Crossing Cultures

Japanese designer Oki Sato brings his signature mix of clean lines and witty details to the new Torii collection for Minotti

- Luo Jingmei

Despite his expansive oeuvre— which runs the gamut of buildings, interiors, furniture, packaging, utensils, bags, and even shoes— Oki Sato insists his own home is very bare, “like a prison or gallery”. “There is one bed, some books, and my dog,” he quips. It’s hard not to believe the Japanese founder of multidisciplinary studio Nendo when one looks at his minimal designs.

His unfussy aesthetic makes him an apt collaborator with Italian brand Minotti, for whom Sato designed the elegant Tape collection in 2018. This year, a cultural narrative grounds his new Torii collection for the furniture manufacturer. We find out more about the range from the amiable multi-hyphenate.

Tell us more about the concept behind the Torii line. The starting point was to create a new sofa collection that is contemporary, but soft and comfortable. The system also had to (harmonise) with the other existing Minotti collections.