midcenturymoderndesign Archive - ohne-butter

Kazuhide Takahama: Quiet Lines Between Two Worlds

ohnebutter — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:27:00 +0000

Some designers grab attention. Others earn it slowly, piece by piece, through work that lingers in the mind long after the first glance. Kazuhide Takahama, a celebrated Japanese designer known for his mid-century modern furniture, belongs firmly in the latter category. His furniture doesn’t shout — it’s measured, elegant, and quietly assured, much like the man himself. Born in Japan and creatively shaped in Italy, Takahama spent his career walking a thoughtful line between cultures. His work bridges continents and philosophies, bringing together the precision of Japanese design tradition with the experimental spirit of Italian modernism. The result is a body of work that’s serene, sculptural, and surprisingly timeless.

Between Japan and Italy: The Making of a Design Voice

Kazuhide Takahama was born in 1930 in Nobeoka, on the Japanese island of Kyushu. He trained as an architect at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and began his career under architect Kazuo Fujioka, known for his modest and human-centered postwar homes. But his trajectory shifted in 1957 with a commission that introduced him to an international design stage: Japan’s pavilion at the Milan Triennale. It was in Milan that Takahama met the Italian design entrepreneur Dino Gavina, a visionary who immediately recognized the potential of Takahama’s restrained yet modern sensibility. This meeting marked not just a new professional chapter, but the beginning of a deep personal and creative partnership. After returning to Japan briefly, Takahama eventually relocated to Bologna in 1963 with his wife Naeko and their growing family. It was there, in the heart of Italy’s design scene, that his aesthetic took root and grew — always Japanese in its restraint, yet now shaped by a new cultural vocabulary.

In Good Company: Collaborations with Gavina, Simon, and B&B Italia

Takahama’s enduring partnership with Gavina led to a series of now-iconic pieces that span furniture design, lighting design, and even public infrastructure. He contributed not only to interiors but to the city of Bologna itself, designing its airport’s VIP lounge, its public bus shelters, and an avant-garde creative space called Centre Duchamp. His furniture designs from this period are marked by precision and an economy of gesture—chairs, sofas, and tables that feel both elemental and elevated. After Gavina’s company was absorbed by Knoll and later became part of Simon International (now under Cassina), Takahama’s reach only expanded. His pieces—like the folding Antella table, the stackable Gaja chair, or the ethereal Djuna table—combined technical ingenuity with sculptural grace. While rooted in the clean logic of Bauhaus design and European modernism, his work often folded in subtle Japanese references: lacquered finishes, modular thinking, and origami-like forms. One of his most celebrated series, the Suzanne lounge chairs (named after his sister), embodied this hybrid identity: minimal in form, balanced in structure, and quietly profound. Even in commercial success, Takahama never lost his measured restraint.

Design in Stillness: A Lasting Legacy in Modern Furniture

Kazuhide Takahama’s Enduring Impact on Furniture Design

Kazuhide Takahama passed away in 2010, having spent nearly five decades working in Italy. His legacy lives on not only in the objects he created but in the way he designed — with clarity, purpose, and grace. In a design world that often celebrates the loud and the fast, Takahama gave us something else: a moment of pause.

Sources:

https://www.cassina.com/de/de/products/dress-up.html?cas_rivestimento=X-X201#291-dress-up_130050

https://luminaire.com/blogs/designers/kazuhide-takahama

https://www.elledecoration.co.uk/design/a39429445/kazuhide-takahama/

https://www.sightunseen.com/2023/03/revisiting-the-poetic-work-of-japanese-born-italian-by-choice-designer-kazuhide-takahama/

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Mid-Century Modern Furniture on Film Sets

ohnebutter — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 14:07:06 +0000

The movie sets of TV and film productions like “Mad Men” (2007), “The Queen’s Gambit” (2020), “White Lines” (2020) or “Don’t Worry Darling” (2022) all have one thing in common: a central focus on architecture and furniture in the style of the mid-century modern period. When Matthew Weiner, director of the TV series “Mad Men”, first finished his script in 1999, mid-century modern furniture was not really trending at that time – not to say it was kind of “out”. However, things changed when Weiner together with production designer Dan Bishop and set decorator Claudette Didul created the mid-century modern production design down to the most intricate detail. Dan Bishop was responsible for the ground-up spaces and Claudette Didul oversaw all other decorative details that brought the set to life and closer together with the audience. In the series, you can see that the East Coast mid-century modern design is prevalent.

In today’s multimedia world, where films feature minimalist, urban and modern furniture, “The Queen’s Gambit” stands out proudly. It shows stunning vintage furniture covered in colourful patterns and framed by lush fabrics, thanks to production designer Uli Hanish. His mission was to create a truthful, inspiring vintage working environment for his co-workers. For Uli Hanisch it was important that the film setting for the home of the main character (Alma) was created to reflect her personality. You can see this very well, for example, in the entrance of the house. Due to Alma’s rather withdrawn and lonely persona, Hanisch left the the entrace setting empty and cold.

If you have ever watched “The Queens Gambit” you are probably familiar with the Panorama Bar of the Kino International in Berlin. The cinema was opened back in 1965 and Josef Kaiser was the mastermind behind the architectural concept. Kaiser based his design on the style of the early 1950s and later tried to catch up with the developments of West Berlin.

Set in Spain and the UK, the crime drama “White Lines” centers on a mix of drugs, danger, stunning landscapes and an eclectic selection of contemporary as well as mid-century modern furniture that decorates the main character’s Ibiza apartment. If you have ever watched “White Lines”, you probably spotted a Djinn chair and Djinn sofa by Olivier Mourgue or a Wassily lounge chair by Marcel Breuer. On top of it, “White Lines” features a Togo sofa set designed by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset – similar to our two-seater Togo sofa and corner sets.

The Togo sofa appears to be the perfect choice for the protagonist (Boxer) since it was designed for a carefree way of life. Ever since its launch in the early seventies, the Togo sofa has been an absolute timeless best-seller.

The set of the most recent movie by Olivia Wild “Don’t Worry Darling” with a big star cast including Harry Styles, Florence Pugh and Chris Pine is a visual mid-century modern dream. “Don’t Worry Darling” was shot in Palm Springs, California and production designer Katie Byron took her inspiration from the rich architecture and interior design of the region. The Palm Springs area is characterized by buildings designed by mid-century modern star architects such as Albert Frey or Richard Neutra. “Don’t Worry Darling” is set against a backdrop of jaw-dropping houses, vintage furniture and bright colours. It’s a cinematic journey through a mid-century modern landscape complete with butterfly roofs, clean architectural lines, poolside views and retro furniture pieces. While most of the exterior scenes where shot on real locations, the movie’s interiors are all especially designed for the set or acquired via antique stores, such as an original Sylvania television seen in the living room of Alice and Jack. The living room itself appears straight out of the 1950s characterized by a typical 50s sofa corner, a plush carpet, Butterfly Chairs, a sideboard and colourful pillows and curtains.

However, the main design star of the movie “Don’t Worry Darling” appears to be Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann desert villa. Located in Palm Springs, the Kaufmann villa was designed in 1946 and commissioned by businessman Edgar J. Kaufmann. While the Kaufmann villa was not the first building to be designed in a sleek and international mid-century modern style, Neutra pushed the limits of architecture by using Utah stone, glass walls and an open-air room named the “Gloriette”.

When looking at the sets of recent film and TV productions such as “Mad Men”, “The Queen’s Gambit”, “White Lines” or “Don’t Worry Darling”, mid-century modern architecture and furniture has clearly played a central part – moving from relative obscurity into the spotlight of today’s aesthetic trends.

BLOG SOURCES:

https://www.essentialhome.eu/blog/mad-men-relevant-mid-century-modern-design-lovers/

https://filmandfurniture.com/2020/05/boxers-ibiza-apartment-in-white-lines-is-full-of-eclectic-furniture-finds/

https://www.popdust.com/dont-worry-darling-interior-design-2658367476.html

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All ‘Eyez’ On: Mid-Century Modern Design

ohnebutter — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 16:05:00 +0000

It’s no secret that mid-century modern design is trending. The current craze for all things made in the 1950s, 60s and 70s is also largely due to celebrities showing their interest in this exciting era of furniture production – be it by furnishing their own homes with mid-century modern design pieces or incorporating it in their artistic work. Youtube channels like “Architectural Digest” or “Vogue” grant us a look inside the homes of famous personalities, such as actress Dakota Johnson or singer Lenny Kravitz.

The Hollywood home owned by Dakota Johnson just looks like something straight out of a mid-century modern time capsule. Located in the midst of lush green plants and bamboo trees, the interior of Johnson’s home designed by American architect Carl Maston perfectly strikes the balance between clean and cozy. Her living room area, for example, is furnished with antiques, a 1950s credenza by Paul Laszlo for Brown Saltman and vintage seating surrounding a mid-century modern cocktail table by Harvey Probber. During the interior design process, Dakota Johnson had help from Emily Ward, co-founder of design company Pierce & Ward. They two became friends and used a variety of mood boards and chose fabrics together.

However, Dakota Johnson isn’t the only celebrity who fell in love with mid-century modern furniture. Famous musicians, like Frank Ocean or Lenny Kravitz, proudly present their appreciation for designer pieces in public as well. In autumn of 2019, Frank Ocean posted a picture of him stretched out on a “Dune Sofa” designed by Pierre Paulin. Many Magazines like GQ reshared Ocean’s picture and thus, the post quickly became viral. The iconic “Dune Sofa” consists of four different elements, and when they are joined together, the sofa resembles a giant desert of pillows.

Pierre Paulin designed the Dune Sofa back in the 1970’s; obviously not knowing that in the 21st century, his Dune Sofa would become viral on social media. The creative work by Pierre Paulin often combines the look of Japanese and Scandinavian design with the functional touch of American furniture produced in the mid-century modern era.

While Frank Ocean appears to show a more discreet way of furnishing his own four walls, Lenny Kravitz, on the other hand, seems to take it to the next level when it comes to combining “the old with the new” in the interior of his Brazilian farm house. His living room area, for example, is decorated with murals by artist Chris Wyrick and furnished with a collection of black leather Togo sofas designed by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset.

The redwood table by Todd Merill Studio with an antique pewter candelabra atop is surrounded by beige swivel lounge chairs, which date back to the 1960s. During a house tour filmed by Architectural Digest, Kravitz describes how his life has changed since he bought the farm – offering him a peaceful space for pure relaxation.

Another famous personality, who seems to have had a life-changing “aha” moment thanks to the encounter with mid-century modern design, is L.A. born rapper Ice Cube. During a video shot by Pacific Standard Time for an exhibition on art in L.A. from 1945 – 1980, Ice Cubes describes how he fell in love with the designs by Ray and Charles Eames. Before becoming a rapper, Ice Cube studied architectural drafting and came across the work of the iconic Eames couple confessing that “Back then, I didn’t know I was going to make money. So being that they [Ray and Charles Eames] put together a house in two days and used discarded materials — something about their style caught on. As I got older, I could equate it to sampling. I see that’s what we were doing, taking discarded records from the ’60s and ’70s and resampling them. Killer.”

Above are just a few examples of celebrities openly discussing their love for design dating from the 1950s to the 1970s. The appreciation, which mid-century modern design and style receives nowadays, is quite striking and interesting at the same time – lending weight to the belief that it is indeed a timeless trend.

BLOG SOURCES:

https://sunshineanddesign.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/rapper-ice-cub-loves-mid-century-modern/

https://homeaddict.io/recreating-celebrity-homes-on-a-budget-dakota-johnsons-cozy-mid-century-modern/8/

https://travelnoire.com/lenny-kravitz-brazilian-farm

PHOTOS & VIDEOS:

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/step-inside-dakota-johnsons-midcentury-modern-home

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcbPJnWP3ca/

https://www.nytimes.com/video/garden/100000001212916/ice-cube-celebrates-the-eames-house.html

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Il Palazzetto” Designed For a Timeless Family Home

ohnebutter — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 11:57:12 +0000

In the year of 1964, Aldo Businaro acquired a Palladian style villa, outside of Monselice, a small town located in the near of Padua, based in the North of Italy. At the time Businaro bought the Villa, the old house was unliveable. In 1924 the house was bought by the father of Businaro. For decades the building was used for agricultural storage.

Aldo was nevertheless determined to convert the Palazzo into a family home. So, one year later he moved in with his wife Lucia and his three sons. One of his sons still remembers how the whole family were sleeping in one room, or how his mother cooked their food on a camping cooker.

Businaro not only wanted to restore the villa, but he also wanted to convert the house into a family residence, something special.

PHOTO BY DANILO SCARPATI, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/t-magazine/il-palazzetto-italy-tobia-carlo-scarpa.html

In the late 60’s the two famous Italian designers named Carlo Scarpa and his son Tobia Scarpa stepped in and helped Businaro to fulfill his dream family house.

A friendship for eternity developed between the two families. In a span of nearly 40 years, the remaking of the “Il Palazzetto” would bring together the lives of not just two generations of the Businaro family but also two generations of Scarpa’s.

At a Businaro family lunch, Tobia Scarpa described how he designed the villa. “Because I’m a lefty,” he said, “I design with both hands: serious things with the right, and things that don’t matter with the left.” For the young Scarpa the kitchen and the fireplaces were left-hand projects.

There wasn’t a plan when Aldo Businaro invited Carlo Scarpa to start designing at the Villa in 1970. At that time, Scarpa was like a prophet in his own land. The architect was respected by a lot of American designers like Lloyd Wright or Louis Kahn.

A PORTRAIT FROM CARLO SCARPATI AND ALDO BUSINARO, PHOTO BY EMILY KUSEC-ASHCROFT,https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Scarpa-18

So, whenever Businaro knew that the “Professore” – as he called Scarpa – didn’t have work to do, he would say “Professore, come and make me something.”

The last invention in 2006 from Carlo Scarpa and Businaro, who died during the final stages of construction, was the monumental external staircase that Scarpa had designed in 1970 but which had not been built.

PHOTO BY STUDIO PIETROPOLI, http://www.studiopietropoli.it/il-palazzetto-businato-monselice

Tobia Scarpa, who faithfully implemented his father’s drawings and ideas, also finished the impressive staircase. This represents the completion of that ideal path between the ancient and the modern. That is today Villa Palazzetto, an admirable fusion of late Renaissance architectural thought with the genius of the 20th century modernism.

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“Family Ties”: A Tale About Kinship

ohnebutter — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 22:37:52 +0000

We find ourselves back again in the midsummer heat – this time with a gelato in one hand, you are invited to take a seat on our chic rattan sofa designed in the 1970s by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for their “Basilian I” furniture series, which is characterized by pure rectangular rattan frames based on squared decoration joined together with metal details. The “Basilian I” series includes a variety of furniture ranging from sofas, book shelves, side tables, dining tables as well as dining chairs to lounge chairs and coffee tables…forming a big “family” of stylistically related furniture pieces.

When it comes to the human concept of family, you can spot a kinship not only based on “looks” but also on shared gifts – maybe it’s a certain artistic talent, which is shared among siblings or passed down from a parent to a child. A closer look at the world of famous mid-century modern Italian designers reveals that, in many cases, a creative talent in the field of architecture and design appears to “run in the family”. Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, for example, were not only professional colleagues but also brothers. Together, the Castiglioni brothers designed iconic lamps for Flos such as the revolutionary “Arco” floor lamp or the colourful “Light Ball” wall lamps, which are currently on display at our showroom.

The birth of famous Italian lighting company Flos itself was, in part, based on the creative input by the Castiglioni brothers as well as by Tobia Scarpa and his wife Afra Scarpa. Tobia Scarpa was born in 1935 as the son of acclaimed architect Carlo Scarpa, who designed major projects in Venice such as the Fondazione Querini Stampalia and the Olivetti Showroom or the Brion Cemetery in San Vito d’Altivole.

Being the son of a Venetian architectural maestro, certainly has an impact on your own creative trajectory…So, it might not come as a surprise that the young Tobia decided to study architecture at the Università Iuav di Venezia – where he also met and fell in love with fellow architecture student Afra Bianchin. In the 1960s, they opened their own design studio as a married couple in Montebelluna and started what later would become a very fruitful and hugely influential collaboration in the field of furniture design, until Afra’s death in 2011. Apart from the “Basilian I” series mentioned above, Afra and Tobia also designed for example the iconic “Soriana” seating ensembles in 1969 for Cassina. Due to their complex design achieved using simple tools, the Soriana series won the Compasso d’Oro in 1970. Nowadays, the extensive work by Afra and Tobia Scarpa is included in the permanent collections of major museums such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the V&A Museum in London, or the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

At first glance, Tobia Scarpa apparently follows in his father’s footsteps by studying architecture and forging a very successful career – some would even say “Like father, like son.” However, we should also recognize the potential difficulty of dealing with a parent’s legacy. It’s perhaps for exactly this reason, that – relatively early in his career – Tobia Scarpa set is focus on becoming a designer rather than on becoming an architect. In an interview with Architonic in 2014, Tobia Scarpa emphasizes his deep respect for his father, Carlo Scarpa, and explains that he became a designer in order to avoid interfering or competing with his father’s architectural work. [1] While the extensive work of Carlo Scarpa also includes designs for furniture and Murano glass works, he worked first and foremost as an architect. Tobia Scarpa, therefore, managed to forge his on way by opting to become a designer in his own right and by forming a remarkable collaboration with his wife, Afra. Together, Afra & Tobia contributed their very own chapter to the success story of the Scarpa family.

We hope you enjoyed our little tale about kinship and we would certainly love to welcome you as part of our own furniture-loving family!

ohne butter team

[1] Reference: „Go your own way: Tobia Scarpa” interview with Tobia Scarpa by Simon Keane-Cowell. Zürich, Switzerland 09.02.14 https://www.architonic.com/en/story/simon-keane-cowell-go-your-own-way-tobia-scarpa/7000858

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“Better Together”: A Tale About Two Friends

ohnebutter — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:00:00 +0000

It´s midsummer time – the heat is sizzling and we all could use a cold drink. With a chilled glass of fresh orange juice in one hand, we invite you to take a seat on our green outdoor lounge chairs designed by Carlo Hauner to chat about him and his friendship with architect and designer Martin Eisler. But first, let’s take some ice cubes from our silver pineapple ice bucket designed by Mauro Manetti to cool down our drinks before we embark on an imaginary trip to South American mid-century modern design…

The friendship between Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner blossomed in the wake of sorrowful circumstances. At that time, the shadow of the Second World War was looming over Europe and the two men were forced to leave their lives behind, respectively. Shortly after receiving his architecture degree in 1936, Viennese-born Martin Eisler left his hometown and emigrated to Argentina, where he began to exercise his profession as an architect and opened up his interior design firm “Interieur Forma”. A couple of years later, in the 1950s, Eisler decided to move to Brazil, where he was looking for help to produce furniture for the home of his brother-in-law. During his search, Eisler came across Italian designer Carlo Hauner – who also had left his homeland behind during the Second World War and emigrated to Brazil.

Most likely fueled by their similar life experiences and similar professional interests, the two men became not only working colleagues but foremost great friends. Together, they opened a gallery and furniture company in São Paulo – which later merged into the iconic interieur firm called Forma, one of the biggest names on the Brazilian scene of mid-century modern furniture production. Forma´s designs are characterized by the use of exotic Brazilian wood (Jacaranda, Civiona) and filigree metal rocks. Forma’s aim was to “return to the roots”, focusing on the aesthetics of handcrafted design. Up to this day, furniture produced by Forma in the 1960s and 1970s is highly sought-after and features in exhibitions around the world. As a team, the two friends Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner certainly left their footprint on the stylistic landscape of Brazilian mid-century modern design.

We hope you enjoyed this little imaginary trip to Brazil – now it’s time to return to our Carlo Hauner seats and continue to relish in the warm sun! Stay tuned for our next summer tale…

ohne butter team

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