Mokuren

Lead Designers Naoto Fukasawa

Entry Description

Kogei and design inspired by white magnolia: the essence of light that fuses craft tradition and modernism.

Tradition and modernity go hand in hand in the Mokuren chandelier, just as the purity of the metal lines are seamlessly fused with the delicacy of handcrafted porcelain flowers.

Mokuren is light itself and illuminates, it is Kogei (craftsmanship) and design. For this particular chandelier, the designer took his inspiration from the striking beauty of the flowers of the white magnolia, one of the best-loved trees in Japan and a symbol of eternal bonds. Mokuren combines nature, craftsmanship and design and conveys that the value of a handmade object increases when approached through the lens of design.

The flowers of the magnolia are attributed with meanings like nobility, while their slender exotic forms are believed to be among the most beautiful in nature. All the flowers that compose Mokuren are handmade with porcelain, a natural material made from a combination of three locally sourced minerals: quartz, feldspar and kaolin, mixed with water. The warm light that filters through the translucent porcelain of its petals generates an enveloping illumination.

In contrast, the black-lacquered aluminum structure, as complex as it is poetic, represents the branches of the magnolia, one of the Earth’s oldest flowering plants. Its LED lighting can be regulated in intensity.

Sustainability Approach

In 1953, in a small craft workshop, the Lladró brothers opened up a new path in the history of porcelain. Today, after seven decades revolutionizing the world of porcelain, the same passion is still alive. Since 2017, Lladró is part of the PHI Industrial group.

Mokuren is the perfect example of Lladró's mission, to give shape to an artistic and artisan work culture that is sustainable and human, based on passing down a traditional craft from one generation to the next, while instilling it with a new creative dimension.

The end result can be seen in handcrafted original creations in a unique language that has demonstrated its ability to adapt to the evolution of the brand in collaboration with great designers, yet without losing its essence or identity. Each one of the artisans who intervene in the process come together in pursuit of innovative, sustainable designs that last in time.

Company Description

For seventy years, Lladró has deployed its unparalleled know-how in the field of porcelain in its only factory in the world, in Valencia. Each piece is delicately made by sculptors and artisans in an entirely handcrafted process that combines age-old techniques with its own palette of colors. Lladró explores the vast creative potential of porcelain in collaborative projects with renowned contemporary artists and designers. Sculptures, lighting, design objects and fashion accessories make up the universe of the brand, which exports to 120 countries and since 2017 is owned by PHI Industrial.