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J A D E I S S U E
JADE ISSUE - n° 11 - 2017 - € 10
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The Art of Sailing
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The One Yacht and Design meets Japanese designer. With his Nendo studio he collaborates with the major Italian furnishing brands. Always managing to surprise
SIMPLICITY
CAN BE A COMPLEX MATTER by Marta Bernasconi - pictures by Akihiro Yoshida
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Designer Oki Sato, the heart and soul of the Nendo studio, pictured in his installation Invisible Outlines, made in Milan for this year’s Salone del Mobile. Left, the Flow series created for Alias - the possible forms of a fusion of table and container
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I
t’s well-known that Milan exerts a magnetic attraction for Japanese visitors, including the country’s most important designers. Oki Sato, for example, a hot architect on the
international scene and a prolific creator for many top Italian brands, now commutes regularly between Japan and Italy. “The first time I went to the Salone del Mobile was in 2002, after graduating. The atmosphere I breathed there was wonderful”, he says, with a touch of emotion at the memory. “In the same year I founded my Nendo studio in Tokyo with some friends. I went back to Italy in 2003, for the Satellite Show. Since then I’ve always attended the Milan event. Milan has become my second home and it’s also where I’ve learned the best about design”. Only a short time later, Nendo opened a second studio, in Milan this time, in 2005. Oki Sato’s designs are always recognisable, but not limited to a specific type – they range from small to large, the useful to the charming. “Yes, it’s always been like that for me. I feel free to create and I set no limits on designing. For example, for the first restaurant I did, I designed everything, interiors and exteriors, from logo to menu. Doing the best I can is crucial for me, whatever the project”. A special pairing appears as a constant feature of his work – clarity, clean lines and essentiality combine with a fair measure of fun and poetry – for Oki Sato, we can say that less is more but also fun. His style is inspired by a process that’s anything but simple, underpinned by a precise vision of design. “Achieving this apparently natural synthesis is by no means simple. Being too minimal can often veer into being a little cold, but I also look for friendly appeal, a bit of humour and surprise...emotions are the bridge linking the object to people”. Then there’s another important factor that Oki Sato understands in a very special way, and this enables him to create his designs in Italy. “I think that what makes Italian designers different and unique is that they can rely on the work of a large pool of artisanal
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Left, these Jellyfish vases deconstruct the roles played by water, flowers and containers. In ultrathin, transparent silicone, they are immersed in water and left to undulate softly.
Above, the Trace Collection designed for Collective Design – shelving and lamps are composed following invisible “tracks”, which move to reflect everyday activities. Left, the iconic cylindrical container from Kartell extends to form a larger family. Nendo’s take on the modular concept
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expertise. Only in Italy can you find the unique abilities
trends, it should be a whole with the person who lives in
and methods. It’s their work that supports design”. Lots of
the house every day. That’s why I try not to use too many
white, rigorous shapes and flowing lines, ideas achieved
decisive forms and strong colours. And the way we think
with a simplicity that conceals complex technologies,
of light can change spaces, filling them with sensations
all produced with originality and grace. Nendo’s objects
and emotions”. This portrait of the designer closes with
make us curious to ask him to describe his ideal home.
the images on these pages - projects and designs existing
“I think an interior shouldn’t be too decorative, it should
between usefulness and artistic installation, essential and
tend towards simplicity. It should have nothing to do with
narrative at the same time.”
From top - the Sawaru lamp made by Flos, comprising two independent cylinders enabling a variety of configurations and lighting possibilities. For Moroso, Nendo has designed Highway, a dining table that revolutionises the classic seating arrangement for diners
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