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Designer
nendo
nendo is a Japanese design studio founded in 2002 in Tokyo by the architect Oki Sato, who was born in Toronto in 1977 and graduated that year with a master's degree in architecture from Waseda University. A second office opened in Milan in…
Biography
Background
nendo is a Japanese design studio founded in 2002 in Tokyo by the architect Oki Sato, who was born in Toronto in 1977 and graduated that year with a master's degree in architecture from Waseda University. A second office opened in Milan in 2005. The name means "clay" in Japanese — a shape-shifting material that reflects the studio's playful, flexible approach. Sato has said that meeting Issey Miyake strongly influenced his work.
Signature Style
nendo is known for simple, minimalist design with subtle Japanese influences, and for a large output: by 2015 its designers produced more than 100 products a year for 19 brands, across architecture, interiors, furniture, industrial products and graphic design.
Notable Works
- Torii seating family for Minotti (2020), inspired by Shinto shrine gates
- N02 Recycle chair for Fritz Hansen (2019)
- The Tokyo 2020 Olympic cauldron
- Escher x nendo | Between Two Worlds, National Gallery of Victoria (2018)
Legacy
Sato was named Designer of the Year by Wallpaper* (2012) and has received the Good Design Award, German Design Award and ELLE DECO International Design Awards.
Collections
Products
Saki
Modular seating family by nendo with sinuous support panels inspired by unfolding flower buds.
Tape Dining
Tape dining little armchair by nendo, with a 360-degree swivel base and a lumbar cushion
Bambi
Tape Armchair
Tape armchair by nendo for Minotti, with a curved shell and Bronze-coloured metal feet
Torii Dining
Torii dining little armchair by nendo, in fixed, swivel and Dining Large versions
Taiko
An oval aluminium table balancing a polished top on a cast pedestal base.
Wedge Dining
A sculptural dining table balancing semicircular legs with oblique chisel-tip feet.
Torii Armchair
nendo's perfect-circle Torii armchairs in four sizes, fixed or swivel, on Bronze rod feet
Isole NN1A-NN1G
Isole NN1A-NN1G, the 2017 modular seating system by Nendo and Luca Nichetto for &Tradition
N02 Recycle Chair
nendo's stackable N02 Recycle chair on tube legs, made of upcycled household plastic waste
Saki Chaise Longue
nendo's Saki island for Minotti, with petal-shaped panels as backrests or armrests
Saki Armchair
nendo's Saki armchair for Minotti, with sinuous support panels and a fixed or swivel base
