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 Nendo, Oki Sato, 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
$637Sale Price / item|15% Off
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
$637Sale Price / item|15% Off
Oki Sato NJP White Large Wall Light for Louis Poulsen
By Nendo, Oki Sato, 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
Bjarne Bech Metal Outdoor Wall Lamps for Louis Poulsen
By Louis Poulsen, Bjarne Bech
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
$2,590
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
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
‘Kastrup’ Airport wall lamp by Vilhelm Lauritzen for Louis Poulsen
By Louis Poulsen, Vilhelm Lauritzen
Located in GORINCHEM, NL
An exceptional example of Danish functionalist lighting, this Kastrup Airport wall lamp was originally designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen for Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport in the mid-1930s...
Metal
Louis Poulsen 'Louise' Wall Sconce, Model 132051, Denmark, 1970's
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mid-Century, 1970's, Louis Poulsen designed, 'Louise' wall sconce. Also known as Model 132051. Features a black enameled metal frame with brushed aluminum shade on an adjustable stem...
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. ...
Metal
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
Louis Poulsen, Wall Lights, Metal, Denmark, 1950s
By Louis Poulsen
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of white-lacquered metal wall lights produced by Louis Poulsen, Denmark, c. 1950s. Overall Dimensions (Inches): 7.5” H x 6” W x 16.5“ D Back Plate Dimensions (Inches): 3.125...
Metal
$1,836 / item
H 9.41 in W 13.23 in D 11.15 in
Louis Poulsen, Outdoor Wall Lamp in Black by Poul Henningsen
By Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Louis Poulsen, outdoor wall lamp in black by Poul Henningsen Measures: Width x height x length (mm) 283 x 239 x 336, 2.4 kg Material: Shades and arm in black lacquered stainless s...
Metal
$5,828 / set
H 13 in W 8.67 in D 13 in
Large Danish Modern Opal Glass & Brass Wall Lamps, Louis Poulsen, Denmark, 1950
By Mogens Hammer & Henning Moldenhawer, Louis Poulsen
Located in Odense, DK
Amazing set of wall lamps designed in Denmark in 1953 by Mogens Hammer & Henning Moldenhawer for Louis Poulsen. The lamps are made from solid brass and the onion-shaped shades of han...
Brass
Louis Poulsen, Outdoor Wall Lamp by Arne Jacobsen
By Arne Jacobsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Louis Poulsen, Outdoor wall lamp by Arne Jacobsen We have two size: 35 x 10 cm 45 x 10 cm Material: Mouth-blown white opal glass. Rear housing in white lacquered aluminium.
Metal
Louis Poulsen, Wall Lamp by Arne Jacobsen
By Arne Jacobsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Louis Poulsen, outdoor wall lamp by Arne Jacobsen We have two size: Louis Poulsen, wall lamp by Arne Jacobsen. Size: 22 x 10.5 x 22 cm, 0.6 kg - 700 euro 35 x 10 x 35 cm, 3.3 kg - E2...
Metal