Our Designers



Chief Designer and Founder of nendo
Born in 1977 in Toronto, Canada. Received M.Arch. from Waseda University, Tokyo in 2002. Established design studio “nendo” in the same year. Chosen by Newsweek magazine as one of “The 100 Most Respected Japanese” and won many major awards include “Designer of the Year” from Wallpaper magazine, Elle Deco magazine and “Guest of Honor” from Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair.

https://www.nendo.jp/en/

 

 

 

Born in Tokyo, 1977. In 1999, he graduated from the Construction Department Architecture Course at Yokohama National University. Moved to Italy in 2000. Began designing following a period working at a glass studio and an architect’s office in Venice. In 2006, graduated from Venezia Construction University. During a trip to Noto, Japan, he was so impressed with the richness of the nature and lifestyle, he decided to return to Japan and moved to Notojima. In 2007, he established the Noto design office. Studying local materials and learning local techniques and applying them to his work, he attempts to design products that enrich everyday life. Alongside his design activities, he also grows rice in a rented untilled paddy field.

http://www.notodesign.jp/

 

 

(1911–2013) Graduated from the Woodwork Department of Tokyo High Polytechnic School. After working as an assistant professor at Tokyo High Polytechnic School and as an assistant in the Forestry Department at Tokyo Imperial University (the existing Tokyo University), he established Japan’s first design office, the RIKI WATANABE Design Office, in 1949. His main focus was the establishment of the Interior Architect Department at Tokyo Molding University, Craft Center Japan, Japan Industrial Designer Association and Japan Designers Committee. He designed the interior decor at the Keio Plaza Hotel, Prince Hotel, etc. and furniture such as the “Himo-Isu (Rope chair)” and “Trii-stool”. Moreover, from wall clocks and watches to a public clock called “Hibiya pole clock” at Dai-ichi Life Holdings in Hibiya district, his work on clocks and watches became his lifework. He received the Milano Triennale Gold Medal in 1957, the Mainichi Industrial Design Prize, Shiju hosho(the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon), and many other awards/recognitions. In 2006, the “Riki Watanabe – Innovation of Living Design” exhibition was held at the National Museum of Modern Art.

 

 

Born in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. After working for several companies including Mitsubishi Electric Co., Ltd. she studied on a postgraduate course at the University of Art and Design Helsinki (UIAH) as a foreign student, on a scholarship from the YKK Yoshida Scholarship Association. She then moved to England and completed a master’s degree at the Royal College of Art (RCA). After working at Dartington Crystal Ltd and Queensbury-Hunt-Levine Design in London, she established Kanae Design Labo in 1999. Her designs are inspired by the theme “from the table to the surroundings.” She is a winner of the Design Competition Prize from Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in the U.K., an Excellent Prize from the Tableware Festival of Tokyo Dome, and a Good Design Award in Japan, in addition to a Red Dot Award in Germany, iF Award in Germany, Dezeen Award in UK etc.,
Her works are housed at the Gera Art Museum in Germany. 2009–2010, a Good Design Award panel member. 2013, a Nagasaki Design Award panel member. 2017 & 2019 iF Award jury member. Currently, works as an appointed professor for the Okayama prefectural University through the Kyoto prefectural University as an associated professor.

 

  

Born in Japan in 1979, Yota Kakuda moved to London in 2003, where he gained experience in design studios including Shin and Tomoko Azumi and Ross Lovegrove, and earned his MA at the Royal College of Art, Design Products under Ron Arad and Sir Kenneth Grange, on scholarship from the Japanese government. He returned to Tokyo in 2008 and joined MUJI as a product designer. In 2011 he established YOTA KAKUDA DESIGN in Tokyo, where he works in a variety of design fields,for both international and domestic clients. He obtained major design awards including the iF DESIGN AWARD and GOOD DESIGN AWARD, and was selected as one of the finalists for the HUBLOT DESIGN PRIZE 2016, becoming the first ever nominee from Asia.

https://www.yotakakuda.com/

 

 

Furniture Designer
Studied under designers Choei Hara and Shigemitsu Hara. Established Koizumi Studio in 1990. In 2003, he opened Koizumi Tool Store as a place to convey his designs. He has designed everything found in daily life, from architecture to chopstick rests. At present, he is traveling across Japan to visit manufacturing sites and continue his collaboration with local communities. In 2015, he launched the general incorporated association Wazawaza and began working to restore handcrafts. Professor Emeritus at Musashino Art University. Winner of the Mainichi Design Award in 2012 and Grand Prize of the Japan Crafts Exhibition in 2015.

http://www.koizumi-studio.jp/

 


Gabriel Tan Studio is a design practice based in Singapore and Porto, working across the borders of craft, culture and technology. Exploring new ways to interpret luxury and break archetypes, the studio has designed furniture and products for Blå Station, Menu, Design Within Reach, The Conran Shop, Ishinomaki Lab, Authentics and Abstracta.
Gabriel Tan is also the Creative director of Turn handles, Portuguese design brand Origin and Japanese furniture brand Ariake.
His works have won the Industrial Designers Society of America’s IDEA Award, Japan Good Design Award, the President’s Design Award and been exhibited at design fairs globally. Aside from his design work, he has guest lectured at Lasalle College of the Arts, National University of Singapore, University of Oregon, Pratt Institute, and also served as a jury member at the Cannes Lions Festival and Core77 Design Awards.

http://www.gabriel-tan.com/

 

 

Born in Tokyo in 1963. He worked at Q Designers after graduating in Industrial Design from the Engineering Department of Chiba University in 1987. At the end of the year, he migrated to Italy and studied industrial design under Professor G. DeFerrari in the Construction Department of Torino College. Worked at G. Raimondi Construction and Design Office while serving as an assistant to Mr. Shigeaki Asahara, a lighting equipment designer, in addition to undertaking activities as a freelance designer.
After returning to Japan in 1995, he established the Akira Yamamoto Design Office. He designs clocks, lighting equipment, and kitchen items and works on the styling of machine tools. Since 1999, he has worked alongside Mr. Riki Watanabe mainly in the product design sphere. Since the death of Mr. Riki Watanabe, he has been in charge of design direction for the RIKI brand.

 

 

Yoko Dobashi spent five years working at Idee co. Ltd. (1997-2002). She was involved in the development of standard furniture and in the launch of the “SPUTNIK” brand, which was introduced in London, Milan, and New York. Since 2012 she has hosted the “Design life with kids interior workshop.” She is active independently as a freelance designer and interior writer, working in collaboration with various companies and media. In 2017 she provided design to TAKATA Lemnos and the “fun pun clock” won the GOOD DESIGN AWARD. Her article “Interior for a 156-cm-tall” is serialized at Precious.jp.

http://yokodobashi.com/ 

 

 

Born in 1980.
2003-2012, A chief designer In The Design company in Osaka. He was engaged in the product plan and design of consulting clients. Also engaged all processes, Sales planning, design development, the quality control and, intellectual property management of the self-developed product. 2012, Established Doogdesign.
Now, working in some domestic / overseas projects in an industrial art object, stationery, daily necessities, furniture, a household appliance, many divergences including the IoT product now. Winning Good Design Award, iF Design Award, Taiwan Excellence Award etc.

https://en.doogdesign.jp/

 

  

Born in Tokyo in 1984. Graduated from the Space Design Department of Asagaya College of Art and Design. After gaining experience at design office nendo and working as an industrial designer (id inc.), he established “side inc.” in 2019. He is involved in design across all categories, including two- and three-dimensional designs. He has won a number of awards, including the Design Plus Award and the Red Dot Design Award (both in Germany).

http://side-inc.jp 

 

 

Takanori Hikima (1983-) and Masayoshi Suzuki (1982-) have been designing products as a twosome since 2008. PINTO is a design unit led by the two designers, who are active across different genres to, for example, design museum appliances, publish in collaboration with a photographer, and organize an exhibition at the same time as serving as an in-house designer at a home appliance maker and an office furniture manufacturer respectively. They both graduated in 2006 from the industrial design course at Nihon University, College of Art. Hikima studied under Sam Hecht during his short-term overseas exchange program and graduated from Kyoto University of Art and Design, Department of Architecture. Suzuki studied under Thomas Aronson during a study period abroad in 2014. His activities are currently based in Tokyo. Their award history includes the iF design award, Red Dot Design Award, GOOD DESIGN AWARD, and Tokyo TDC award.

http://www.pinto-design.jp/

 

 

Born in 1980. He worked for a senior registered architects office, MORIYOSHI NAOTAKE ATELIER, prior to migrating to Europe. In 2009, he completed a Master’s Course at Design Academy Eindhoven (the Netherlands). He gained experience at Studio Suppanen (Finland) prior to returning to Japan.  Since 2010, he has been part of a designers collective “bril” at the same time as being active as a freelance designer. In 2012, he was invited to participate in the Ambiente international trade fair in Frankfurt. In 2013, he joined the Residency Project in Sweden as an international invited artist.
He joined Takata Lemnos in 2015 and is in charge of product planning and development.

 

 

Ross McBride was born in northeastern America in 1962. He studied graphic design at the California Institute of the Arts. After graduating in 1985, he moved to Japan to continue his studies at Japan University. Later, he joined Igarashi Studio, under the auspices of Takenobu Igarashi.
In 1991, he established his company, Ross Design, which originally engaged only in graphic design. In 2000, the company name was changed to Normal Co. Ltd., which shifted to product design, interior design, and furniture accessories. In 2006, the watch brand Normal Timepieces was launched. To date, it has been sold at approximately 100 stores in Japan and overseas, including Shinjuku Isetan, Matsuya Ginza Design Collection, London Design Museum, MoMA, and many pop up locations.
Awards: iF Design Award, Red Dot Design Award (Germany), Tokyo DB2003 Best Installation Award, Good Design Award three times, etc.

https://normaltimepieces.com/en/