Six 'Jano' dining chairs by Kazuhide Takahama for Cassina, 1970

[SOLD] Here we have a set of six matching dining chairs (with armrests!) designed by the Japanese Kazuhide Takahama and produced by Cassina Italy in the first half of the seventies.
 
About the designer & his work
With their spare simplicity, the designs of Kazuhide Takahama (1930-2010) appear perfectly in tune with the Japanese philosophy of Zen minimalism. They’re also a reflection of the designer himself, so quietly charismatic that he was known as ‘the stone man’. Yet Takahama’s work was far from being purely Japanese: he embraced a variety of Western influences, including modern European art.
Born in Miyazaki on the Japanese island of Kyushu, Takahama studied architecture at the Tokyo Institute of Technology before joining the practice of architect Kazuo Fujioka. In 1957, he oversaw the design of Japan’s first pavilion at the Milan Triennale, which proved to be a life-changing event – he met the entrepreneur Dino Gavina, founder of Simon International (now part of Cassina), and began a lifelong collaboration with him.
After Gavina persuaded Takahama to move to Italy permanently – which he did in 1963, settling with his wife Naeko in Bologna – the designer combined architectural and furniture projects. In 1967, he collaborated with Gavina on Bologna’s The Centre Duchamp, a space for creative innovation. He also continued to fuse his beloved modernist style with Japanese traditions, such as lacquerware.
The designer kept working until his final years and left a lasting legacy in Bologna: designing the façade of the city’s Guglielmo Marconi Airport and the shelters at its bus stops.
 
With their orange brown leather, dark stained solid Iroko wood armrests and sleek tubular frame, they exude mid-century elegance. A rare and attractive set!
 
Crafted by Cassina, they add a touch of sophistication to any dining space.
 
Height: 74cm
Seat Height: 46cm
Depth: 50cm
Width: 60cm