Revolving Cabinet by Shiro Kuramata for Cappellini, 2013

Born in Tokyo in 1934, Shiro Kuramata attended Tokyo Polytechnic high school, where he studied woodcraft, graduating in 1953. He then went on to study interior design at Tokyo’s Kuwazawa Institute for Design, finishing in 1956. In 1957, Kuramata began working for a small Tokyo department store called San-Ai, designing showcases as well as window and floor displays. Next, he worked briefly as a freelance designer for the larger retail company, Matsuy, before founding his own design studio in 1965.

Kuramata’s designs are characterized by a passion for experimentation—such as using industrial materials in interior and furniture designs—and marrying the Japanese concept of unity of the arts with modern Western culture. He designed over 300 bars and restaurants, as well as some of the most iconic pieces of the 20^th century, including his breakout design, the S-shaped Drawer in an Irregular Form (1977); the Miss Blanche chair (1988), featuring red paper rosebuds in acrylic resin; and the Glass Chair (1976). Cappellini, Fijiko, Ishimaru, Vitra, and other renowned firms have produced his designs. During the ’80s, he designed several pieces as a member of Ettore Sottsass’s Memphis Group, as well as a trio of design boutiques for Issey Miyake. In 1988, Kuramata moved to Paris and set up a studio there. His work is included in the permanent collections of, among others, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Museum of Modern Art in Toyama.

Cappellini was originally founded as a family-owned handcrafted furniture atelier in Como in Lombardy, Italy in 1946. The Cappellini brand as it is known today, however, really had its start in 1979, when Giulio Cappellini took over his family’s business as creative director. He broadened its focus to emphasize manufacturing across both the contemporary furniture and product arenas designed by an international roster of hand selected international emerging and established talents, including the likes of Jasper Morrison, Shigeru Ban, Inga Sempé, Marc Newson, and the Bouroullec brothers. Since that time, Cappellini has produced some of the boldest, most iconic designs of the past century, including Shiro Kuramata’s Pyramid Chest (originally designed in 1968 for Ishamaru, produced by Cappellini beginning in 1987), Tom Dixon’s Bird Chaise Longue (1991), Marcel Wanders’ Knotted Chair (1996), and Dror Benshetrit’s Peacock Chair (2009), among others.

Continuing to emphasize experimental processes, an eclectic mix of materials and styles, and extensive design research, today, the Milan-based brand has stores around the globe, and boasts an array of home and office furnishings, as well as a contract division dedicated to the hospitality sector (hotels, bars, restaurants, and so on). In 2005, the Cappellini brand became part of the Poltrona FrauGroup, an international leader in high-end furnishings, which in turn was acquired by Haworth, Inc. in 2014.)

Cappellini’s objects have been exhibited broadly, and are also included in the permanent collections of respected institutions around the globe, including the  and the Musée Des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Galleria D'Arte Moderna in Rome, the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. New York’s Museum of Modern Artalone has over thirty Cappellini pieces.