Sokee combines oriental beauty, ancient craftsmanship and contemporary design in cabinetry.

Exotic, beautiful, and unique are adjectives often used to describe the Orient, and Sokee cabinets. According to Sokee U.S. National Sales Manager, "American consumers can get high-end cabinets incorporating an oriental approach to modern design. What makes these cabinets desirable is their combination of unique craftsmanship, design, materials and finishes."

Developed in the European frameless tradition, Sokee cabinets are made with the finest materials available in their modern factory in Nagoya, Japan. For example, Sokee cabinet interiors are covered with vertical grade high-pressure laminate, which virtually lasts a lifetime. All shelves in Sokee cabinets are ¾" thick with 180° rounded edges and are also covered in laminate. And, every sink cabinet comes with an embossed stainless steel bottom for long life and easy care. The same stainless material can be ordered on all cabinet shelves and drawer bottoms.

"Quality long life construction is only the beginning of the Sokee story. The real difference that every designer and consumer sees immediately is the finish and materials used in Sokee door designs."

Sokee doors are available in contemporary flat doors, recessed panel and frame doors, or more traditional raised panel doors. From these basic door styles, Sokee will make curved doors, decorative grill doors, angled "Z" doors and doors with other unusual custom detailing.

Traditional woods such as oak and maple are available. More unusual woods such as elm, beech, and very fine grained cherry are also used. Other woods available, some of which are exclusive to Japan, include:

• Tamamoku, which is cut from the burl of the tree, has an elegant grain pattern that is both complicated yet beautiful. This grained wood is considered extremely valuable and is used almost exclusively in high-end furniture and expensive building interiors.
• Anigure, a straight grained white African wood with a horizontal texture. When Sokee's famous piano finish is applied to this wood, the natural beauty that shows through is both exquisite and exotic.
• Tachidamo, a Japanese wood that is cut from the burl of the tree and exhibits a very unusual dense grain pattern. More three-dimensional than other woods, this exotic wood shows its true glory when piano finished.
• Japanese Cypress, one of the most favored and finest materials used in Japanese architecture, is often chosen for its very fine grain and special fragrance. Cypress wood is also well known in Japan because it is frequently enhanced by an ancient process called "wood burning" to give the wood texture followed by special sanding and polishing.
• Straight Grained Japanese Cedar, used in temple, shrine and ornamental bridge construction for thousands of years, is known for its resiliency to moisture, long life and beautiful color and grain. Sokee craftsmen use strips of cedar woven into a diamond pattern to achieve a unique three-dimensional look to make Ajiro doors. Ajiro describes the ancient weave pattern that exemplifies traditional Japanese culture. This weave pattern has been used in rooftops and sliding doors in Japanese architecture for centuries.
• Spruce and spruce with cherry bark accents are perfect examples of using woods native to Japan for different looks. Using spruce, carefully chosen for grain and color, the frames for cabinet doors and drawer fronts are cut and molded. Doors are assembled using frame pieces, spruce center panels and thin dark cherry spline pieces in each corner. Drawer fronts are assembled the same way using either spruce or cherry bark center panels. The unusual cherry bark drawer center panels are all different as nature creates the intricate and beautiful patterns.

Sokee's parent company has been involved in high-tech stainless steel products and fabrications for 50 years. This manufacturing expertise is apparent in the quality and appearance of Sokee's stainless offering. Stainless can also be combined with Beech to add warmth to the clean, stark lines of a stainless installation. Add to this perforated stainless mesh encapsulated in glass inserts for doors and you have a truly unique look.

Sokee finishes are as varied and diverse as the Orient. One of the most unusual and sophisticated finishes Sokee applies evolved from an ancient Japanese craft called "Urushi". This finish over the centuries has been applied not only to fine furniture but also to musical instruments.

Europeans, after World War II, attempted to copy this fine finish and called it "Japaneserre". They tried to accomplish it with coats and coats of lacquer only to fail. What they did not know is that after applying the lacquer, it is rubbed with ashes many times until the surface is absolutely and perfectly smooth and even. Then it is polished with an oil based sanding material until it has a mirror like finish.

This ancient Japanese art is still practiced today, but Sokee has invented special finishes that can be used in larger production situations to achieve virtually the same results. This finish is applied to Sokee cabinetry…layer after layer, polishing after polishing…to produce cabinetry that looks and feels like a fine piano finish.

Sokee also offers a wide choice of internal and external accessories to add convenience and function to any kitchen.

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