Table Planter
Tableware Design that proposes a new lifestyle
Takram and NIKKO Co, Ltd. have developed “Table Planter™,” which suggests a new lifestyle. Takram has supported the concept, and product development, exhibitions and communication on the web or social media with design.
NIKKO has been crafting pure white and robust tableware in their factory in Ishikawa Prefecture since 1908. “Table Planter” reflects on the modern ways of living while confronting sustainability, suggesting a new lifestyle where people and plants live together using tools made of the same material.
Suggesting a new lifestyle
Together with NIKKO and product designer Gen Suzuki, Takram explored new product and business possibilities with ceramics while utilising NIKKO’s technology and culture.
One of these technologies was using discarded fine bone china tableware as a fertiliser by grinding them.
The concept of “Table Planter” was born from the idea of using this fertiliser both as a fertiliser and as top dressing for growing plants in new fine bone china planters designed for use on the table. It proposes a small energy cycle on the table and a lifestyle of living together with plants using NIKKO tableware.
The fine bone china planters and “BONEARTH®,” which can be used as a fertiliser and top dressing, are both made out of a material used for tableware. Their distinctive white colour and cleanliness make the lifestyle with plants on the table comfortable.
The Table Planter Products
Four designers from Takram, together with product designer Gen Suzuki, have designed six Table Planter™ product series.
Table Bonsai
designed by Sho Tanaka
I gave shape to the series of gestures required to enjoy the art of bonsai within your hand’s reach at the table. These products allow you to enjoy the time and effort involved in appreciating and caring for the plants on your tabletop, just as you would enjoy eating or making coffee, or the series of gestures involved in the traditional tea ceremony. It includes small bowls for arranging plants and vessels for water and fertiliser. The geometric forms allow for the handler’s movements to be consistent and minimal when handling them.
Reborn
designed by Naoaki Iwamatsu
Reborn fuses fragments of recycled bone china to the pot, bringing it back to use. The consistent use of material and texture for the base and top dressing shows the concept of recycling materials - while the gaps created through re-sintering the fragments serve as a structure through which air and water can escape. Reborn is a product that embodies the brand philosophy of “lifestyle with recyclable materials” in the design of the product itself. Once tableware has fulfilled its purpose, it becomes a base to support plants and fertiliser to grow them. The plants growing in this hybrid of new and recycled tell the story of NIKKO’s recycling of tableware.
Symbiosis
designed by Naoaki Iwamatsu
Symbiosis is a jug for sharing the same water between plants and people. Both plants and people relying on the same water, using the same tool, reflect the unique vision of the coexistence between plants and people. Small and unusual usage details were considered - such as a size that leaves enough water for the plants even after serving glass or two for people; a spout that’s easy to control even when pouring from a distance; a style that fits the culinary atmosphere.
Dune
designed by Daiki Nakamori
This product started from wondering what the world would look like when material circulation has become the norm. The undulating shape creates a dune-like landscape, where the bone china-recycled top dressing blends with the rim of the bone china pot. We hope people will enjoy creating their little world by planting their plants.
Little by Little
designed by Jun Murakoshi
Through spending more time at home, we’ve become more aware of the sunlight shining through our windows and the daily growth of our plants. In a way, the BONEARTH® project allows NIKKO, whose tableware has long served the dining table, to reengage with cycles and continuity; thus, this pot embodies the concept of time. The body is composed of 24 sections of white surfaces, where the shades are more dramatically shown, while the elliptical shape makes the transitions in its shadow on the table more recognisable. The hidden gap between the pot and the saucer also allows the plants to breathe easily.
Exhibition and Web / Social media communication
An exhibition was held at the LOST AND FOUND TOKYO STORE in Tomigaya, Tokyo, where visitors could see and touch the six products.
Takram supported the exhibition as one of the ways to share the “Table Planter™” concept.
We also supported the making of the landing page and the communication on social media.
Team
Takram
,Gen Suzuki (GEN SUZUKI STUDIO)
Gen Suzuki(GEN SUZUKI STUDIO)
Shinya Sato (Shinya Sato Photography Office)
The Elves and the Shoemaker.Co.,Ltd
Kusabanaya Kokemaru