The More Ideas I Think Of, the More Ideas I Come Up With: How Oki Sato is Redefining the Humble Door

The designer Oki Sato has been described as the 21st century’s most ingenious designer, and it’s not hard to see why. His multi-award winning design studio, Nendo has produced creations ranging from furniture with the softness of rolls of paper to metallic lamps that unfold organically like flowers. To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the renowned Japanese door and furniture manufacturer Abe Kogyo, Sato was asked to create seven doors that challenge our perceptions of these taken-for-granted aspects of our lives.

Sato’s work is characterized by his philosophy to bring stripped-down simplicity, malleability, and renewal to all of his concepts. This fresh and flexible approach has led to his latest project, a stunning series of doors that showcase Sato’s innovative and playful designs.

The original meaning of Nendo is “modelling clay,” and Sato’s work is inspired by this material’s simple yet malleable nature. His latest designs share this philosophy, bluffing the distinctions between traditional ideas of doors and inviting us to imagine them in a new light. Here are seven doors that will change your perceptions of the humble door forever:

1. Lamp Door

The Lamp Door is an innovative door that integrates lighting functions on both sides. Powered and wired using Abe Kogyo’s electronic locking technology, it is a stunning example of Sato’s ingenuity in action. The lamp door offers a simple yet elegant solution that creates a warm, inviting atmosphere in any space.

2. Baby Door

The Baby Door is an adorable concept inspired by the Abe Kogyo’s preschool and nursery fittings. It is designed to match the heights of small children, creating a fun and comforting atmosphere in their environment. The design highlights Sato’s commitment to creating objects that respond to the needs and size of their users imaginatively.

3. Slide Door

The Slide Door is a unique sliding door that offers more light, more air, and more communication across multiple rooms. This simple yet functional design twist to the humble door is inspired by sliding screen technology. It offers a practical and functional solution to creating a more open space in a home or office.

4. Hang Door

The Hang Door is an innovative door that transforms the space into a creative canvas for storage solutions. The internal magnetic sheet offers a wide variety of applications, from adding dust bins to flower pots. It offers a door’s functionality that has been transformed into an extra dimension of function.

5. Kumiko Door

The Kumiko Door is inspired by the latticework method used in creating Japanese interior screen doors and partitions. It is a delicate process of assembly without nails. Sato drew inspiration from this ancient technique (Asuka Era, 600-700 AD) and the modern industrial manufacturing capabilities of ABE Kogyo, creating an impressive juxtaposition of classical and modern Japan.

6. Wall Door

The Wall Door is a beautiful door that blurs the boundaries between wall space and portal space. This door showcases several technological innovations that ensure the stability of the shelves and frames and allow smooth opening. It offers a unique way of creating wall space while still having the practical function of a door.

7. Corner Door

The Corner Door is a stunning idea that changes everything we have come to understand about interiors and layouts. It is also beneficial, with the added practical benefit it provides to wheelchair users. The Corner Door offers new dimensions to the traditionally neglected corner space in any room.

These delightful doors have been showcased during Milan Design Week and can be viewed on Nendo’s website. With Sato’s mercurial strip-and-reboot philosophy and Abe Kogyo’s decades of industrial expertise and innovation, these humble doors have gained seven new dimensions.

In conclusion, Sato’s innovative design philosophy has challenged our perceptions of traditional doors, turning them into art pieces that serve important practical functions. These stunning doors serve as a testament to his creativity and commitment to making our lives better. Indeed, for Sato, it seems that the more ideas he thinks of, the more ideas he comes up with. It’s like breathing or eating.