In a narrow alley of Milan’s artistic Brera district, an intimate studio houses one of furniture design’s most intriguing partnerships. Here, amid sketches and wooden prototypes, Kyoko Inoda and Nils Sveje craft objects that speak in whispers rather than shouts, yet manage to say something profound about the dialogue between humans and the spaces they inhabit.
Their story is one of cultural confluence. Inoda, with her Japanese sensibility for precision and balance, and Sveje, carrying the Danish tradition of warm minimalism, found in each other not just personal companionship but a shared design language that transcends their origins. Their Milan studio-gallery serves as both workspace and showcase—a living embodiment of their belief that design should be experienced directly, touched and felt rather than merely viewed.
“We share values of personal and cultural kinds regarding design,” they explain, seated in their light-filled space in Via Ciovasso, where they work side by side—though in separate rooms—a physical arrangement that mirrors their creative process. The duo creates just four or five pieces yearly, each meticulously developed over months or even years.
This methodical approach is perhaps most evident in their acclaimed collaboration with Japan’s Miyazaki Chair Factory. Their DC09 dining chair, which won the IF Product Design Award in 2011, took a full two years to develop. What began as a traditional design evolved through countless iterations as they worked closely with Mr. Miyazaki himself and his team of dedicated artisans.
“When a Japanese craftsman commits to a task, he will finish it, no matter the difficulty,” Nils observes. This dedication became integral to the chair’s creation process, where advanced CNC machinery worked alongside meticulous handcraft—a marriage of tradition and innovation that defines their approach.
When a Japanese craftsman commits to a task, he will finish it, no matter the difficulty.
Nils Sveje, Co-owner of INODA+SVEJE
The resulting chairs feature sculptural forms where continuous organic surfaces flow together, exemplifying their philosophy about nature’s rejection of straight lines. “The shapes nature throws up—sand dunes, coastlines, mountains—are never straight lines,” they note. “We are fascinated by this vocabulary of the physical world and its refusal to be restrained by linearity.”
Their conceptual process is equally distinctive. Before sketching begins, they engage in description-based development—a method born partly from their initial linguistic differences (they communicate in Italian, their shared second language). “It became a way of levelling the field and emphasizing core values,” they explain of this verbal foundation that precedes visual exploration.
One of their most memorable collaborations emerged from a challenge. “Once Miyazaki asked why our design had no upholstery,” Kyoko recalls. “I answered that I did not think it was within the company’s core expertise, so we avoided upholstery in our designs.” Miyazaki’s response was telling: he asked them to design something difficult with upholstery “so he could show that the company was indeed the best.” The result was the IS-Sofa, a testament to Japanese pride in craftsmanship and willingness to embrace new challenges.
What’s most compelling about INODA+SVEJE’s work is their understanding of furniture as more than functional objects. “The objects around us, especially those we are in intimate contact with, can bring comfort and richness to our lives beyond their primary function,” they reflect. “When you sit down, your hands wander over the surfaces and put material and form into play beyond the way most people regard aesthetics.”
This tactile approach reflects Japanese aesthetic principles where the feel of an object is as important as its appearance. In their BAR stool for Miyazaki, for instance, the seat is “sculpted out of solid wood as an organic curved surface that is ultimately ergonomic and endlessly smooth,” creating what they call “sitting firmly in the saddle”—a reference to the physical sensation rather than the visual impression.
Their collaboration with Karimoku, Japan’s largest hardwood furniture manufacturer, for their Kunst luxury brand further demonstrates their commitment to Japanese craftsmanship. The Kunst collection features “gorgeous objects of art by continuously handcrafted organic shapes on all parts, no corners cut,” with only the highest-grade woods and finest upholstery materials.
In their collaborative process, disagreement is rare but valued. “As a couple we can fight over anything ordinary in life, but not over good design,” they say. “We have no interest in forcing anything upon the other, but rather in refining and gaining approval.” This mutual respect produces furniture that seems inevitable rather than designed—as though the forms were waiting to be discovered rather than invented.
For Kyoko, raised in Osaka and later Kyoto, furniture was always approached from a pragmatic perspective in her family home. “Apartments in Japanese cities are typically very small, so each piece must earn its place through functionality,” she recalls. Yet this practicality never precluded beauty—in fact, it demanded it through thoughtful proportion and honest materials.
In an industry often fixated on novelty, INODA+SVEJE quietly champions evolution over revolution, context over disruption. Their patient, thoughtful approach produces furniture that doesn’t declare its importance but rather reveals it through experience—just as the most enduring relationships are formed not through grand gestures but through daily moments of genuine connection and mutual understanding.
