Shokunin
Koshi Ember Bar Cabinet
Woven black and charcoal veneers with copper, and lit wine storage behind the doors.
The Shokunin collection
Shokunin
職人
A collection where the marquetry is the whole surface: bar cabinets, a tambour sideboard and tables, each laid by hand, sheet by sheet.
The name
職人 · show-koo-nin
A lifetime spent perfecting one craft
In Japan, a shokunin is an artisan who gives their life to a single craft, and is never quite finished learning it. We named the collection for the people who make it.
Each piece is made by hand in one of the Sultan of Oman’s respected furniture workshops. The marquetry is cut and laid by hand, and every piece carries the engraved Shokunin hallmark.
The pieces
8 pieces, each made to order
Shokunin
Panthera Bar Cabinet
Opal sycamore, nickel tigers, and a walnut and red lacquered bar within.
Shokunin
Panthera Tambour Sideboard
Tambour doors that glide round to the back, the pattern unbroken across every slat.
Shokunin
Tora Coffee Table
Burl walnut, walnut and eucalyptus with nickel vines, and a hidden drawer.
Shokunin
Panthera Side Table
A drum of marquetry and mother-of-pearl, with a hidden drawer as a bedside.
In motion
Hundreds of slats, one picture
The sideboard's tambour carries the Panthera pattern across every slat, so the tiger stays whole as the doors glide round to the back.
From drawing to veneer
The patterns
From the artist’s line to hand-cut veneer
The tigers, figures and flowers are the work of the Ukrainian artist Yevheniia Vynokurova, who drew both the original illustrations and the repeats that run across our fabrics. For the collection, the workshop adapts each design to marquetry: every line becomes the edge of a hand-cut piece of veneer, metal or mother-of-pearl.
Materials are chosen together on the studio table, from more than 555 veneers, so the colourway of each piece is resolved in real light before it is made.
Questions
What does Shokunin mean?
Shokunin (職人, said show-koo-nin) is the Japanese word for an artisan who devotes a lifetime to perfecting one craft. It is the standard every piece in the collection is made to.
Who designs the patterns?
The Panthera, Tora and Penrose Prowl patterns are by the Ukrainian artist Yevheniia Vynokurova, who drew both the original illustrations and the repeats. The workshop then adapts each design for marquetry, so every line becomes the edge of a hand-cut piece.
Can I have a piece in another colourway?
Yes. Explore our colourway studios, where you can specify a piece from the 555 veneers in Tabu’s collection and send the specification to us. From there we move into sampling, so you approve the real veneers before anything is made.
Can I change the size?
Yes. We make every piece to order, so we can make it to a bespoke size for your room.
Can I have the interior of the bar cabinet fitted differently?
Yes. We can fit it with shelves, as a jewellery cabinet or as a wardrobe. Just let us know what you would like inside.
How long does it take?
Around 12 weeks for a piece in the finish shown, and around 16 weeks in a new finish, after sampling.
Enquire
info@patience-gough.com
Enquire about the Shokunin collection
Ask about a piece, a colourway or samples of the veneers and metals.