Soshun Flower Stools by Masanori Umeda for Edra, Italy, 1990s

From his cheerful Getsuen Lily chair to his provocative Ginza robot cabinet, Masanori Umeda’s furniture designs are often described by critics and collectors alike as poetic, ironic and full of whimsy. 

Umeda was born in 1941 in Kanagawa, graduating from Tokyo’s Kuwasawa Design School in 1962. In 1967, he moved to Milan, Italy, where he began his design career working in the studio of Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. From 1970 to 1979, Umeda was a design consultant for the Olivetti studio, and there he met prolific furniture designer and architect Ettore Sottsass, who founded the Memphis Group, Italy's boldest, brashest postmodern design movement.

In the early 1980s, Umeda joined Memphis, creating his most famous piece, the Tawayara boxing ring seating unit in 1981. Comprising a monochrome, Tatami matte floor, tie-dyed cushions, bungee-style ropes and flexible lighting at each of the four corners, the Tawayara was Umeda’s homage to space-constrained Japanese living areas. It remains one of Umeda’s rarest pieces (only 30 were ever made). Fashion designer and icon Karl Lagerfeld once owned a Tawayara boxing ring that featured prominently in his Monaco apartment.

In 1986, Umeda returned to Japan and opened his U-MetaDesign Studio (now Umeda Design Studio Inc.) in Tokyo, garnering accolades for his uniquely lighthearted collection of armchairs, lounge chairs, table lamps and decorative objects.

Over the course of his career, Umeda has won several awards, including the BraunPrize in 1968, the Grand Prix of Japan Display Design Award in 1981, the Japan Commercial Space Design Award in 1984 and the Grand Prix of Good Design Award in 1990.

Umeda continues to design furnishings that embody the spirit of postmodernism, enjoying collaborations with Memphis Milano and Italian furniture manufacturer Edra. His pieces have been exhibited internationally and are held in the collections of museums around the world, including the M+ Museum in Hong Kong, which acquired more than 180 of his works in 2015. 

On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Masanori Umeda seating, lighting and serveware.

The name Edra is derived from the Greek word exedra, meaning a space for conversation and socialization. True to its name, the Italian furniture manufacturer creates beautiful seating like sofas and armchairs, as well as coffee tables and end tables to go with them. Its unique and heritage-quality modern pieces are sure to become the classics of tomorrow. 

Edra was established in 1987 in Tuscany with the goal of combining traditional craftsmanship and technological innovation into a new style of collectible design. The company wanted to challenge established ideas about how living room furniture such as chairs, tables and cabinets are to look and function, deploying cutting-edge materials and working with unique shapes to produce exciting designs that disrupted the design world.

Part of Edra’s success has been due to its fruitful collaborations with acclaimed designers. The company has worked with Italian designer Francesco Binfare since 1992, producing the iconic Tangeri, Angels, Flap and Essential seating collections. Jacopo Foggini, known for his own innovative designs, is another frequent Edra collaborator. In 2022, Edra and Foggini released the sea-inspired A'mare collection of translucent blue outdoor furniture made from polycarbonate.

Edra has also represented Italy on several international sporting stages. The company was an official furniture supplier for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang and the 2022 Alpine Skiing World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Since its founding, the company's contemporary furniture has been added to museums around the world. Today, Edra's designs are held in the collections of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

In 2022, Edra also exhibited at the Salone Del Mobile, where the brand debuted a chic, pebble-inspired sofa — On the Rocks — that demonstrates the company's continued commitment to originality and ingenuity.

On 1stDibs, find Edra seating, tables and case pieces.