Furniture: Shabby to Chic

Overview

In this era of cheap, mass-produced products, Nihei Toru sells restored old furniture at his shop in a verdant mountain village north of Tokyo. Pieces that were in bad condition are brought back from the dead. But rather than aiming for good-as-new, he strives to preserve their vintage feel. His passion even extends to his own home—once abandoned and decaying—now tastefully restored. To him, bringing out the hidden charm of such seemingly worthless things far more than just a job, it's a way of life.