Kazuide Takahama

Japanese, yet Bolognese by adoption, architect and designer Kazuhide Takahama (Nobeoka, 1930 - Bologna, 2010) is known for the rigorous line and formal cleanliness of his furniture and lamps, which often evoke the ancient art of lacquering. This approach, which can be traced back to Zen compositions, was reflected in the designer's way of working, so silent that he was nicknamed by his colleagues "the stone man". By the young age of 27, Takahama had already gained experience at the Kazuo Fujioka studio, and arrived in Milan in 1957 to coordinate the setting up of the Japanese pavilion at the 11th Triennale. The occasion would mark his career forever: it is here that he met designer and entrepreneur Dino Gavina, with whom he established a collaboration that would last a lifetime. In 1964, Takahama moved to Bologna, and besides working with Gavina, who gave him the opportunity to collaborate with design masters of the caliber of Carlo Scarpa, he established lasting partnerships with legendary made in Italy furniture brands, including Simon, Paradisoterrestre, B&B, Sirrah. Takahama also designed interiors for private residences, as well as receiving prestigious public commissions, such as the facade and the VIP lounge of the Guglielmo Marconi airport and the Bologna's bus stops platform roofs.

Designer items

Meet the designers

Gio Ponti

Piero Fornasetti

Fratelli Castiglioni

Joe Colombo

Nanda Vigo

Ettore Sottsass

Marco Zanuso

Luigi Caccia Dominioni

Ico Parisi

Charles & Ray Eames

Gae Aulenti

Pietro Chiesa

Vico Magistretti

Giotto Stoppino

Tobia Scarpa

Carlo Nason

Marcello Cuneo

Vittorio Dassi

Paolo Buffa

Max Ingrand

Gastone Rinaldi

Pia Guidetti Crippa

Gaetano Pesce

Richard Sapper

Ingo Maurer

Gabriella Crespi

Paul McCobb

Paul Tuttle

Nendo

Alvaro Siza

Carl Jacob Jucker

Ernesto Basile

Sergio Mazza

Osvaldo Borsani

Oscar Torlasco

Le Corbusier

Willy Rizzo

Gaetano Sciolari

Carlo De Carli

Angelo Lelli

Gino Sarfatti

Marcel Breuer

Carlo Scarpa

Massimo & Lella Vignelli

Claudio Salocchi

Toni Zuccheri

Aldo Tura

Verner Panton

Giancarlo Piretti

Gianfranco Frattini

Guglielmo Ulrich

Franco Albini

Philippe Starck

Angelo Mangiarotti

Enzo Mari

Tito Agnoli

Kazuide Takahama

Eero Saarinen

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Carlo Ratti

Alessandro Mendini

Mario Bellini

Cleto Munari

Carlo Mollino

Bruno Munari

Hans J. Wegner

Studio BBPR

Giovanni Michelucci

Norman Foster