Nao Tamura's ‘Origata’ bench for Porro is inspired by kimonos

Italian brand Porro, a fourth-generation family business specialising in customisable modular furniture systems, is both proud of its Italian heritage and roots in the manufacturing hotspot that is Brianza, and keen to tap the brightest design talent from around the world. One of its newest collaborators is the award-winning Japanese designer Nao Tamura, a Parsons School of Design alumna who lives and works in Brooklyn.

Presented during Salone del Mobile 2024, her ‘Origata’ bench, although monolithic in appearance, is inspired by the process of making kimonos (a craft close to home for Tamura, whose grandmother founded a clothing line in the 1940s). To create the traditional Japanese garment, a rectangular piece of fabric is cut in straight lines and then sewn together with little to no waste – a method replicated in the making of this bench, with a sheet of aluminium carefully cut and assembled to waste as little metal as possible.

Tamura’s creations often focus on the concept of simplification, but span a variety of scales, from industrial-style watches and LED lanterns to a toilet block for the Nippon Foundation’s renowned Tokyo Toilet project (now the subject of Wim Wender’s Oscar-nominated film Perfect Days). Her bright red triangular public toilet in Shibuya shares its name with this bench, ‘Origata’, after the traditional Japanese method of gift wrapping, in order to reference the notion of hospitality.

We love the bench’s minimalist geometry, perfect symmetry and of course pop of joyful red that, fittingly considering its designer’s background, remind us both of Japanese torii gates and the heart in Milton Glaser’s ‘I love New York’ logo.

Porro, Via Uberto Visconti di Modrone 29, Milan

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