Category — Accessories

Being released alongside Furoshiki Bag 2 (see previous post) is clipico (525 yen), a cute interpretation of the 143-year old unchanged design of a paper clip. The card/photo stand is super portable because it’s made from a single piece of stainless steel and folds flat. It was designed by Toshihiro Aya – a designer I have never heard of.

I also like the negative space it leaves when propped up. I’m not sure if people are still buying card stands but I think I could definitely find space on my desk for this one! You’ll be able to buy it HERE in 2 days.

Speaking of Jamo Associates, one of the pair of designers, Chinatsu Kambayashi, has attempted her first product design. Bottle Candle (PDF) is, as you may have guessed, quite simply, a candle shaped like a bottle.

Back in 2008, Kambayashi curated a pop-up shop within The Globe, an antique shop based in Tokyo. The Bottle Candle is a collaboration between The Globe and an extension of this project, which ran with the theme, no antiques, no life.

Mark, Carol, Ann, Susan, Fabio and Margaret are available at Cibone and range from between 1,365 yen – 7,140 yen.

click images to enlarge

Yuen’to’s latest product launch is Ele-Fan (10,500 yen), a cute little fan that resembles an elephant’s trunk. It is packed with nerdy details like a convenient carrying handle, a foot that doubles as a cord-wrap, a removable filter to capture particles as well as aromatic capsules that can be attached or detached at the mouth of the fan depending on your particular olfactory preferences.

But the best part? The nozzle can be pointed upwards so you can spend endless hours staring at a spongeball (included) floating in mid-air. Included? Really? That’s awesome.

Related:

• CA LED light by Yuen’to
• Yuen’to

Continuing on my search for iPhone accessories, I came across this neato bicycle mount (3,480 yen) that was designed by Focal, a Japanese company specializing in accessories of iPhones, iPads, etc. Now I can use my iPhone as a navigation device even on my bicycle! Apparently it was just released this week.

This took the wind out of my sails a bit, but I found it hard to believe that this kind of product wasn’t in existence. And sure enough, amazon has it for just $7.43

Now that I may finally be getting an iPhone, I’ve been constantly looking at peripherals to compliment it. This iStand (630 yen), from IDEA Lable looks interesting.

The suction cup protrusion, which I can’t help perceiving as a large wart, is a simple way to keep your iPhone – or any other similar device – upright. It could also be useful when taking pictures, or as a fortified grip.

With cost-competitiveness sweeping through the manufacturing industry like an angry lady with a broom, sparing only those with the strength to scale up capacity and scale down price, what are Japan’s small companies and artisans to do? Inevitably, embrace. That is the philosophy of mass item, a new store started by Takashi Yoshida aimed at exploring the possibilities of plastic. He has enlisted 3 designers to assist him – 2 of which, if you are familiar with spoon & tamago, you should be familiar with as well – Shunsuke Umiyama (Microworks), Norihiko Terayama (Studio Note) and newcomer Kumano Wataru.

Although the pieces have a highly manufactured quality to them, every piece gets finished off with a human touch – whether it is vibration finish or a hand-assembly. I like the idea of subtle resistance. Here is an overview of what they have done for the shop.

Ladder by Microworks (he seems to be obsessed with ladders)

Layerscape by Studio Note

Tokyo Clock by Kumano Wataru

Related:

• f,l,o,w,e,r,s and folling flower by Studio Note
• ladder ruler and vine cell charger by Microworks

I am currently on a quest to replace all our silverware with wood because I have never liked metal in my mouth, or the way it sounds when rubbed up against ceramics.This CO ZEN urushi cutlery set for kids could work nicely for little Huey. Urushi, also known as Japanese lacquer ware, is made from the sap of a tree and has been used to make dishes and utensils since the Jomon period. The beautifully hand-crafted set instills a sense of tradition and significance in the child and ritualizes the act of sitting down to eat. I am all for teaching kids the importance of eating, and what you put in your mouth.

The CO ZEN set (18,000 yen) comes with a spoon, fork, knife, desert spoon and chopsticks. The lid also flips over to serve as a place mat. It reminds me a lot of the Fun Fam Table Manners set.

thanks to @skrtr for the tip

Easy-going Japanese design duo Yuruliku, comprised of Bananao and Kinue Oneda, get their pleasure from designing the smaller things in life. Their prime focus is on stationary but their awesome tote bags that I featured on this site back in ’08 have always been my favorite. Just announced last week, their latest design is grass-shaped post its that serve as page markers. The accumulation of  interest or curiosity creates a blossoming tuft of grass.

They are currently available only through yuruliku’s online shop. For 700 yen you get a total of 75 markers in 3 different sizes.

Enigmatic designer Naoto Fukasawa’s ±0 brand has just released their latest design, a minimalistic wristwatch that allows you to easily replace the band by sliding it in and out. Love the simplicity! It comes in 4 variations, each costing about 30,000 yen. It goes on sale March 5th.

Related:

• Naoto Fukasawa’s MUJI CD Player
• 5th Collection by ±0

Rounding out my several posts on accessories from last week is the design studio PULL+PUSH PRODUCTS. The studio has been based out of Kyoto ever since their founding in 2002. It is headed by designer and raftsman Nobuhiro Sato (I know, I meant to write craftsman, but wouldn’t it be funny if he was also a rafts man?), who is supported by Sanae Komatsu. Together, they form the tight-knit design studio, meaning, they handle everything from designing and production to packaging and shipping.

By the way, I love their adorable profile pics whose playful nature is consistent with their work. They derive inspiration from the cold and heavy to create the fun and exciting. For example, this abandoned building lamp (12,600 yen) would make for an awesome accent piece.

The drain planter (3,780 yen) is also fun, in a gross kind of way. It’s like all the gook that gets caught in the drain decided to sprout greens.

Then there is the incinerator (4,410 yen) that burns incense.

Perhaps my favorite is the ingenious mortar push-pins (630 yen). Although they only come in packs of 6, how often have you exhausted your supply of 500?