Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
From his cheerful Getsuen Lily chair to his provocative Ginza robot cabinet, Masanori Umeda’s furniture designs are often described by critics and collectors alike as poetic, ironic and full of whimsy.
Umeda was born in 1941 in Kanagawa, graduating from Tokyo’s Kuwasawa Design School in 1962. In 1967, he moved to Milan, Italy, where he began his design career working in the studio of Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. From 1970 to 1979, Umeda was a design consultant for the Olivetti studio, and there he met prolific furniture designer and architect Ettore Sottsass, who founded the Memphis Group, Italy's boldest, brashest postmodern design movement.
In the early 1980s, Umeda joined Memphis, creating his most famous piece, the Tawayara boxing ring seating unit in 1981. Comprising a monochrome, Tatami matte floor, tie-dyed cushions, bungee-style ropes and flexible lighting at each of the four corners, the Tawayara was Umeda’s homage to space-constrained Japanese living areas. It remains one of Umeda’s rarest pieces (only 30 were ever made). Fashion designer and icon Karl Lagerfeld once owned a Tawayara boxing ring that featured prominently in his Monaco apartment.
In 1986, Umeda returned to Japan and opened his U-MetaDesign Studio (now Umeda Design Studio Inc.) in Tokyo, garnering accolades for his uniquely lighthearted collection of armchairs, lounge chairs, table lamps and decorative objects.
Over the course of his career, Umeda has won several awards, including the BraunPrize in 1968, the Grand Prix of Japan Display Design Award in 1981, the Japan Commercial Space Design Award in 1984 and the Grand Prix of Good Design Award in 1990.
Umeda continues to design furnishings that embody the spirit of postmodernism, enjoying collaborations with Memphis Milano and Italian furniture manufacturer Edra. His pieces have been exhibited internationally and are held in the collections of museums around the world, including the M+ Museum in Hong Kong, which acquired more than 180 of his works in 2015.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Masanori Umeda seating, lighting and serveware.
Early 2000s Japanese Post-Modern Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Plastic
Early 2000s Japanese Post-Modern Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Plastic
1990s Japanese Post-Modern Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Steel
1990s Japanese Post-Modern Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Steel
Mid-20th Century Rustic Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Concrete
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Aluminum
1930s French French Provincial Vintage Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Terracotta
1950s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Cement
Mid-20th Century Swiss Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Cement
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Ceramic
1950s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Concrete
Mid-20th Century European Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Porcelain
1950s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary American Other Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Tôle
1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Earthenware, Terracotta
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Masanori Umeda Building and Garden Elements
Iron
