SESTINA Ottoman

After graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts, Motomi Kawakami worked for Angelo Mangiarotti Architects (Milan), and later established his studio, Kawakami Design Room, in 1971. He aims to create with a human touch, designing spaces, furniture, and products to foster a positive environment. QUODO and SESTINA, the items he designed for CondeHouse, are popular and long-selling.

In his daily life, he is active in several design organizations and in cultivating the industry and workforce in a variety of areas. He has contributed to the development of the International Furniture Design Competition (IFDA) for more than 30 years, and has been an involved participant in the annual tree planting activity hosted by Asahikawa furniture makers for many years.

"In the current state of the design industry, the many choices we make, such as which of the vast amount of crafting techniques and old and new materials to choose, as well consideration of various environmental and societal issues such as resource shortages and an aging population, all require a unification of our labor force and abilities. As a designer, I strive to have an ethical, worldly perspective that enables me to take rational actions, trust in my sense of aestheticism and consciousness that has been enriched through lived experience, and create designs that will naturally bring forth a truly fulfilling, comfortable life."