Some pieces of contemporary furniture try to command attention with statement-making forms, while others aim to seduce with pared-down, meticulously detailed perfection. Nendo is remarkable in its ability to blend these two seemingly disparate qualities in objects that are simultaneously provocative and beautiful in their simplicity. And this ability has made the Tokyo- and Milan-based studio one of the most sought-after design firms of the moment.
Nendo is best known for its expansive portfolio of furniture and accessories designed for such luxury makers as Baccarat, Bisazza, Boffi, Cappellini, De Padova, Emeco, FLOS, Foscarini, Fritz Hansen, Kartell, Lasvit, Louis Poulsen, Moroso and Swarovski, as well as for the one-off and limited-edition pieces presented by galleries like New York’s Friedman Benda. But its range is much broader.
Nendo’s full oeuvre runs the gamut from product packaging for such brands as Coca-Cola and Kenzo to large-scale urban-planning and architecture projects, including Tenri Station Plaza CoFuFun, which populated the space in front of a Japanese rail terminal with a series of conical pavilions, turning it into a sort of urban playground for people of all ages.
Whatever the undertaking, the studio’s approach remains the same: embodying lighthearted insights into the human experience in minimalist forms and details. Nendo’s Gaku collection, for the legendary lighting company FLOS, for instance, is based on a simple cup-shaped lamp in a square frame, which can be personalized and changed over time by adding magnetic accessories, including a bookend, mirror, vase and bowl, making it almost as playful as a grown-up dollhouse.
The now iconic Cabbage chair, Nendo’s most recognizable design, offers a whimsical way to deal with trash from the fashion industry. A fat roll of discarded paper used in the production of Issey Miyake’s pleated fabric is simply cut down the middle and its individual layers peeled open to create a seat.
It wasn’t always evident that chief designer and Nendo cofounder Oki Sato would spend his life finding subtle surprises in tables, floor lamps and chairs. He was born in Toronto, where his father worked for Pioneer Electronics, and moved with his family to Tokyo when he was 11. He studied architecture at Waseda University but found the program a little too narrow and rigid for his liking.
After graduating, in 2002, he traveled with friends to the Salone del Mobile in Milan and stumbled into the biggest aha moment of his life: He realized that architects could do more than design buildings — they could also design furniture, lighting and other objects. And the architects at the fair appeared to be enjoying plenty of creative freedom while doing so.
Upon returning to Tokyo, he founded Nendo, whose name means “flexible clay” in Japanese, with his classmate Akihiro Ito, the firm’s managing director. In 2005, they established a second office, in Milan. Within a few years, Nendo had become an omnipresent name at the fair that had inspired them.
Nendo’s wares have been acquired by such institutions as New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; London’s Victoria and Albert; and Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs and Centre Pompidou.
Find Nendo furniture on 1stDibs.
Oki Sato NJP White Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen
By Louis Poulsen, Nendo, Oki Sato
Located in Glendale, CA
Oki Sato NJP White Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen Designed by Oki Sato from Japan's Nendo design studio. Provides direct light perfect for modern living rooms, bedrooms, and hom...
Aluminum
$6,864 / item
DUSK Table lamp by Nendo for Wonderglass
By Nendo, WonderGlass
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Capturing the gentle glow of twilight, Dusk collection integrates a folded sheet of bronzed glass with a spherical light source. Paying homage to the profound symbolism of the sun’s ...
Blown Glass
Oki Sato NJP Black Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen
By Louis Poulsen, Nendo, Oki Sato
Located in Glendale, CA
Oki Sato NJP Black Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen Designed by Oki Sato from Japan's Nendo design studio. Provides direct light perfect for modern living rooms, bedrooms, and hom...
Aluminum
$4,318 / item
Switch Gold Table Lamp by Lendo for Oluce
By Nendo, Oluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"By means of the Switch lamp, the Japanese designer Nendo, revisits the shape of the classic abat-jour by renewing both its materials and its function. The archetypal shape of the cy...
Metal
$4,868 / item
Switch Floor Lamp by Nendo for Oluce
By Nendo, Oluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Switch Floor Lamp by Nendo for Oluce. Nendo is one of the most skilled Japanese design firms working today. Revisioning a traditional lamp style with a m...
Metal
Nendo 'Tomoshi' Dark Brown Portable Lantern by Oki Sato for Louis Poulsen
By Nendo, Oki Sato, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
Nendo 'Tomoshi' Dark Brown Portable Lantern by Oki Sato for Louis Poulsen Designed by the acclaimed Nendo Studio in Japan, the 'Tomoshi' (Japanese for "light") is a new offering in ...
Leather, Plastic
Nendo Floor Lamp 'Switch' Satin Gold Edition by Oluce
By Oluce, Nendo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Floor lamp 'Switch' designed by Nendo in 2007. Floor lamp giving direct and indirect light. Metal structure and reflector. Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. Japanese designer Nendo, rev...
Metal
$71,500 / item
MELT chandelier by Nendo for Wonderglass
By Nendo, WonderGlass
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Melt is inspired by the transfiguration inherent in glass – the evolution from its incipient supple form when superheated in the furnace. The gently curved sections are made from large slabs of cast glass which, while still pliant, are laid over curved moulds by expert glassmakers. This allows the glass to yield to gravity and ambient temperatures, slowly sinking and stretching into graceful parabolae. Melt Collection includes Melt Side Table Low, Melt Vase A, Melt Vase B, Melt Vase C, Melt Vase D and Melt Chandelier...
Glass
Nendo 'Switch' Floor Lamp by Oluce - Black Metal, Mid-Century Modern
By Nendo, Oluce
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Floor lamp 'Switch' designed by Nendo in 2007. Floor lamp giving direct and indirect light. Metal structure and reflector. Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. Japanese designer Nendo, rev...
Metal
Nendo 'Tomoshi' White Portable Lantern by Oki Sato for Louis Poulsen
By Louis Poulsen, Nendo, Oki Sato
Located in Glendale, CA
Nendo 'Tomoshi' White Portable Lantern by Oki Sato for Louis Poulsen Designed by the acclaimed Nendo Studio in Japan, the 'Tomoshi' (Japanese for "light") is a new offering in Louis...
Leather, Plastic
$52,910 / item
KOMORI Set 02 chandelier by Nendo for Wonderglass
By Nendo, WonderGlass
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A chandelier reminiscent of pendulous bat colonies decorating tree branches and cave ceilings, Komori’s hand-blown distributed glass shades enclose individual lights, casting their i...
Metal
Oki Sato NJP Grey Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen
By Nendo, Oki Sato, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
Oki Sato NJP Grey Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen Designed by Oki Sato from Japan's Nendo design studio. Provides direct light perfect for modern living rooms, bedrooms, and home...
Aluminum
$2,822 / item
Switch Black Table Lamp by Lendo for Oluce
By Nendo, Oluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"By means of the Switch lamp, the Japanese designer Nendo, revisits the shape of the classic abat-jour by renewing both its materials and its function. The archetypal shape of the cy...
Metal
$10,725 / item
KOMORI R10 chandelier by Nendo for Wonderglass
By Nendo, WonderGlass
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A chandelier reminiscent of pendulous bat colonies decorating tree branches and cave ceilings, Komori’s hand-blown distributed glass shades enclose individual lights, casting their i...
Metal
$35,750 / item
KOMORI Set 01 chandelier by Nendo for Wonderglass
By WonderGlass, Nendo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A chandelier reminiscent of pendulous bat colonies decorating tree branches and cave ceilings, Komori’s hand-blown distributed glass shades enclose individual lights, casting their i...
Metal
$16,445 / item
KOMORI R14 chandelier by Nendo for Wonderglass
By WonderGlass, Nendo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A chandelier reminiscent of pendulous bat colonies decorating tree branches and cave ceilings, Komori’s hand-blown distributed glass shades enclose individual lights, casting their i...
Metal
$5,005 / item
KOMORI R3 chandelier by Nendo for Wonderglass
By WonderGlass, Nendo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A chandelier reminiscent of pendulous bat colonies decorating tree branches and cave ceilings, Komori’s hand-blown distributed glass shades enclose individual lights, casting their i...
Metal
$2,822 / item
Switch Table Lamp by Nendo for Oluce
By Nendo, Oluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Switch table lamp designed by Nendo for Oluce. The Japanese designer Nendo has become one of the most promising designers on the international scene. In this lamp, he revisits the ma...
Metal
18th Century Brass Barn Portable Lantern Candlelight
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Early Danish 18th Century Brass Barn Portable Lantern.
Brass
Louis XV Bronze Hall Lanterns
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a classic "near pair" of Louis XV-style hall lanterns. These bronze lanterns are both in very good condition. They differ slightly in that one of the lanterns is in gilt bron...
Bronze
$2,596
H 23.63 in W 27.56 in D 5.91 in
Wall lamps by O. Bank Larsen & Kjeld Iversen for Louis Poulsen, Denmark, 1950s
By O. Bank Larsen Møbelfabrik 1, Louis Poulsen
Located in Hägersten, SE
Wall lamps designed by O. Bank Larsen and Kjeld Iversen. Produced in Denmark by Louis Poulsen during the 1950s. Made from solid oak with opal glass shades with brass top. The chord o...
Brass
Bjarne Bech Metal Outdoor Wall Lamps for Louis Poulsen
By Bjarne Bech, Louis Poulsen
Located in North Miami, FL
Item Description A pair of outdoor wall sconces made of galvanized steel, designed in the 1930s by Bjarne Bech and produced by Louis Poulsen. A pair of untouched as found sconces b...
Steel
NJP Table Lamp or Desk Lamp White
By Oki Sato, Louis Poulsen
Located in Courbevoie, FR
The lamp was designed by Nendo design studio of Japan and designer Oki Sato. NJP Table is a new interpretation of the classic architect lamp. Its simple and honest look bares the lam...
Aluminum, Steel
Model 255 Table Lamp by Tito Agnoli for Oluce
By Tito Agnoli, Oluce
Located in New York, NY
First production of the 255 desk clamp lamp designed by Tito Agnoli and manufactured by Oluce, Italy, 1954. Nickel plated metal and is from the first production. The lamp comes with ...
Metal, Nickel
Set Wall Lights by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, Denmark
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Antwerp, BE
A set of white and pink PH hat wall lamp designed by Poul Henningsen in the late 1970s and manufactured by Louis Poulsen in Denmark. Both labeled with paper-stickers from Louis Poulsen.
Metal
Vico Magistretti 'Atollo' Opaline Glass Table Lamp for Oluce
By Oluce, Vico Magistretti
Located in Glendale, CA
Vico Magistretti 'Atollo' opaline glass table lamp for Oluce. Originally designed in 1977, this iconic re-edition is still crafted by Oluce in I...
Metal
Coupe 3321 Floor Lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"Coupe" 3321 floor lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce. Current production. Lacquered metal base, chromium-plated stem. Special semi-cylindrical reflector, tilts and turns on a black plast...
Aluminum, Chrome, Metal
Moni 1 pendant lamp by A. Castiglioni for Flos
By Achille Castiglioni, Flos
Located in Lugo, IT
Moni 1 pendant lamp by A. Castiglioni for Flos. Good condition. Thank you.
Metal
Louis Poulsen 'Louise' Wall Sconce, Model 132051, Denmark, 1970's
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Produced by Louis Poulsen in Denmark during the 1970s, the 'Louise' wall sconce — also catalogued as Model 132051 — features a black enameled metal frame with a curved adjustable arm...
Metal
Louis Poulsen, Wall Lamp by Vilhelm Lauritzen
By Vilhelm Lauritzen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Louis Poulsen, wall lamp by Vilhelm Lauritzen Measures: Width 135 x height 190 x length 290(mm), 1.1 kg Material: Rear housing and shade: aluminum. Arm: brass. Cord length: 3.3 m. Sw...
Metal
Flos Sawaru Floor Lamp by Nendo
By Nendo, Flos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A new geometric fixture designed by Japanese studio Nendo for Flos is a sculptural piece that explores the concept of balance. Two independent cylinders, resting together at a perpendicular angle, provide a brilliant light source that shines up from the floor. The Sawaru LED floor lamp can be used to supplement other fixtures in a room to create a beautiful layered lighting effect. Ideal for drawing attention to a piece of art or interior feature and illuminating an under-lit corner or hallway, the modern LED floor lamp’s strong visual impact adds an artful, modern touch to a space. Adjusting a pin in the extruded aluminum base moves the directionality of the light to three different angles—25, 40, and 60 degrees. Additionally, the two components can be separated and the body of the floor lamp installed directly on the floor without the base. Flos Sawaru...
Metal
