WALL ADORNMENT by FIL, a lifestyle brand based in Aso, Kumamoto — IDREIT®

‘Wall Adornment’ by FIL, a lifestyle brand based in Minami-Oguni-Cho, Kumamoto Prefecture, is a product made from Oguni cedar attached to the wall to decorate the interior.

When we asked about the brand's philosophy, Shunsuke Anai, CEO of Foreque, the company behind FIL, said, “FIL is a brand that embraces the theme of ‘Fulfilling Life’ and asks itself what it means to live a full life. In order to make the best use of the Oguni cedar from Minami Oguni, which is well known for its forestry industry, we set up this business in 2017 as a separate business from my family-owned sawmill. The town of Minami-Oguni, where we live, is characterised by a close relationship between people and between people and nature. Based on our desire to share the unique regional charm to the world, FIL manufactures and sells products such as furniture and fragrances made from Oguni cedar.”

The wall adornment was designed by Yosuke Kinoshita from CANUCH. Kinoshita has been involved with FIL since its inception as a member of FIL’s design incubation group and is responsible for the design of interior-related products.

Anai recalls, “I showed Mr Kinoshita the magnificent landscape of the Aso caldera and told him that I wanted him to express this mountain range as a product.”

In response to the message, Kinoshita explains his design concept, “When I saw the landscape of Aso, I felt that this place is a wonderland of our time. Inspired by the spectacular landscape, we then began to design several furniture and products simultaneously, based on the idea of bringing the benefits of nature into interior spaces. Wall Adornment is an idea to express the mountain range in a room, taking advantage of cedar's lightness. We wanted to express mountain ranges in a room with the Wall Adornment, taking advantage of cedarwood’s lightweight. In terms of the design, we focused on the angle of the edges and the beautiful gedges’ angle, which looks like contour lines. By placing several of them on the wall, I think it looks like mountains, deltas or valleys.”

Also, as for the drying of the wood, Anai said, “We use hot springs to dry the wood at a medium temperature, rather than electricity or fuel oil, so the wood retains its characteristic aroma.” As a result of this process, the product has a characteristic pink wood grain and a rich fragrance that reminds us of the nature of Aso.

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The Wall Adornment was installed in the Senomoto Highland’s Hotel. The stool on the right is FIL's ‘MASS Series 4leg Stool’, also made of Oguni cedar. photography: Yoshikazu Shiraki

Wall Adornment is available in two colours, clear and white, and in three sizes: small, medium and large. The small one is half the size of the large one, and the medium one has been designed to be well balanced and look natural. At the moment, many of them are being used in hotels and restaurants.