Designer Rio Kobayashi’s collection draws inspiration from Mikado table game, where the furniture, easy chair Mikadokun and table Mikadochan, is made from turned ash poles with pointed ends. Mikado table game, also known as pick-up-sticks, is made using colorfully-painted wooden sticks. While the game seems to be Japanese, it achieved worldwide fame from a company that invented the name in the 20th century in Europe. Each piece of furniture in Mikado collection is uniquely hand-painted in primary colors, namely, red, blue, and yellow.  Rio Kobayashi plays with clichés existing in Eastern and Western cultures. The highly-personal pieces reflect much of his life. The designer moved to Europe at the age of 18 and completed his apprenticeship in cabinet making. He also worked in international design studios during this period. Kobayashi worked and lived in Milan, Berlin, Innsbruck, and Paris before setting his own workshop and studio in London in 2017. His experiences from childhood on showed him that clichés about cultures are often founded on misconceptions.The Mikado series was part of Rio Kobayashi’s first design show “EastWest” in London, noted Domus. Read more