Taku Shinomoto, the owner (along with his wife Keiko) of Tortoise General Store in LA, is a designer himself. The couple's second store, Tortoise on Abbot Kinney, features a selection of Shinomoto's own designs, including a custom oak sofa and low table made of raw oak. By using unfinished wood, he taps into the Japanese tradition of striving to imbue an object with the qualities of a living thing, by using materials that will accumulate the marks of experience over time.

Above: Custom sofa in raw oak, $4,500.

Above: Custom low table in raw oak, $1,800.

Above: Custom pine chair and table with folding legs, $300 for a pair of chairs and $550 for the table.