Dedicated to inspiring the public with the very best in contemporary design, we welcome you to view the launch of the very first K% collection in our Chicago showroom. We celebrate the US debut of this extraordinary group of work with Oki Sato, co-founder of Japanese design studio Nendo and Design Director of K%. Inspired by the same kind kind of design thinking that defines Nendo, K% invites the “!” moment into people’s homes and public spaces with objects that are simple yet innovative; minimal but not cold.
All objects in the collection focus on form, ridding themselves of any distractions by using only woods and metals and reducing all color to black. The Melt chair is but one example of the expressed poetry of form. A single, continuous curve moves from the back legs through to the backrest, arm and front legs as all structural elements melt into one. Designs like Timber, a stool in the form of three pieces of wood that lean against each other, encourage us to pay close attention to how we interact with the objects we use. As one casually leans on the stool, they imitate its form, defining a harmony between user and object.
Seamlessly functional, affordable and elegant, it is no surprise that the K% collection was a focal point of April’s events at this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan. As it evolves, K% will include contributions from different designers. “It is exciting to be able to expand the original idea of Nendo into other parts of the world, starting with K%” says Sato, “We hope to bring a little bit of inspiration to everyone’s home through our products.”
June 2012
