Playful Minimalist to be Tenth Guest of Honor at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair 2013

Almost ten years have passed since the first time he exhibited his work to a large audience in Stockholm. That was at Greenhouse, the arena for new designers that is part of Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair. It signaled the start of a successful career and he’s returning as a well-established designer. Mr. Oki Sato, founder of the Nendo design studio, has been named as the tenth Guest of Honor at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair 2013.

For the tenth year running, a highly respected international designer has been asked to create a lounge in Stockholmsmässan’s Entrance Hall during Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair and the task has gone to the founder and Chief Designer of the Nendo design studio, Mr. Oki Sato.

“Oki Sato is one of the world’s most exciting designers right now and we admire his passionate desire to experiment, his playful minimalistic design spiced with humor and trailblazing solutions, as well as the design philosophy he and Nendo represent, which is modest and grandiose in equal parts. I’m very pleased to be able to offer our visitors a meeting place that will delight, surprise and inspire them,” comments Cecilia Nyberg, Event Manager of Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair.

Oki Sato has been called the 21st century’s most ingenious designer and his work is praised for its low-key humor and constant desire to tell a story. He was born in Toronto in 1977 but spent a large part of his youth in Tokyo and studied to be an architect there. Following his breakthrough in Greenhouse ten years ago, he has risen to stardom in the design world and has worked with Cappellini, Swedese, De Padova, Foscarini and many others.

“Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair is one of the most profoundly memorable places for me. In 2004 I exhibited in Greenhouse, a place for young designers and students at the fair. Since I didn't have the budget to ship my work, I carried my wood chair on the flight to Stockholm. During that week I connected with Swedese, who chose my chair to be a part of their collection. This was my first furniture piece to be produced by a company! Now, after nearly ten years, it is such a privilege to return as Guest of Honor to the place where doors were opened and that enabled me to start my professional career” says Oki Sato, founder and Chief Designer of the Nendo design studio.

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair will take place at Stockholmsmässan 5-9 February 2013.

Previous Guests of Honor have been: Inga Sempé, Patricia Urquiola, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Naoto Fukasawa, Konstantin Grcic, Giulio Cappellini, Ineke Hans, Paul Smith and Arik Levy.

To find out more, please visit www.stockholmfurniturefair.com or contact:

Jessica Agert, Media Relations Manager at Stockholmsmässan, tel +46 8 749 4336, jessica.agert@stockholmsmassan.se

Cecilia Nyberg, Event Manager for Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair, tel +46 8 749 4386, cecilia.nyberg@stockholmsmassan.se