Alessi × Nendo: Where Japanese Restraint Meets Italian Precision

BrandsWalk Creative |
Some collaborations feel effortless because they’re built on shared values. That’s the case with Toru, a tableware collection designed by Oki Sato of Nendo for the Italian design house Alessi. At its core, Toru brings together two distinct design sensibilities — the quiet clarity of Japanese minimalism and the refined craftsmanship rooted in Italy’s design heritage. The result is a set of objects that feel simple at first glance, but reveal a quiet depth through use.

Oki Sato

Oki Sato has built a global reputation through Nendo, his Tokyo- and Milan-based studio, by designing objects that reward attention without asking for it. He’s not drawn to spectacle. His approach often starts with a small shift in perspective — a softened edge, a slight balance change, a rethinking of how we interact with something familiar.

Born in Canada and raised in Japan, Sato’s work often blends clarity with playfulness. He describes his practice as “slow design,” where innovation is subtle and long-lasting. You won’t find bold gestures in the Toru collection. What you’ll find instead are forms that feel natural in the hand and quiet at the table — pieces that work as well in everyday use as they do in more considered settings.

The Toru Collection: Useful, Flexible, and Quietly Beautiful

The Toru collection includes serving dishes, bowls, plates, and utensils — each one shaped with restraint and material honesty. There are no exaggerated curves, no decoration for its own sake. Instead, you’ll find clean forms, modular proportions, and surfaces that catch light in soft, deliberate ways.

Material and Finish:
 Toru is made primarily in stainless steel — a material known for its longevity, weight, and ability to reflect light without being loud. Alessi’s expertise in metalwork comes through here, not in shine but in surface quality. The balance between matte and polish, flatness and curve, gives the pieces a tactile richness that doesn’t rely on embellishment.

Function and Modularity

Toru was designed to adapt. The pieces layer easily into different settings — casual, formal, shared, solo. The modularity means they work just as well spread across a long table as they do stacked in a small kitchen. This kind of flexibility, paired with visual restraint, makes the collection quietly confident.

Two Traditions Meet Together

There’s something distinct about this collaboration — not just because it blends two national design languages, but because it does so without compromise. Alessi’s legacy in form, finish, and industrial craft meets Nendo’s thoughtful minimalism without losing either voice.

What makes it successful is how gently it speaks. Toru isn’t about East meeting West. It’s about material, detail, and rhythm — and how two approaches to beauty and function can find common ground in the everyday.

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