Chocolate Design by Nendo – © Anne-Emmanuelle Thion, courtesy of Maison Objet.

At Maison & Objet, Nendo showcased a tasty chocolate design project to be nibbled away and a temporary bar featuring some of his iconic designs reinterpreted in chocolate colours. ArchiPanic met Oki Sato founder of Nendo Japanese studio and Maison & Objet designer of the year. “Because I didn’t want people just to see and touch our work, I wanted them to eat the Nendo design” said the designer.

Chocolate Design by Nendo – © Anne-Emmanuelle Thion, courtesy of Maison Objet.

ArchiPanic: At Maison Objet you presented a set of chocolates with different shapes and textures. Can design effect the taste of food?

Oki Sato: That was exaclty my challenge: can I create forms that can change flavour? Usually the taste changes if you change the ingredients. I wanted to use the same chocolate but in different shapes and textures… I did a lot of tests and I noticed that it feels quite different; just like you are eating a different piece of chocolate.

Chocolate Design by Nendo – Courtesy of Nendo

At the fair Nendo created also a café featuring chocolate-coloured pieces of furniture immersed into a candid backgournd. A forest of white coated alluminium rods with brown graduating shadings embraces the lounge area like a wave.

RELATED STORY: In Tokyo, id inc has designed Cafe Ki: a minimal urban forest combining a pure white space with stylized coffee coloured trees. Read more…

Chocolate Design by Nendo – © Anne-Emmanuelle Thion, courtesy of Maison Objet.

ArchiPanic: How was the temporary-bar project born?

Oki Sato: After I designed the chocolates I guess that it could have been ideal to create a lounge tasting area… So I asked to some of my friends like Giulio Cappellini, Patrizia Moroso and GlassItalia if they could provide some furniture finished in chocolate colour.

Chocolate Design by Nendo – Photo by Enrico Zilli.

“Most of the pieces were designed in the last three years and have that soft, chocolate-melting shape. When you sit down it feels like you are sitting down it feels like you are in a melting chocolate enviroment” said Oki Sato.

Chocolate Design by Nendo – Photo by Enrico Zilli.

Photo: courtesy of Nendo and Maison & Objet.

Chocolate Design by Nendo – Courtesy of Nendo

RELATED STORIES: Even design and architecture are sometimes driven by an artsy sweet tooth: Alessandro Mendini, Stdio Job and others created bespoke designers’ cakes at DesignMiami… Caitlin Levin and Henry Hargreaves replicated in sugar, candies and licorice the architecture of some of the most iconic art museums…

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Chocolate Design by Nendo – Courtesy of Nendo