Sofa with Arms

An influential and prolific designer from Japan, Shiro Kuramata created furniture and interiors that often bridged the Eastern and Western design worlds. Born in 1934 in Japan, Kuramata opened his own design firm, Kuramata Design Office in Tokyo around 1965. His work was so important that he was tapped by Cappellini as the designer who would launch their brand onto the international stage by featuring his work in Memphis for the first time in 1987. Kuramata’s furniture often featured industrial materials, including wire, steel mesh, lucite, aluminum, handblown lead crystal, or paper flowers (see his Miss Blanche Chair as an example). His work is displayed in the permanent collections of museums around the world, including Musee Arts Decoratifs in Paris, MoMA in New York, Museum of Modern Art in Tayama, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.