5 Minutes With… nendo
Published
By
jesse
We have a quick chat with Oki Sato of nendo on work, dream projects, inspiration and more.
Oki Sato and his team at nendo had been hard at work in the months leading up to the Milan Furniture Fair in April, and it showed in their rich body of work.
Of particular note was their first collection art directing for Singapore-based brand K% using only the colour black, which helped to draw focus to one primary aim – perfecting the balance between structure and function in each object. Now fresh from the whirlwind that was the Milan fair – and in typical nendo fashion – Sato and his team continue at full speed with several different projects that will keep them busy till the end of the year.
black & black for K%
Here, Sato manages a few chill moments in-between work to be part of our ’5 Minutes’ segment…
Projects that have kept you busy over the last few months.
The exhibitions for Salone in Milan – trial & error, still & sparkling, black & black (K%) and transparent & mosaic maison for Bisazza.
trial & error brought together pieces from the new collection of 1% products and 5 furniture collections developed over a series of solo exhibitions
Projects you are working on at the moment.
The shop design for Theory in the States, Europe, Asia and Japan, and the La Rinascente department store in Milan.
We will also be showing an installation at the Victoria & Albert Museum for London Design Festival 2012.
object dependencies, shown at trial & error
Top influences.
Everyday things, everyday life, because the everyday can become something more if it’s given the attention it deserves.
transparent & mosaic maison for Bisazza
Dream project – real or imaginary.
The most recent projects have been always the most meaningful projects for us.
Zabuton by nendo for Moroso
Favourite chair.
Zabuton.
Number 1 concern for the design industry.
Not sure. I am not conscious of it much.
still & sparkling, 5 concepts produced in collaboration with Lasvit
The most interesting thing about the way you work.
Basic research and experimentation has always been important to me since this process can produce items for the museum or gallery, which might then lead to mass production.
One item in the workplace you can’t live without.
My pet dog Kinako.
nendo
Related Articles
Events
A rollicking good story with Richards Stanisich and Royal Oak Floors
Jonathan Richards and Kirsten Stanisich discussed practice, design process and the business of running a studio at a live audience event hosted by Royal Oak Floors in Sydney.
Events
Indesign x Wilkhahn: Melbourne, where are you working?
Our latest collaboration saw a range of designers come together at Wilkhahn’s Melbourne showroom for a discussion on the workplace dynamics specific to the Victorian capital.
Events
“A journey into a whole new material world”: Plant Life at the NGV
Curator Ewan McEoin tells us about the NGV’s new exhibition on plant-based materials as alternatives to plastics, synthetic materials and other non-renewable resources.
Events
The inaugural Coastal Design Assembly is about to make landfall in Sydney
Sophie Lanigan, organiser of a new event centring on Sydney’s relationship to water, tells us what the event’s all about, who it’s for and why it matters today.