Design Classic Objects selected by “The Original” Exhibition at Design Sight 21_21

The “Original” Exhibition currently held at Design Sight 21_21, Tokyo, Japan showcases iconic product design that defined how a product looks like and functions by its quintessential-ness, or changed the perception of mass-produced products by its creativity and aesthetic quality. The exhibition was directed by Japanese design journalist Takahiro Tsuchida. Find what “design classic” means for tableware and other products we use on a daily basis from Japanese perspectives.

Glassware by Josef Hoffmann

Josef Hoffmann (1870 – 1956) was an Austrian-Moravian architect and designer who was one of the co-founders of the Vienna Secession. He also founded the Wiener Werkstätte and designed many products including glassware. The Series B glassware seems to have been designed around 1914, and is defined by fine straight lines that run both horizontally and vertically. It reminds of his architecture such as the Sanatorium Purkersdor.

Salt and pepper shakers by Wilhelm Wagenfeld

Wilhelm Wagenfeld (1900 – 1990) was a German industrial designer who studied at the Bauhaus art school. These salt and pepper shakers were designed for WMF Germany in 1953. The design looks pretty standard for us today, but for Wagenfeld who studied at the Bauhaus, it was about departure from traditional design protocols.

Bowl by Finn Juhl

It looks like the “Japandi” trend wasn’t born out of the blue. There are a lot of similarities between Japanese and Scandinavian/Nordic aesthetics, and it’s probably related to how people interacted or perceived nature (read more about Japanese-Scandinavian crossover). I think it’s safe to say that Japanese love Scandinavian/Nordic designers. There were many Scandinavian designs at “The Original” exhibition, and Finn Juhl (1912 – 1989) was one of them. He was Danish architect, interior and industrial designer who was influenced by Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (Jean Arp), a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Juhl designed many iconic chairs that displayed beautiful and complex curves inspired by Arp. He realized the same principle by carving raw wood to make a beautiful bowl.

Arita Yaki Ware by Cecilie Manz

Here’s another Danish designer, Cecilie Manz (1972 -), who founded her own studio in Copenhagen in 1998. The simple, beautiful and functional products she creates really has wabi-sabi vibes. She collaborated with 1616 / arita japan which is located in Arita City, Saga Prefecture where pottery has been the local industry for 400 years.