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.
Glas Italia Deep Sea Open Bookcase - Blue glass - design Nendo
By Nendo, Glas Italia
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
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...
Glass
Glas Italia Deep Sea Open Bookcase - Smoked glass - design Nendo
By Nendo, Glas Italia
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
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...
Glass
Glas Italia Layers Bookshelf 200 cm (78.7 in) design Nendo - Orange, red, brown
By Nendo, Glas Italia
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
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 ...
Glass
Glas Italia Layers Bookshelf 160 cm (63 in) design Nendo - Blue Gray Violet
By Nendo, Glas Italia
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
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 ...
Glass
$11,101 / item
Desalto STEP Large bookcase By Nendo
By Nendo, Desalto
Located in Brooklyn, NY
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...
Wood
$9,026 / item
Desalto STEP Small bookcase By Nendo
By Desalto, Nendo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
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...
Wood
$3,365 / item
Forest bookcase by Nendo for Driade
By Driade, Nendo
Located in Ravenna, IT
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....
Wood
Pair Regency Open Bookcases in Walnut Open Front Bookcase
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Gorgeous pair of Regency Sheraton style open front bookcase in burl walnut Tall and thin so elegant design to this piece We can also split the pair up if you are looking for a single...
Walnut
$2,865 / item
H 92.52 in W 38.98 in D 20.08 in
Baleri Italia Mac Gee Bookshelf in Black Steel by Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck, Baleri Italia
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Mac Gee is the essence of a bookshelf. Philippe Starck cleaned and cleaned the structure to only keep the square root, the skeleton of a bookshelf. Therefore avoiding styles, the timeless Mac Gee has lived for decades, as if simply leaned against the wall, almost as an object trouvé that matches every interiors and transcends trends. Modular bookshelves in a steel sheet with epoxy finish in semi-glossy RAL 9010. A central upright structure supports five shelves of decreasing depths. Philippe Starck, world famous creator with multifaceted inventiveness, is always focused on the essential, his vision: that creation, whatever form it takes, must improve the lives of as many people as possible. By employing his prolific work across all domains, from everyday products (furniture, a citrus-squeezer, electric bikes, an individual wind turbine), to architecture (hotels, restaurants that aspire to be stimulating places) and naval and spatial engineering (mega yachts, space habitation module), he continually pushes the boundaries and requirements of design, becoming one of the most visionary and renowned creators of the international contemporary scene. In 1984 and 1985, Philippe Starck collaborated with Baleri to create five pieces of furniture: Café Chair, Francesca Spanish, Richard III, Président M...
Steel
Regency Mahogany Open Bookcase
Located in Essex, MA
Rectangular top with pointed arched top. Top shelf hinged over three graduated shelves. Base with shelf over two drawers with wood knobs. Circular tapered legs with casters.
Mahogany
Small Bookcase
Located in Annville, PA
This petite sized Small Bookcase from Niagara Furniture features good vertical storage in a narrow space. The simple yet elegant design makes it useful...
Mahogany
Antique Victorian Open Bookcase
Located in London, GB
A smart and very well made antique Victorian open bookcase. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1860-1880 period. The quality is great, this sits on a plinth base, wi...
Wood
Large Early Victorian Bookcase
Located in BEEKBERGEN, NL
Beautiful antique mahogany bookcase from the early Victorian era. Equipped with 8 glass doors. The middle 2 doors are set back slightly. This gives the cabinet just that little extra...
Mahogany
Asteroid Bookshelf
By Durame
Located in Milan, IT
The shelves of this elegant bookshelf available in oak or "Canaletto" walnut wood are pierced on one side as if an asteroid fell on them and left a h...
Marble
Bookshelf Books in Solid Walnut Wood
Located in Paris, FR
Bookshelf books all in solid walnut wood. the third shelf from the bottom is wider. Also available with all shelves at the same size, on request. L 3...
Wood, Walnut
Regency Mahogany Open Bookcase
Located in Essex, MA
Rectangular top with arched back with a total of four shelves including the top. Bracket base. Later brass side handles.
Brass
$48,514
H 63.78 in W 206.7 in D 13 in
Ilmari Tapiovaara 'Palan' Bookshelf for Asko, Finnish Design, 1957
By Asko, Ilmari Tapiovaara
Located in Diest, BE
This monumental bookshelf "Pala" or "Palan" is by Finnish designer Ilmari Tapiovaara (1914-1999) for Asko, Finland 1950's. Expositions: The exhibition of industrial form, Helsinki ...
Wood, Teak
Riva 1920 PIANO DESIGN BOOKSHELF BY RENZO & MATTEO PIANO
By Renzo Piano, Riva 1920
Located in Boston, MA
The impressive bookcase created by Renzo and Matteo Piano showcases a remarkable equilibrium between solid and empty spaces. Connected by just six pairs of stainless steel rods, it a...
Stainless Steel
Victorian Mahogany Open Bookcase
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Victorian Mahogany Open Bookcase Item Code: S27-1044 A fine quality large Victorian mahogany open bookcase, generously proportioned at over two metres wide. The bookcase features adj...
Mahogany
Small Penhurst Mahogany Bookcase
Located in Annville, PA
This is Niagara Furnitures’ Small Penhurst Mahogany Bookcase. The figural mahogany cornice is beautiful and adds a sense of depth to t...
Mahogany
Marlena Small Bookcase
Located in Paris, FR
Bookcase Marlena Small with all structure in clear glass. Also available in smocked glass, on request.
Glass
Industrial Style Polished Steel Library Etagere Bookcase with Step
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Fantastic industrial double library bookcase or open shelf etagere hand-crafted from thick gauge steel. The case features a painstakingly labor intensive highly polished nickel finis...
Steel
Nendo Drop Two-Shelf Bookcase
By Nendo, Cappellini
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Drop two-shelf bookcase Designed by Nendo for Cappellini Measure: 21.5" W x 12.5" D x 27.75" H The two-shelf bookcase was first pres...
Metal
Nendo Drop Bookcase with Five Shelves
By Nendo, Cappellini
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Drop five-shelf bookcase Designed by Nendo for Cappellini Measures: 21.5" W x 12.5" D x 68.25" H. The five-shelf bookcase was first presented as a part of Nendo's 'dancing squares' ...
Metal