Softer Than Steel

Starting December 3, Luminaire Lab showcases an array of iconic contemporary furniture and products designed by some of the most respected Japanese industrial designers.

The highlight of the exhibition, eschewing color or texture, the “Softer Than Steel”collection, by Nendo for  Italian manufacturer Desalto, in solid white makes the form the most important part of each piece.  The collection includes  three benches, a family of small tables, a coat rack and a family of wall shelves. By adding flipped, bent and wrapped details to metal sheets and rods, the ordinarily hard material gains new functionality and a light, flexible feel, as though the metal has become paper or cloth.

The shimmering Prism collection designed by Tokujin Yoshioka for Glas Italia brings forth miraculous expressions by the refraction of light through the clear mirrored surfaces of its cabinets and tables and the beveled edges of its chairs. Creating an ambiguous anthracite textured surface, Nendo‘s Brushstroke Console will be on display in addition to his latest re-interpretation of the traditional Japanese seating cushions, the Zabuton chair, into a contemporary furniture pieces that include chairs, sofas and dining chairs.

The exhibition will also debut for the first time in the US, Tokujin Yoshioka‘s latest design for Issey Miyake, the Brook Ottoman. Tokujin‘s work is characterized by an extraordinary attentiveness to detail and the development of an exploratory process unique unto him. His original use of materials and methodology have resulted in exceptional forms and several design icons, such as Honey Pop chair, a chair made of honeycomb paper, precursor to the Tokyo Pop series in polypropylene.