kinoka - Japanese furniture art

Making beautiful things out of wood has always been my great passion. After studying social education in Berlin, I wanted to turn my hobby into a career. I applied to the “Hout — en Meubileringscollege” in Amsterdam/Netherlands for maker/designer training in the area of furniture and wood. I was accepted and since then my life has revolved around fine woods and beautiful furniture. My second passion is Asia — and Japan in particular. A combination of the two is my company kinoka (Japanese: scent of wood), which combines very different aspects. As a carpenter I restore antique Japanese dressers, tansu, as a maker/designer I build furniture from reclaimed wood in the area of upcycling, and in my workshops I teach traditional crafts. I represent an intuitive approach aimed at people who want to discover and experience woodworking with traditional hand tools as a creative balance for themselves.

Until 2004 I worked as an independent “furniture maker” in the Netherlands. kinoka has existed in Berlin since 2005. In May 2007, I opened my own showroom in Prenzlauer Berg: the Laden-Galerie Tansu. My workshop is located on the enchanted site of the BLO Studios, a former railway site in Berlin-Lichtenberg. Together with around 90 creative people, I am part of one of the largest non-profit artist communities in Berlin. My workshops breathe the atmosphere of this unique green art and cultural oasis and make it a very special experience.

In my courses, intensive support for participants in using the tools and techniques is very important to me. Groups are therefore limited to 6-7 people. The workshops are designed as specialist courses and are therefore only conditionally suitable as a team event.