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.
2020s Oki Sat of Nendo + Emeco SU Bar Stool in Oak 7x Available
By Oki Sato, Nendo
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a SU Bar Stool, designed by Oki Sat of Nendo for Emeco in 2014. These examples date to the 2020s, and the listed price includes one stool. We have several SU stools in this c...
Aluminum
2020s Oki Sat of Nendo for Emeco SU Bar Stools in Flint 5x Available
By Oki Sato, Nendo
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a SU Bar Stool, designed by Oki Sat of Nendo for Emeco in 2014. This example is in the Flint Gray colorway, and the price includes one bar stool. We have several SU stools in...
Aluminum
$4,425 / set
H 40.95 in W 15.36 in D 15.36 in
Set of 4 Razorblade Bar Stools in Solid Oak and Rush 1960s
By Henning Kjærnulf
Located in Meer, VAN
Set of 4 Razorblade Bar Stools in Solid Oak and Rush 1960s This is a wonderful set of unusual mid century bar stools in solid oak and rush. They feature a very interesting design w...
Rush, Oak
$1,515 / item
H 32.68 in W 16.54 in D 15.75 in
Fox Bar Stool in Dedar Tiger Mountain Fabric — Statement Seating for Home Bars
By Dmitriy Kozinenko
Located in Kyiv, UA
The Fox bar stool wears its Dedar Tiger Mountain fabric like a trophy coat. Designer Dmytro Kozinenko gave the stool one unforgettable feature — a soft back leg that curves like a fo...
Metal
Bertu Bar Stool, Cicely Modern White Oak Bar Stool
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Bertu Bar Stool, Cicely Modern White Oak Bar Stool This Modern White Oak Bar Stool - The Cicely is beautifully constructed from solid wood in Ohio...
Wood, Oak
Pair of Kurt Østervig Bar Stools for Brande Møbelindustri
By Kurt Østervig, Brande Møbelindustri
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of teak stools by Danish born designer Kurt Østervig for Brande Mobelindustri, c.1960s, Denmark. The stools feature a round seat and curved seat back. Each stool has four long s...
Brass
$3,250 / set
H 37.5 in W 18 in D 18 in
Set of 3 Bar Stools in Maple for by Arthur Umanoff for Raymor, USA, c. 1960s
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Deland, FL
This rare set of three Arthur Umanoff bar stools for Raymor captures the casual sophistication and organic modernism that defined his influential 1960s designs. Each counter-height s...
Maple
Brutalist Bar Stool "Marbella" done in solid oak
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a beautiful Brutalist bar stool. This very sculptural piece of furniture is done in solid oak. It has remarkable design inspired by the birthing chairs ...
Oak
$537 / set
H 29.5 in W 17 in D 17 in
Tolix Set of (3) Glossy Dark Grey Bar Stools Hand-Made in France More Available
By Tolix, Xavier Pauchard
Located in Highwood, IL
Authentic French Hand-Made Tolix Bar Height Stools in a set of 3-Stools and yes, there are more available while supply lasts. Please note that these are Bar height Stools and Bars ar...
Steel
Trooper Oak Bar Stool
Located in Paris, FR
Bar Stool Trooper Oak with structure in solid oak wood. Upholstered and covered with genuine leather straps in beige finish (Cat D4). Treated with natural pine extract wax. With 2 la...
Steel
GLORIA Bar Stool, Available Now
Located in Frazão, Porto
GLORIA bar stool: STOCK UNIT - Available for immediate delivery The sophisticated bar stool GLORIA is entirely upholstered in velvet and is characterized by the piping detail runing...
Fabric, Lacquer
$1,673Sale Price / set|55% Off
H 34.26 in W 23.63 in D 19.69 in
Set of 2 Counter Stools Uçá.Solid wood, available for immediate delivery
By Valter Costa Lima
Located in BR
***This set of two counter stools is in stock and available for immediate delivery*** ***Please be aware that this is a new item, but it may show small manufacturing imperfections***...
Fabric, Hardwood
Sculpture Bar Stool by Jacques Jarrige in Oak
By Jacques Jarrige
Located in New York, NY
Part of Jacques Jarrige’s Meanders series, this sculpted bar stool in stained oak blurs the line between furniture and sculpture. Each piece is carved entirely by hand, bringing to l...
Oak
$1,100 / item
H 31.89 in Dm 13.78 in
Piet Hein, bar stools, 3 available. Scandinavian / Danish Modern, Fritz Hansen
By Fritz Hansen, Piet Hein
Located in Stockholm, SE
Bar stools designed by Piet Hein in the 1960s for Fritz Hansen,. Base in stainless steel and seat with original leather. Denmark, this set is produced in 1999. One stool with origina...
Stainless Steel