Oki Sato of Nendo talks about N01, his first collaboration with Fritz Hansen, and the brand’s first all-timber chairs since Arne Jacobsen’s.
April 19th, 2018
How does Oki Sato achieve the seemingly unachievable? Each product his studio releases offers up some element of the unique, exciting, fun and aspirational. It’s hard not to like everything you see. Very hard!
In Milan this year, he has launched the N01 (to mark the first of perhaps many collaborations) with Fritz Hansen. Again, this product – a chair – reveals Sato’s sheer design stamina with its ambitious mission. It’s the first piece to be produced in all timber since Arne Jacobsen’s ‘Grand Prix’ (1957), and its construction is a sophisticated feat in joinery.
Sato is entirely charming in his modesty as he explains how it all came together.
“[In my studio] I do all the presentations and come up with all the ideas. There are 30 designers in our studio, and 10 management staff, so every day I spend three hours having meetings with my designers and I check about 50-60 projects.”
Rather than being the master of multi-tasking, Sato is very much the master of focus.
“I’m not trying to see everything at once. I can focus on only one project at a time. If I work on four or five at the same time, it would probably cause a lot of stress. This way allows me to forget about the 390-something other projects.” Which equates to zero stress, he says.
The relationship with Fritz Hansen might seem late in coming but actually bloomed two years ago. “It started when I’d staged the 50 Nendo Chairs [in Milan in 2016]. I was exhausted [that day and sitting] having a cup of coffee, then a man walked up and sat beside me, we had a nice cup of coffee and he said, ‘You’ve designed 50 chairs, will you design another one for us?’ So it was the fifty-first chair.”
Having presented his concept to Fritz Hansen, it was revealed just how important and symbolic the N01 would be. “The last all-timber chair was Arne Jacobsen’s!” exclaims Sato. “Lucky I was told after the presentation because before that I would have been putting a lot of pressure on myself!”
As the project slowly came together through much backing and forthing, the N01 emerged. “It was one of the toughest projects for me in my 15-year career, but it was one of the most exciting,” he says.
In Singapore, Fritz Hansen is carried by W.Atelier.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
In this brand new exhibition, GH Commercial’s custom carpet solutions help local artists create joyful installations that each tell a unique story.
As well as considering the materials and processes used to manufacture furniture solutions, companies like Workspace are shifting their focus to the entire lifespan of products.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Designer Ross Gardam recently teamed up with Stylecraft to present a series of events that focused on select Ross Gardam designs and new releases, all available at Stylecraft.
Available exclusively via K5 Furniture, Bosnian brand Zanat’s exquisite new range of unique hand-carved furniture reveal the story of the people and materials, namely wood, that are weaved into them.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Beau Fulwood and Alison Peach on returning to a low-tech, first-principles concept of design as a strategy to combat climate change.
We spoke with Tilt’s Managing and Creative Director about industrial design, innovative technology and wellbeing within education spaces.