After collaborating on the Origata Bench, Nao Tamura has again partnered with Italian brand Porro for the Ryo bookcase. All her designs have bits of her Japanese heritage, and the Ryo is no exception. The bookcase is a sculptural object shaped by a deconstructive design language while carrying a play between light and shadow.
To be presented at the Salone del Mobile this year, the silver bookcase features long horizontal shelves supported by adjustable triangular elements. The geometric elements are created by folding a single sheet of aluminum, providing structural integrity to the bookcase without any bulk. This is paired with an almost invisible finish that preserves the raw, industrial texture of metal, balancing technical precision with a natural character.
The name ‘Ryo’ means edge or ridge, a precise line where two planes meet in tension, and the philosophy is visible in the bookcase as well. The use of triangles provides a sense of both lightness and solidity, as per the viewer’s perspective, serving as a dynamic matrix for living environments. These triangles can be positioned to create varied, open shelving patterns, allowing the unit to serve as a room divider, a display gallery, or a traditional bookshelf.
Described as a ‘shimmering fifth element’, the bookcase functions as a light-permeable screen. Its deconstructive language uses varying angles to ‘catch the light’ and create ‘eye-catching shadows’.
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This interplay makes the bookcase feel less like a static object and more like a shimmering, interactive surface. Through the light and color, the Ryo bookcase articulates interiors with a ‘quiet sense of order’, defining the surroundings while creating an interactive sensory experience.
The Ryo bookcase focuses on the intersection of geometry, light, and materiality. By becoming an open, multifunctional shelving system, Ryo turns the traditional bookshelf into an interesting play of light, color, and material.
