when we consider that from as far back as the mid-19th century, many Scandinavian architects and artists were drawing inspiration from Japan. While Japonisme, or...