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, Sato 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, Sato 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 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 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 Oki Sato lighting, including lamps he designed for Louis Poulsen, on 1stDibs.
$637Sale Price / item|15% Off
Oki Sato NJP Black Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen
By Oki Sato, Nendo, Louis Poulsen
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
$272Sale Price / item|15% Off
Nendo 'Tomoshi' White Portable Lantern by Oki Sato for Louis Poulsen
By Oki Sato, Nendo, Louis Poulsen
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
$272Sale Price / item|15% Off
Nendo 'Tomoshi' Dark Brown Portable Lantern by Oki Sato for Louis Poulsen
By Oki Sato, Nendo, 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
$637Sale Price / item|15% Off
Oki Sato NJP Grey Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen
By Oki Sato, Nendo, 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
NJP Table Lamp or Desk Lamp White
By Louis Poulsen, Oki Sato
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
$1,205 / item
Louis Poulsen, NJP Floor Lamp by Oki Sato
By Oki Sato, Louis Poulsen
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Louis Poulsen, NJP floor lamp by Oki Sato Size: Width x height x length (mm) 260 x 1250 x 560, 7.2 kg Material: Foot and base: Steel. Arms and lamp head: Aluminum. LED: Anodised a...
Metal
$637Sale Price / item|15% Off
Oki Sato NJP White Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen
By Oki Sato, Nendo, Louis Poulsen
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
$964 / item
Louis Poulsen, NJP Table Lamp by Oki Sato
By Louis Poulsen, Oki Sato
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Louis Poulsen, NJP table lamp by Oki Sato Size: Width x height x length (mm) 220 x 480 x 480, 5.1 kg Material: Foot and base: Steel. Arms and lamp head: Aluminum. LED: Anodised al...
Metal
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
$5,000
H 73.6 in W 9.2 in D 14 in
1958 Original AJ Royal Floor Lamp by Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen Denmark
By Arne Jacobsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an AJ Royal Floor Lamp, designed by Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen in 1956. It was manufactured in Denmark for the SAS Hotel in Copenhagen in 1958. It is formed of matte pai...
Steel
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
$2,652
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
$370 / item
H 8.3 in W 4.9 in D 4.9 in
Bellhop White Portable Rechargeable Wireless Desk or Table Lamp for FLOS
By Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, Flos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
FLOS Bellhop T-Table Lamp in White by Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby This sleek tabletop lamp was originally created by renowned designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby for the Lon...
Resin
Verner Panton 'Panthella' White Floor Lamp for Louis Poulsen
By Louis Poulsen, Verner Panton
Located in Glendale, CA
Verner Panton 'Panthella' White Floor Lamp for Louis Poulsen. The 'Panthella' Collection was designed by Verner Panton in 1971 and remains one of his most popular pieces. Panton dev...
Steel
Louis Poulsen Black Articulated Architects Desk or Wall Lamp, 1970s
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Often referred to as 'The Ghost of PH' and based on the Ideas of Poul Henningsen this fully adjustable black 'Anglepoise' desk or wall light was designed in-house at Louis Poulsen in...
Aluminum, Metal
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
$1,802
H 51.19 in Dm 13 in
Floor Lamp Model 3½-2½ In Chrome By Poul Henningsen For Louis Poulsen From 1980s
By Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Lejre, DK
The floor lamp, Model 3½-2½, designed by Poul Henningsen and produced by Louis Poulsen in 1980, is a striking example of Danish lighting design. This model features a high-gloss chro...
Aluminum
Louis Poulsen Studio VL Wall Light in Brass.
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Louis Poulsen Studio VL wall light in brass VL Studio wall lamp in brass by Louis Poulsen The VL Studio family is derived from a lamp model designed by architect Vilhelm Lauritzen fo...
Brass
$1,355Sale Price / item|15% Off
H 51.2 in W 10.8 in D 12.7 in
Arne Jacobsen AJ Floor Lamp in Black for Louis Poulsen
By Arne Jacobsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
Arne Jacobsen AJ Floor Lamp in black for Louis Poulsen. The AJ series was part of the lighting collection renowned Danish designer Arne Ja...
Steel, Zinc
GamFratesi Black 'Yuh' Floor Lamp for Louis Poulsen
By GamFratesi Design Studio, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
GamFratesi Black 'Yuh' Floor Lamp for Louis Poulsen Designed in 2017 by the Danish-Italian duo Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi, the 'Yuh' floor lamp is inspired by the classic virtues ...
Aluminum, Brass