Ornae. Wasn't this supposed to be about furniture?

These maple shoji, designed and built by Ornae, hew as closely as possible to traditional Japanese techniques. The few deviations were made to better match american dimensions and lifestyle.

Just as we open the house for spring cleaning in the west, japanese homes have a spring ritual which includes replacing all the paper in the shoji. In fact, the small interior panel dimensions of traditional shoji are dictated by the standard size paper sheets, purchased in bundles every spring.

We wanted to avoid the expense and tedium of yearly refurbishing of the shoji panels, especially since the paper is not readily available here. But the material, while durable, also had to be true to the esthetic of paper in shoji. The paper in Ornae’s shoji does not have to be replaced every spring, we use a non-yellowing, waterproof, synthetic material for long life.

Our shoji are top-hung on roller bearings for quiet, smooth operation, and to eliminate the dust-catching bottom tracks. Hardwood cross-laminated lumber is used for dimensional stability. Shojis are custom made for each installation, perfectly proportioned to fit the areas being enclosed.