Designer
Naoto Fukasawa
Naoto Fukasawa was born in Kōfu, Yamanashi, in 1956 and studied product design at Tama Art University, graduating in 1980. He worked at Seiko Epson until 1988, then joined ID Two (a predecessor of IDEO) in San Francisco and opened its…
Biography
Background
Naoto Fukasawa was born in Kōfu, Yamanashi, in 1956 and studied product design at Tama Art University, graduating in 1980. He worked at Seiko Epson until 1988, then joined ID Two (a predecessor of IDEO) in San Francisco and opened its Tokyo office in 1996. He founded Naoto Fukasawa Design in 2003, the same year he launched the ±0 brand.
Signature Style
Always devoted to simplicity and beauty, Fukasawa designs from observed behaviour — "design dissolving in behaviour" and "Without Thought" — and, with Jasper Morrison, championed the "Super Normal" (2006).
Notable Works
- Papilio chair (2008) for B&B Italia
- MUJI wall-mounted CD player; ±0 humidifier
- Hiroshima chair (V&A collection); designs for Herman Miller, Alessi, Magis, Emeco and HAY
Legacy
An Honorary Royal Designer for Industry (2007), professor at Tama Art University, co-director of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT and director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, with work at MoMA and the V&A and over fifty awards.
Collections
Products
Papilio Chair
Upholstered chair whose back curves into butterfly-like wings, on a light steel frame
Ayana
An outdoor teak-frame sofa offered in two- and three-seat versions with separable materials.
Belle
Chair with rounded lines, elbow-shaped armrests and a leather seat, by Naoto Fukasawa, 2018
Bosco
Naoto Fukasawa's swivel armchair of soft, divided volumes on a pewter-coloured disc base.
Bull
Solid-wood dining table with inclined round-section legs and a slender top, designed in 2018
Bull Bench
Bull Bench by Naoto Fukasawa, 2019
Cinnamon
Naoto Fukasawa's 2023 armchair with a U-shaped steel perimeter base and a bulbous, enveloping seat.
Harbor
Sculptural swivel armchair in a high and a low version by Naoto Fukasawa, 2017
Harbor Laidback
Reclining swivel armchair with synchronised backrest and seat by Naoto Fukasawa, 2021
Hiroshima Armchair
HIROSHIMA Armchair (wooden seat) by Naoto Fukasawa for Maruni, Low or High, with gentle curves
Hiroshima Lounge Chair
HIROSHIMA Lounge Chair by Naoto Fukasawa for Maruni: arm-to-back lines, removable fabric cover
Omoi
Sculptural armchair with integrated armrests and oak legs, by Naoto Fukasawa, 2024
