When co-founders Andrew Tan and Mitsuko Murano travelled to the historic woodworking capital of Hida Takayama in June 2026, they met with the management team and CEO Kitamura-san of Nissin Mokkou to deepen a partnership built on a shared devotion to the Shokunin (master craftsman) spirit. Facing several severe typhoons and earthquakes during their month-long sourcing expedition, the founders experienced firsthand the immense power of nature. Rather than deterring them, these elements reinforced a foundational belief: the most beautiful and resilient objects are those designed to exist in perfect harmony with natural forces and the human form.
At the intersection of this philosophy stands the CHORUS Collection. Designed by Tomoyuki Matsuoka and meticulously crafted by Nissin Mokkou, CHORUS is a masterpiece of bicultural design, marrying the simplicity of Scandinavian living with the 1,300-year legacy of Hida craftsmanship. For a new generation of Singaporean homeowners looking to establish a resilient, elegant, and space-conscious sanctuary, the CHORUS collection is a stunning realization of functional art.
The Philosophy of the "Collective Sound"
The name "CHORUS" is not merely poetic; it defines the collection's core structural concept. In music, a chorus is a collection of distinct voices blending together to create a richer, unified sound. Matsuoka designed this collection to act as an emotional ensemble within the home, allowing each piece to interact smoothly with the architecture and the daily lives of its occupants.
To achieve this spatial harmony, CHORUS reconstructs and fuses elements from across global design history: the warm functionalism of mid-century Danish design, the clean, minimalist utility of American Shaker furniture, and the elegant, fluid geometries of historic Ming dynasty chairs. This deliberate blending of styles gives CHORUS an adaptable aesthetic that coordinates effortlessly with modern-contemporary, Japandi, or warm minimalist interiors—making it an ideal choice for young couples styling their first open-concept HDB flats or condominiums.
The Mastery of Mageki (Bentwood) and Grain Matching
The defining visual and tactile signature of the CHORUS armchair is its flowing, organic armrests. This highly complex, three-dimensional curvaceous form is only possible due to Nissin Mokkou's world-class mastery of Mageki (wood bending).
Instead of cutting pieces of wood and gluing them together—which creates weak points prone to cracking in Singapore's humid climate—Hida's master woodworkers steam a single, solid piece of premium Japanese timber and bend it into a continuous U-shape. Once the wood has set, the U-shaped frame is split precisely down the middle to form the left and right arms of a single chair. This painstaking technique guarantees that the wood grain, density, and natural colour of both armrests are perfectly mirrored, providing an unbroken visual flow and a smooth, tactile surface that invites your touch.
Unconscious Ergonomics: The "Feeling of Nothingness"
For younger, busy professionals juggling work-from-home arrangements and active social lives, the home must serve as a physical space for recovery. Matsuoka designed the CHORUS seating collection guided strictly by "body sense" rather than rigid geometric formulas.
When you slide into a CHORUS chair, your body is met with what the designers describe as a "pleasant feeling of nothingness". The ergonomic angle of the backrest and the hand-finished curves of the armrests support your posture so naturally that the chair's physical boundaries seem to fade away, leaving you in absolute, uninterrupted comfort.
Curated Highlights of the CHORUS Collection
The CHORUS Armchair: A sculptural marvel featuring a continuous bentwood frame that wraps around the body. Its light profile belies an exceptionally strong mortise-and-tenon structural system that moves naturally with environmental shifts, ensuring it will last for generations.
The CHORUS Round Dining Table: Designed to optimise spatial flow in compact dining rooms, this table features elegant, organic leg joints that appear to have grown naturally from the tabletop. Available in various dimensions, it acts as a soft visual anchor that brings family and friends together.
The CHORUS Sofa & Lounge Chair: These pieces pair robust, architectural wooden frames with voluminous, organic cushions. By suspending the soft cushions inside a lightweight, geometric wood frame, the design reduces visual weight. This creates a floating sensation, making your living room feel significantly lighter, more expansive, and airier.
Invest in Longevity with Atomi Intelligence
Through atomi’s proprietary Atomi Intelligence model, co-founders Andrew and Mitsuko balance high-touch physical craftsmanship (Artisanal Intelligence) with digital, zero-waste logistics (Artificial Intelligence). By operating on a made-to-order basis directly with Nissin Mokkou's factory in Hida Takayama, atomi bypasses standard mass-retail markups and avoids the environmental burden of excess inventory.
Furnishing your first home with the CHORUS collection is a sustainable investment in premium materials and timeless engineering. These are not disposable pieces to be replaced in a few years; they are beautiful heirlooms designed to age gracefully alongside your family, acquiring a rich, unique patina over a lifetime of shared memories.
Discover the harmonious resonance of the CHORUS collection online at www.atomi.shop, or visit the atomi sanctuary at Mandarin Gallery (#04-27) along Orchard Road to experience the comfort of authentic Hida craftsmanship firsthand.
