Sori Yanagi

For the third installment of iconic Japanese designers, I bring you Sori Yanagi. Yanagi is probably most famous for his 1954 Butterfly Stool (starting at $605). I remember first seeing this in the late '90s, an older brother of one of Matt's friends had bought one; I think it was the first time I understood design as a status symbol.


A lot of people say this chair is "east meets west" because it incorporates eastern shapes with the Eames' molded plywood method. Because it was only available in Japan for a very long time, until Vitra secured distributing rights, originals will sell for thousands at auction. Yanagi also is known for his fiberglass Elephant stool ($144) and has wonderful tabletop and kitchen items including flatware and tea kettles, most of which is available here and here.