Naoto Fukasawa

Olivari Designers

Naoto Fukasawa

Olivari Designers

Yamanashi Prefecture, 1956

Naoto Fukasawa was born in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in 1956.
He graduated in 1980 from the Department of Product Design at Tama Art University, and in the same year, he joined Seiko Epson, where he worked on advanced development design.
After moving to the United States in 1989, he joined ID Two (now IDEO San Francisco).
For seven years, he honed his skills, mainly working with Silicon Valley industries, before returning to Japan in 1996.
Fukasawa founded and managed IDEO’s Tokyo office, establishing a design consultancy base in Japan for the company.
In 2003, he became independent and founded NAOTO FUKASAWA DESIGN.
Currently, Fukasawa’s work spans globally, collaborating with over 70 renowned international brands and providing design and consultancy services for Japanese companies.
His projects cover various fields, including precision electronics, furniture, interiors, and architecture.

— AF 21, ABOUTWATER (Ph. Tommaso Sartori)
— Naoto Fukasawa

Fukasawa identified the unconscious behavior of people as the driving force behind his design approach, which he called “Without Thought”.

— Sabbia, Boffi (image courtesy of Boffi)
— Cinnamon, Molteni&C (Ph. Andrea Ansalone)
— Grande Papilio, B&B Italia (image courtesy of B&B Italia)

He was awarded the title of Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts.

— Asari, Herman Miller (Image courtesy of Herman Miller)
— Hiroshima Armchair, Maruni (Ph. Yoneo Kawabe)