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Nendo Bookcases

Japanese

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.

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Creator: Nendo
Kartell Sundial Modular Bookcase in Crystal and White by Nendo
Kartell Sundial Modular Bookcase in Crystal and White by Nendo

Kartell Sundial Modular Bookcase in Crystal and White by Nendo

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Sundial is the bookcase whose dividing elements, placed in different directions, create a game of unexpected and original proportions.

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21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Nendo Bookcases

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Desalto STEP Small bookcase By Nendo
Desalto STEP Small bookcase By Nendo

Desalto STEP Small bookcase By Nendo

By Desalto, Nendo

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Simplicity of lines and lightweight volumes are the expressive key of the range of STEP bookcases designed by Nendo, able to harmonise and blend in na...

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21st Century and Contemporary Italian Nendo Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Glas Italia Deep Sea Open Bookcase - Smoked glass - design Nendo
Glas Italia Deep Sea Open Bookcase - Smoked glass - design Nendo

Glas Italia Deep Sea Open Bookcase - Smoked glass - design Nendo

By Glas Italia, Nendo

Located in Alcamo, IT

Deep Sea by Glas Italia, designed by Nendo, is an open bookcase crafted from extralight laminated and thermally bonded glass. Part of the Deep Sea collection of low tables and bookca...

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2010s Italian Nendo Bookcases

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Glass

Forest bookcase by Nendo for Driade
Forest bookcase by Nendo for Driade

Forest bookcase by Nendo for Driade

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Bookcase designed by Nendo for Driade. The bookcase features shelves interspersed with rotated vertical elements, which serve as an aesthetic and functional element to support books....

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1990s Italian Neoclassical Revival Nendo Bookcases

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Wood

Glas Italia Layers Bookshelf 160 cm (63 in) design Nendo - Blue Gray Violet
Glas Italia Layers Bookshelf 160 cm (63 in) design Nendo - Blue Gray Violet

Glas Italia Layers Bookshelf 160 cm (63 in) design Nendo - Blue Gray Violet

By Glas Italia, Nendo

Located in Alcamo, IT

Layers by Glas Italia, designed by Nendo, is a sophisticated bookshelf that combines transparency, color, and modular design in a dynamic display of contemporary craftsmanship. The ...

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2010s Italian Nendo Bookcases

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Glass

Desalto STEP Large bookcase By Nendo
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By Nendo, Desalto

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Simplicity of lines and lightweight volumes are the expressive key of the range of STEP bookcases designed by Nendo, able to harmonise and blend in na...

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21st Century and Contemporary Italian Nendo Bookcases

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Glas Italia Deep Sea Open Bookcase - Blue glass - design Nendo
Glas Italia Deep Sea Open Bookcase - Blue glass - design Nendo

Glas Italia Deep Sea Open Bookcase - Blue glass - design Nendo

By Glas Italia, Nendo

Located in Alcamo, IT

Deep Sea by Glas Italia, designed by Nendo, is an open bookcase crafted from extralight laminated and thermally bonded glass. Part of the Deep Sea collection of low tables and bookca...

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2010s Italian Nendo Bookcases

Materials

Glass

Glas Italia Layers Bookshelf 200 cm (78.7 in) design Nendo - Orange, red, brown
Glas Italia Layers Bookshelf 200 cm (78.7 in) design Nendo - Orange, red, brown

Glas Italia Layers Bookshelf 200 cm (78.7 in) design Nendo - Orange, red, brown

By Glas Italia, Nendo

Located in Alcamo, IT

Layers by Glas Italia, designed by Nendo, is a sophisticated bookshelf that combines transparency, color, and modular design in a dynamic display of contemporary craftsmanship. The ...

Category

2010s Italian Nendo Bookcases

Materials

Glass

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Nendo bookcases for sale on 1stDibs.

Nendo bookcases are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of plastic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Nendo bookcases, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original bookcases by Nendo were created in the modern style in italy during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider bookcases by Philippe Starck, Cappellini, and Konstantin Grcic. Prices for Nendo bookcases can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,015 and can go as high as $7,409, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,351.