Inspiration for design objects comes from many unusual sources in Japan. Whether it's ribbon and the complexity of mangrove roots for a chair, jet plane aerodynamics for a table or rabbit ears for a vase, the result is always surprisingly elegant (vs. campy) and, sly.

Inspired by playing with a ribbon and the complexity of the mangrove roots, Tokyo's Eiji Shibata created the Mangrove Chair. Made of powder-coated steel, this sculptural chair is an elegant offering. But how does that backrest feel?



The lightweight table is designed by Arata Asada and Miwa Aoyama.

How many paper plane technicians grow up to be industrial designers? Oyadica's Plane is a bedside table is structured out of bent aluminum meant to evoke the sleek lines of an aircraft.

Satoshi Yoshikawa and Bungo Komuro are the designers behind Furnish, a Tokyo-based studio that places the focus on craftsmanship, as well as the fun factor. All Furnish products are handmade, not mass-produced, so these vases have not yet multiplied like rabbits.

Contrasting brights and lasercut shapes of varying sizes add interest to these powder-coated stainless steel lamps by Kazuhiro Ugajin. Mimicking the forms of traditional table lamps, Ugajin's playful lighting makes use of flat, steel panels.


And from the hi-tech gadget capital of the world, contemporary must-have gadgets become truly classic when encased in an African mahogany shell by Kenji Koga.

Dress up a DS,

or protect phones and mp3 players.

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+ oyadica.com
+ furnish.jp
+ yousetsu.net
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