Matureware

Casted Brass Architectural Hardware

May 11-17, 2016

The spaces we occupy are our “machines for living” that provide shelter, security and emotional wellbeing. Architectural hardware such as door handles, brackets and switch plates are the components of these machines, which make them functional and allow us to obtain the aforementioned aspects of life. Hardware of this nature is an important part of a home’s heritage and one of the most significant elements of functional ornamentation used to distinguish a space. Over time, these fixtures become as much part of our lives as the ground, walls and roof of our home.

“As a base material, the surface of brass oxidizes as it ages, and creates a uniquely serene texture” – Toshihiro Futagami

In 2015, the Japanese brass foundry Futagami, embarked on a mission to apply their renowned brass casting methods to a new line of architectural hardware products called MATUREWARE. Designed by Yamazaki Yoshiki and directed by Oji Masanori, the collection features the company’s signature crude-cast texture called Ihada, throughout a range of solid brass fixtures for commercial and residential spaces. The texture, produced by sand-casted molds, ages over time, producing a patina unique to Futagami’s solid brass objects.

Launching internationally during NYCxDesign week at Nalata Nalata, the MATUREWARE collection represents a pioneering endeavor for handcrafted brass in the realm of architectural hardware. The collection currently offers fixtures in five different categories: Door Handles, Switch Plates, Shelf Brackets, Latches and Name Plaques.

“… there is a certain sense of fulfillment when I take a piece of cast metal out of the mold and it has taken on the form I imagined.“ – Toshihiro Futagami

Futagami, the storied foundry behind this new collection, has a heritage of four generations and was founded over a century ago in 1897. It is located in Takaoka, the Northwestern portion of Toyama Prefecture. The area is a leading producer of metal castings of Japan, and it is there that the foundry continues to innovate, while embracing the history and expertise of their region.

The collection offers a wide range of sizes and customizable options for select items. Embossing is available for the switch plates and plaques. The plaques can also be personalized for homes and businesses with size options, serif and non-serif fonts or a custom logo, with choice of a signature brazen Ihada surface, or a blackened brass finish.

We welcome you to join us in celebration of this international launch. Meet Yamazaki Yoshiki and fourth generation foundry owner, Mr. Toshihiro Futagami who will be traveling to New York from Japan for this special event.

View a recap of the event here.

Post-publication of this article, it was announced that Matureware won the grand prize for Best Hardware of 2016 in the inaugural NYCxDESIGN Awards, presented by Interior Design Magazine and ICFF. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the foundry.