Nendo: 10/10

Elegant, modern, subtle, and playful: the epitome of contemporary design from Japan that is also setting the tone for design’s future on the global scene. There are few design studios worldwide that can deliver projects of such consistently high quality as the Japanese studio Nendo. Expertly melding architecture and interior, product, and graphic design with sculpture and installation, Nendo’s work is both impressively clear and intriguingly sophisticated. The functionality and unobtrusiveness of their projects is in line with established Japanese design traditions, yet their lightheartedness and humor is also inspired by the country’s pop culture. In this context, the name Nendo, Japanese for modeling clay, is indicative of their skill at playing with the fundamental properties of objects.

The studio, which was founded by Oki Sato in Tokyo in 2002, has now firmly established itself on the global design scene and routinely wins international awards. The magazine Wallpaper*, for example, celebrated Nendo as Designer of the Year 2012. Nendo’s work has been shown at a range of galleries and museums around the world, at design events and festivals, such as the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, and in commissioned projects for notable clients such as Bisazza and Cappellini.

This comprehensive monograph presents a striking selection of Nendo’s astonishingly multifaceted work including vibrant store concepts, mystically inspired exhibition spaces, sculptural furniture pieces, home accessories, and design objects. Regardless of how diverse the included styles appear to be, they all give the reader a sense of where the future of design is heading.