Dezeen promotion: design company Luminaire is curating an exhibition of contemporary Japanese furniture during Design Miami this week.
Taking place from 2 December to 6 December at the Luminaire Lab in the Miami Design District, the DesignJapan showcase will include work by three designers: Tokujin Yoshioka, Nendo founder Oki Sato, and product designer Naoto Fukasawa.
Nendo will present the Softer Than Steel collection designed for Italian furniture company Desalto, which features white metal shelves, chairs and tables that have been curved and folded to look like they're made from cloth or paper.
The studio will also exhibit the Brushstroke table and seating range produced by Glas Italia, which features patterned surfaces that resemble brush strokes, and the Zabuton chair designed for Moroso.
Founded by Canadian-born Sato, Nendo is a prolific Tokyo and Milan-based design studio whose practice spans architecture, interiors, furniture, products and graphics.
Yoshioka will showcase the Prism mirrored table collection he created for Glas Italia and the Brook Ottoman hexagonal seat, which was made for Issey Miyake's flagship store in London.
Finding unusual uses for materials is a key part of the designer's work, which has resulted in the creation of iconic pieces including the Honey Pop – a chair made of honeycomb paper.
Since establishing his studio in 2000, Yoshioka has become internationally renowned for his furniture creations, but is best known for designing interiors in his native Japan.
Also appearing in the DesignJapan show will be Fukasawa's Common Bench modular seating system designed for Spanish brand Viccarbe, which features natural oak hardwood legs and high-density foam.
Fukasawa is an industrial designer who attempts to create simple, easy-to-use products that are "close to the body." After heading up the Tokyo office of product design firm IDEO, he founded Naoto Fukasawa Design and has since worked for furniture brands including B+B Italia and Magis.
Luminaire celebrates DesignJapan with a reception from 4pm to 7pm on 4 December at Luminaire Lab, 3901 NE 2nd Ave Miami, Florida, US. Head over to Luminaire's website to RSVP.
Earlier this week, Luminaire unveiled its newly refurbished showroom in Coral Gables, south of Miami, which is based on concept sketches by Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni.
Here is more information about DesignJapan from Luminaire:
Within the exhibition, the viewer is able to witness each of the three designers' ability to reduce objects to their most essential elements. Though pure in form, materiality adds richness to each product. From the sculptural forms of Yoshioka's Brook Ottoman for Moroso, designed especially for Issey Miyake, and the shimmering Prism collection for Glas Italia, to the pureness of expression in Nendo's Softer Than Steel collection for Desalto, the Zabuton for Moroso and the brushstroke consoles for Glas Italia, to Fukasawa's approachable softness in the Common Bench system for Viccarbe, each designer's understanding of the world around them is on view.
Harnessing its materials, whether natural or synthetic, Japanese design is characterised for capitalising on the material while at the same time combining respect for tradition with forward thinking experimentation.
About Luminaire
For over 40 years, Luminaire has been a pioneering force in the design world, a result of the uniquely personal and long-lasting relationships the company has cultivated with an international roster of the most innovative designers and manufacturers of contemporary furniture, lighting and accessories. These invaluable associations enable us to offer customers an incomparable selection of the most exquisite furnishings available, while Luminaire's in-house team manages the entire spectrum of its clients' experience, from selection to installation, providing an unrivaled level of attention at each step.
Two Miami locations include the recently renovated flagship Coral Gables showroom, which communicates the company's original vision: that good design is a way of life, and the Design District's Luminaire Lab that serves as a focal point for experimentation by challenging one's sensibilities and driving new directions in design thinking with innovative installations. Also in Miami are Luminaire's Corporate Offices and warehouse, the company's nerve center that manages a highly sophisticated system of tracking, distribution and delivery.
Outside of Miami, the three level Chicago showroom displays the latest collections from the world's most preeminent designers, continuing to evoke and revel in the intersections and effects of good design in today's domestic environments.