Kanji Ueki studied design and architecture in Milan before opening his interior design firm Casappo & Associates in Japan in 1975. His designs for interiors and furniture for the next four decades adhered to modernist rectilinear tendencies, breaking on rare occasion with the introduction of curves, as seen in the present Dino and Dina chairs. A very quiet departure from his typical designs, Dino and Dina are an excellent example of postmodern design, referencing classical furniture and architectural forms while synthesizing contemporary ideas for design—a nod to the studies of his past and the emerging energy of the current era.