The Conran Shop 2025
“Resöma” Collection by Dan Sunaga
The Conran Shop Japan announced the launch of their new “Resöma” collection starting in May 2025, featuring furniture designed by Swedish-born, Karuizawa-based designer Dan Sunaga. This represents a significant project for The Conran Shop, focusing on Japanese natural environment and climate-conscious design.
About Designer Dan Sunaga
Dan Sunaga was born in Sweden in 1975 and studied furniture making at the University of Gothenburg, followed by a master’s degree in furniture design at Konstfack (Royal University College of Fine Arts) in Stockholm. After establishing his studio in Sweden where his coffee tables “ITOMAKI” and “NEWTON” won best awards at Nordic furniture fairs, he returned to Japan and established “SUNAGA DESIGN” in Karuizawa.
Sunaga has since opened “NATUR terrace” (2009), “lagom” (2021), and became representative of the disabled employment support design brand “konst” in 2024. He also creates stage designs for contemporary dance company “NOISM”.
The Resöma Collection Features
The collection consists of three main pieces, all emphasizing the use of Japanese cedar (sugi) wood, which is unconventional for furniture due to its softwood nature: Resöma Sideboard, Resöma Coffee Table and Resöma Open Shelf.
Design Philosophy
The project deliberately uses Japanese cedar (a softwood) instead of the typical hardwoods used in furniture, celebrating the natural knots and characteristics of the wood as design features rather than flaws. This presented manufacturing challenges as cedar repels typical finishing materials and has varying hardness, requiring multiple prototypes to achieve the final design.
Sunaga hopes “this design will help spread awareness of the beauty and individuality of knotted wood, encouraging its greater use in furniture and interior design.”
The collection represents The Conran Shop’s commitment to regional design approaches that respect local materials and environmental considerations, moving beyond pure aesthetic beauty to embrace sustainable, climate-conscious design practices.
Photo: The Conran Shop Japan.
https://www.conranshop.jp/