Meet All CARVWOOD's Wood Carving Designers
Behind every exquisite piece of carved wood art is a master craftsperson with a unique vision. Discover the talented designers who bring CARVWOOD's wooden figurines to life, each with their own distinctive approach to wood carving and storytelling through their craft.
The Founder's Journey: Yoshida Akihiko (JIOFA) and the CARVWOOD Brand Story
The Founder
Core Philosophy
Listen to the whispers of the wood and allow its soul to continue in modern life.
Achievements
- Founded CARVWOOD workshop in 1995
- Solo exhibition "Wood Whispers, Rebirth" in Ginza, Tokyo (2019)
- Launched the "Heritage Wood Bank" initiative
The story of CARVWOOD is the story of its founder, Yoshida Akihiko (known as JIOFA), a tale of resilience that charts his journey from a young man lost in uncertainty to the creator of an internationally acclaimed wood carving brand.
Artistic Awakening and a Crucial Turning Point
Born in 1959 in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, Yoshida Akihiko faced a period of deep frustration in his youth. Around the age of 20 (circa 1980), he attempted to enter art university three times, failing on each occasion. This experience left him feeling defeated and directionless. The turning point came in 1983 when he traveled to the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido. There, he met an old woodworker and apprenticed with him for three years. This immersive experience was where he found his artistic calling, mastering the technique of "carving with the grain" and embracing a life philosophy where "scars and knots are medals of honor," a core tenet he applies to every piece of carved wood art.
The Birth of CARVWOOD and Its Evolution
In 1995, Yoshida returned to his hometown of Kashiwa and founded the CARVWOOD workshop. The brand name is a homophone for the Japanese "KOKUGO" (木魂), meaning "wood soul," reflecting his mission to awaken the spirit within the wood. Initially, the workshop focused on traditional, custom wood carving jobs.
Realizing the disconnect between traditional wood carving and modern life, Yoshida began seeking collaborations to infuse the brand with new vitality, partnering with talented designers like Arlo, Riley, and Time to expand CARVWOOD's artistic vision.
Brand Growth and Core Philosophy
Yoshida's core philosophy is to listen to the "whispers of the wood" and allow its soul to continue in modern life. Today, CARVWOOD not only has stores worldwide but has also launched the "Heritage Wood Bank" initiative, recycling approximately 500 cubic meters of old wood from demolition sites annually.
Our Talented Design Team
Meet the visionaries who bring CARVWOOD's wood carving art to life. Each designer brings their unique perspective, expertise, and passion to create extraordinary wooden figurines and carved wood art.
Arlo
Designer, Home Wood Carving & Sculpture
Every piece of wood carries its own history, waiting to be revealed through carving.
Specialties
Awards
- London Emerging Artisan Award (2014)
- Japan Furniture Association's Annual Innovation Award (2016)
- Gold Award in Retro Innovation (2022)
"A master of wood carving whose specialty is creating narrative home decor and wooden figurines."
Educational Background
Graduated from the Industrial Design Department of Tokyo Polytechnic University (2007-2011). During this time, an exchange program took him to the University of the Arts London to study furniture restoration. He later obtained a Master's degree in Furniture Design from the University of the Arts London in 2013.
Work Experience
- In 2011, fresh out of university, Arlo joined "Heritage Wood," a century-old furniture workshop in London, as a restorer.
- In 2015, Arlo founded his independent studio "Old Wood New" in Tokyo, focusing on the experiment of "re-birthing old wood."
- In 2018, JIOFA saw the "Yokohama Story" series at Tokyo Design Week and was moved by its philosophy of "respecting the memory of wood," personally inviting Arlo to join CARVWOOD.
Design Philosophy
"Every crack in old wood is a fingerprint of time." As the head of home wood carving at CARVWOOD, Arlo insists on "stealing stories from time." He travels year-round to demolition sites of old buildings across Japan, collecting Edo-period cypress, Meiji-era cherry wood, and Showa-era shipbuilding pine.
Riley
Lifestyle & Home Furnishings Designer
Wood doesn't just exist in space; it breathes with it and transforms it.
Specialties
Awards
- Architectural Institute of Japan Furniture Design Award (2016)
- Kyoto Traditional Innovation Award (2019)
- Best Material Application Award (2023)
"A simple white linen dress is her trademark, a self-made cherry wood hairpin is always tucked into her tied-back long hair."
Educational Background
From 2007 to 2011, she studied at the Department of Architecture at Kyoto University, minoring in furniture design. She studied under the Japanese architectural master Kengo Kuma, where she honed her understanding of space and form, principles she now applies to her wood carvings.
Work Experience
- After joining Kengo Kuma and Associates in 2013, Riley participated in the "Forest Hotel" project in Karuizawa.
- In 2017, she left the firm to focus on the renovation of Kyoto's Machiya houses. In the "Hundred-Year Machiya Regeneration Project," she used camphor wood beams and columns from dismantled buildings to create built-in storage systems.
- In 2020, JIOFA saw "Machiya Memory" at a Kyoto Machiya renovation exhibition. He was impressed by how its "following the nature of wood" philosophy resonated with CARVWOOD's "Wood Soul" spirit.
Design Philosophy
As the head of CARVWOOD's modern Wabi-Sabi line, Riley's design philosophy centers on "furniture as a respiratory organ of space," a concept she explores through minimalist carved wood art. She favors light-textured woods like birch and Binchotan cherry, believing that "a soft wood nature is best for dialoguing with space."
Time
Futurist Wood & Object Designer
The future of wood isn't just in preserving tradition, but in reinventing it for tomorrow.
Specialties
Awards
- French Sustainable Design Gold Award (2018)
- Milan Design Week Emerging Talent Award (2020)
- Tokyo International Design Exhibition Technology Integration Award (2023)
"His signature light-blue denim overalls are always dotted with a mixture of resin and wood dust, and his ever-present sketchbook is filled with sketches of cross-material collisions."
Educational Background
He studied Product Design at Parsons School of Design in New York from 2011 to 2015, during which he also studied traditional wood carving at Tokyo University of the Arts as an exchange student. In 2017, he earned a Master's degree in Installation Art from the Beaux-Arts de Paris.
Work Experience
- In 2017, Time founded the "Wood X" experimental studio in Paris, focusing on interdisciplinary research between wood and new materials, pushing the boundaries of wood carving.
- In 2019, he was invited to participate in New York's "Future Home Lab" project, where he developed "translucent resin wood."
- In 2021, JIOFA saw "Forest Wave" at Milan Design Week and was captivated by its bold vision of "symbiosis between wood and technology," inviting him to join CARVWOOD.
Design Philosophy
As the head of CARVWOOD's futurist line, Time's design core is "bringing wood into the digital age," creating the wooden animal figurines and smart objects of tomorrow. His studio is more like a laboratory, where 3D scanners and bioprinters coexist with traditional carving knives.