‘If I lost my sense of curiosity, I don’t know what I’d do…’ The UK-based furniture designer and maker speaks to ICON about how his heritage stimulates his cultural curiosity and his playful, worldly design sensibility
Photography by Irene Yamaguchi
Interview by Alexia Petsinis
ICON: What was your first introduction to design and making, and how did you find yourself on this path?
Rio Kobayashi: I grew up in a forest in the middle of the countryside in Mashiko, Japan. I started making things from a young age because my parents are also makers; my father is a potter and my mother is a conservationist who restores frescoes in churches and historical buildings. My father is Japanese and my mother is Austrian-Italian. I grew up in a house that was full of colour, music and creative energy.
When I was 16, I attended a technical school in Japan where I befriended one of the architecture teachers, who had a big influence on me. He was the one who first helped me to realise that the physical ‘making’ process actually aligns with a broader design ‘lifestyle’ in which an object or creation becomes a means of creative self-expression. This was a very inspiring realisation for me. When I finished school at 18, I decided to leave Japan and go to stay with my grandmother in Tyrol, Austria.
I ended up staying there for seven years, and in that time, I was lucky to undertake a three-year apprenticeship with Wetscher, a renowned company who design and manufacture high-end furniture for some of Europe’s top design brands, as well as representing leading European brands in their showroom. After that I received my official certification for furniture making, but I was inspired to keep exploring my work beyond the traditional making realm.
Photography by James Harris featuring Mikadosan Chair, 2017
ICON: What were some of the most valuable learnings you gained from your experience working internationally in cities including Milan, Berlin and London?
RK: I was lucky to do an internship with the former Austrian design brand Pudelskern, who designed the Austrian pavilion inside Milan’s La Pelota building and event space in 2012. This was my first taste of the ‘design world’ at this level, and it was such a refreshing experience that further sparked my curiosity for a career in design.
After this project I moved to Berlin for a while where I did lots of private commission work, and then I moved to London after that. While based in London I worked with one of the former Pudelskern members, Georg Oehler, on a large collective design exhibition he was overseeing at Milan’s Villa Necchi called Back Ahead (2016). Georg had numerous other responsibilities at the time, so I found myself largely managing the production of the project on his behalf – from designing and curating the exhibition space, to liaising with exhibitors – it was an incredible learning experience!
Photography by James Harris featuring Chopsticks, 2020
ICON: Can you tell us more about your diverse multicultural background and how it influences your work?
RK: I grew up in a very culturally diverse household, and I was always fascinated by the essence of different cultures and how they mix. I was also very curious about what was happening outside of Japan, given the western influence from my mother’s Austrian-Italian heritage.
In 2017 at the London Design Festival, I presented my first piece, which was a chair from my Mikado Collection. This collection was inspired by the table game Mikado which was invented in Europe in the 1930s (although people often think it originated in Japan or somewhere in the east). My designs fused visual stereotypes from eastern and western cultures and sort of poked fun of them in a lighthearted way. This kind of visual and conceptual cultural fusion became an ongoing point of exploration in my work as a designer and maker who is of half Japanese and half Austrian-Italian heritage.
I consider myself fortunate to be able to mix cultures in my work without offending anyone because my design inspiration comes from my own authentic insights into east and western culture as I have experienced them. I hope this fusion stimulates people’s sense of curiosity in the same way it does my own.
Photography by James Harris featuring Mikadosan Chair, 2017
ICON: How do you approach colour in your work?
RK: Sometimes I use colours that already have some prior reference or meaning, like in the Mikado Collection for example, which are inspired by the colours in the original game. Other times I use colour to create more of an emotional connection to an object, to give it character and personality. I think colour makes an object feel more personal, almost like a companion.
ICON: Can you explain a few particularly significant creations, projects and exhibitions you have achieved in recent years?
RK: In 2022 I was part of a group exhibition at V&A London called R for Repair, in which 10 damaged but sentimental objects were ‘creatively repaired’ by 10 different designers. I created a piece called Nancy’s Table based on an 18th century sewing box I was given which belonged to the owner’s grandmother. As you can imagine, this object carried many deeply personal and family stories.
I reimagined it as a table with specific design elements inspired by its heritage and former ‘life’. However, I wanted to bring it back to the ‘centre’ of a room or home as opposed to something that was formerly stored in an attic, so I created a functional table people could gather around.
Photography by James Harris featuring Rio Kobayashi’s large shelving system
Last year I was lucky to be part of Dolce&Gabbana’s GenD project, which gave 10 international designers an opportunity to explore and interpret the house’s design codes in our own creations which were showcased at Salone del Mobile in Milan. I created the Shima Uma cabinet, a piece that fused different aesthetic elements from all of the countries of the designers involved
to celebrate the GenD project.
My design was inspired by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright and Gio Ponti, and even ‘Dolce’-type flags that might remind people of wrapped chocolate bars. The piece is like a statement of multicultural triumph and celebration. I worked with 90-year-old craftsman Giordano Viganò to produce it, and this was such an inspiring experience for both of us. I learned so much from him and his workshop of craftspeople.
I also had my first ‘solo’ show last year, 2023, which actually ended up being more of a group show because I invited some of my friends to collaborate with me on making most of the 15 pieces, including the Furikake Lantern, which was designed and created in collaboration with my friend Flavia Brändle. It seemed much more fun to share ideas, skills and creative vision with my friends in bringing the show to life!
Photography by James Harris featuring a closeup of Rio Kobayashi’s shelving system
ICON: Who has had the biggest influence on your work to date and why?
RK: Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi, Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata, French sculptor Francois-Xavier Lalanne and a lot of my friends who make up my international creative network.
ICON: If you had to describe Rio Kobayashi’s ‘design ethos’ in three words, what would they be?
RK: Curiosity, challenge, quality.
For more information, visit riokobayashi.com
The story originally appeared in ICON 215, Spring/Summer 2024. Get a curated collection of design and architecture news in your inbox by signing up to our ICON Weekly newsletter
