Sugi & Hinoki Win Architect’s Newspaper 2024 Best of Products Awards
We’re excited to announce that both our Sugi Unoiled and Hinoki products took home trophies at The Architect’s Newspaper 2024 Best of Products Awards this year. These natural, unburned wood products are incredibly beautiful and durable, and can be used in a variety of applications.
Sugi Unoiled won the “Finishes + Surfaces: Walls & Wallcoverings” category, beating out a wide field of competition including chemically treated wood and metal. The judges write:
“This Japanese cypress is sourced from a family-owned, sustainably managed forest. It also helps that it has a clean grain, is naturally insect resistant, and possesses a subtle aroma.”—Jack Murphy
Hinoki won the “Finishes + Surfaces: Interior Surfaces” category. This wood species has been prized for its beauty, durability and fragrance in Japan for centuries, with buildings constructed with this material still standing hundreds of years later. Hinoki is extremely versatile, and can be milled for a variety of interior applications. The judges said:
“Mother Nature is the OG of designers. Hinoki is a durable construction material with the added benefit of anti-bacterial properties. Now that it can now be sustainably sourced, Hinoki can solve multiple concerns at once. Though slow growing, it could be more beneficial in the long run.”—Llisa Demetrios
Last year, our Gendai siding won the “Finishes & Surfaces: Paint & Coatings” category, garnering this praise from the judges:
“Nakamoto has been quite innovative in the way that they’ve been able to streamline and standardize the Shou Sugi Ban process and offer a range of specific finishes. It’s a great product, and they’re doing something really wonderful.”—Michael Leckie
To have our unburned sugi and hinoki products follow up Gendai’s 2023 win and bring home awards in their respective categories this year, against hundreds of other competitors is truly an honor. We are proud to bring natural, sustainable Japanese wood products to North America, and hope to continue to improve peoples’ lives through connecting their homes to nature.
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