Kazuhide Takahama: one of the main figures of Italian design leaves us
His designs combine the creativity and expertise of the Italian industry with an oriental simplicity.
Kazuhide Takahama died in Bologna on 10 February 2010. In Santa & Cole we will always remember him for the special poetic nature of his designs and as a tireless collaborator and friend of Dino Gavina.
12/02/2010
Takahama (Miyazaki-Ken, Japan, 1930 Bologna, Italy, 2010) defined design as a physical act (...). Therefore, those who want to be a designer should train their body and learn to reason logically, because knowledge and know-how are two different things.
He graduated in architecture in Tokyo, where he began to work in Kazuo Fuioka's studio. But in 1957, a visit to the XI Milan Triennial would change the course of his life, as there he met Dino Gavina, who encouraged him to stay in Italy and with whom he collaborated closely until his death. Together they became two of the main driving forces of Italian design.
From when he moved to Bologna, Takahama did not stop creating furniture and lamps with an impeccable formal balance, which combine the creativity and expertise of the Italian industry with an oriental simplicity. His most well-known works, the majority of which arose from the Gavina-Takahama duo, include the Taka bench (published by Santa & Cole), the modular Marcel sofas family (published by Santa & Cole), the Sebastian table, the Suzanne series of sofas, the Kazuki chair, and even the factory of the company Ultramobile in Calcinelli (Bologna).
Thank you, Kazuhide, for the beauty of your legacy.