Exhibited at New Designers at London’s Business Design Centre in July, Merrie Elisabet Wells’ Ūru Loop impressed the judges with its commercial potential, modular versatility and commitment to sustainability, earning her the Shoreditch Design Week Award, presented onsite by the Shoreditch Design Week team.
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Ūru Loop is an airport lounge chair designed to offer travellers a final sensory impression place before departure.
Rooted in the concept of omotenashi – a form of selfless, attentive Japanese hospitality – the piece translates cultural rituals of care into material and sensory experience.
The project responds to a growing desire for travel experiences that feel emotionally distinctive, tactile, and restorative.
Local hospitality rituals create opportunities for sensory design, drawing on the materials used to reflect the shift in luxury travel towards immersive, multi-sensory environments, creating a final connection to the country guests are leaving behind.
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This approach enables partnerships with regional artisans, supports traditional craft, and promotes the use of sustainable local materials – positioning community and localism at the core of the commercial furniture design and manufacture.
Local Rituals becomes a scalable platform, blending emotional connection, craftsmanship, and cultural authenticity into a distinctive signature. It creates experiences that are personal, comfortable, and culturally sensitive.
Each location tells a different story through its materials and rituals, offering a deeper connection to place.
For the Japanese variation of Ūru Loop, Merrie explored Hinoki wood and homespun Japanese wool.
Homespun Japanese Wool
Wool was selected for its soft, enveloping tactility, evoking warmth and domestic familiarity while referencing Japan’s homespun textile traditions.
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The wool would be sourced from KASAGI, a small farm and wool speciality company run by Mai and Masato Kasagi in the Sanbe Mountain Area of Japan.
KASAGI was chosen for its animal stewardship, material quality, and Mai’s connection to the homespun tradition.
KASAGI believe that a high-quality wool product comes from the health of the sheep.
Thinking about how to ensure a peaceful and healthy life for the sheep, inevitably leads to the adoption of sustainable practices.
During the project, Merrie reached out to KASAGI, who developed a new upholstery fabric combining traditional Japanese Washi fibre with their wool for added durability.
Hinoki Wood
Intrinsic to Japanese rituals of mindfulness, Hinoki symbolises serenity and has been used in Japanese daily life for centuries.
Its natural antimicrobial and water-resistant properties, alongside its subtle, citrus-like aroma, make it a fitting material for a sensory experience centred on calm and wellbeing.
Product Passport and Maker’s Ta
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To celebrate the makers and rituals behind the design, she developed a product passport and maker’s tag.
The tag provides travellers with an initial point of connection to the people behind the design, while the passport offers a deeper insight into the project’s origins, material journey, SDG contributions, assembly, maintenance, and overall design impact.
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Together, they make the story behind Ūru Loop visible, connecting the traveller to the materials, craftsmanship, and cultural values embedded in the chair.
This project would not have been possible without the generous support of Mai and Masato Kasagi and Lee Kelly from Surrey Hills Upholstery.
We selected Ūru Loop for its combination of commercial potential, modular versatility and commitment to sustainability.
Inspired by Japanese culture & crafted in collaboration with a Japanese farm, it stood out as thoughtful, adaptable and market ready.
Check out Merrie’s full product portfolio here
Photography courtesy of Merrie Wells
