New York-based designer Nao Tamura frequently draws on her Japanese heritage for inspiration, as evidenced in her previous offering for Porro, the ‘Origata’ bench and console, which referenced kimono making.
Ryo bookcase by Nao Tamura for Porro
Her latest collaboration with the Brianza-based furniture brand sees her return to her Japanese roots, christening her bookcase ‘Ryo’, which means ‘edge’ or ‘ridge’ in Japanese.
The multifunctional system is composed of long horizontal shelves supported by adjustable triangular elements, created by folding a single sheet of aluminium. More than a mere bookcase, ‘Ryo’ is a sculptural object with a deconstructivist design language that goes beyond pure functionality.
The varying angles catch the light, creating eyecatching shadows, while the aluminium is enhanced by an almost invisible protective finish that preserves its raw texture and industrial character. It’s a piece that sits well within the Porro portfolio.
The 100-year-old brand is constantly evolving, staying deeply rooted in the present through meticulous research and creative collaborations, yet aspiring to timelessness.
From the long-standing and fruitful dialogue with Piero Lissoni, Porro’s art director for the past 30 years, to the renewed collaboration with Tamura and Dordoni Studio, and the debut of the renowned US-based studio Yabu Pushelberg, Porro explores new languages and typologies, shaping fresh narratives that once again transform the identity of its interiors without ever renouncing its own.
And while the purity and allure of its furnishings increasingly push research toward the boundary between industrial object and sculpture, between design and gallery, the brand broadens its scope by looking at the contract world, a field in which it has strengthened its own team in recent years, and to which it naturally speaks thanks to its production flexibility and bespoke manufacturing expertise.
