About Girari

1995

Girari (Originally Named AZCAST) was Founded in 1995 in an Outbuilding at the
El Monte Non Ferrous Foundry in the City of Industry, California.

The Product

All Girari metal products are made in the U.S.A. of recycled sand-cast aluminum. Hand-molded, hand-poured, and hand-finished, Girari creates beautiful and useful goods whose components are ultimately recyclable themselves.

The Company

An offshoot of a multi-generation, family-run aluminum foundry that remains one of the few to continue the art of hand poured sand casting. With the casting skills that come with over 50 years' experience, Girari was formed as the ideal medium to express a talent for artistic and functional designs.

In 2001, new owners purchased the design company, pledging to retain the high design and superior quality that is Girari.

Girari started out, 12 years ago, creating sustainably designed tables, chairs and tabletop accessories, but its design esthetic transcends furniture, art and fashion. Both edgy and elegant, Girari's minimalist design is as well received in Tokyo as in Milan.

The Process

Unchanged for over 2,000 years, sand casting allows the formation of molded, fluid designs. Using aluminum also allows components to be polished in varying ways, from a silky brushed satin or hammered "stoned" finish, to a highly polished mirror finish. The stunning sophisticated chair your friends are admiring is comprised of metal that in an earlier life might have had a different shape and might have supported the landing gear on a Boeing 727, for example.

Each Girari product begins as a mold, or "pattern" in foundry language. The pattern is the actual shape of the item and is covered with damp sand poured and packed into a frame. The pattern is removed, leaving a void in the sand in the shape of the item. When the molten aluminum is at exactly the right temperature, foundry craftsmen pour the molten metal into an entry hole opened in the sand vessel.

The vessel and its casting are left to cool, and later vibrating machines shake the frame and sand off the casting, leaving a rough surfaced product. That resulting product in foundry jargon is called "as cast", hence the original company name, AZCAST. The founders, although extraordinary designers and craftsmen, were not the best spellers.

Because some aluminum fills the access hole, the item needs to be rough ground. That item is given to another group of craftsmen who grind the item with increasingly finer sanding belts. Finally, the item is polished with an extremely fine compound over a soft polishing wheel to produce the finished product. Because there are many opportunities for flaws to occur, many items are rejected at each stage of quality control, adding to the cost of the final product. The rejects, however, are simply recycled into other Girari products. Due to the nature of the hand crafted manufacturing process, there are inherent irregularities which add to the character of the product. No two are ever exactly alike.

The Designers

Eyreick Williamson --Founder, whose designs, such as "the Orbit Vase" and "Tractor Stool", support a significant portion of the original line and whose expertise with the intricacies of sand casting have laid a solid foundation for Girari.

Neil Stratton --Furniture designer, whose concepts and inspiration have catalyzed the line with the distinctive "ARC", "Recurve" and "Lola" furniture styles.

Bonnie Kim --Offers Girari a most notable product, "the Milk Bottle".

Darryl Aken --A design enthusiast, who has expanded and created new markets for Girari's lines.

The Customers

Girari furniture and products are featured in fine homes, offices and restaurants. In addition, the division Girari Sustainable Event Furnishings has provided event furniture to venues such as MOCA, the Getty Museum, L'Ermitage Hotel and Pebble Beach Country Club.

You can purchase Girari products by calling the factory at 310-739-7300.

Event Rental Furniture information is available at our showroom. Phone: 310-739-7300