Hairart Japan has just the thing to keep you hair dry and
looking great during the up coming humid summer months. Its new,
nameless hairdryer uses tourmaline crystals and negative ions to
create a process that will dry your hair faster than most competing
hairdryers while decreasing the chance of hair damage due to its
low heat setting. Aimed at salons as well as home use, the dryer
comes in three trendy collections, from the Modern and Pop series
to the beautiful wood-pattern exterior of the Natural series (each
model ¥28,000).
So treat your hair to the same kind of attention at home that
you would expect from your regular visits to the hair salon. (Note,
even though Hairart the company has an American counterpart, the
hairdryer — developed in Tokyo — is currently only available in
Japan.)
hairartjapan.com
Japanese designer Nosigner continues to rack up the awards,
recently with prizes from the Japan Sign Design Association, Japan
Commercial Environment Designers Association, and Design for Asia
competitions. There's no doubt that his latest project, a
collaboration with woodcraft workers from Tokushima Prefecture,
will add to his growing collection too.
Nosigner is both the designer of all the products and creative
director of the new brand that goes by the name of Tokushima, AWA.
The line so far includes four pieces: Truss, a shelf that takes its
design cues from triangles (¥196,000); Tr/Sq/Rh, a series of
accessory cases and pen stands in three shapes that have magnets so
that they can be combined (¥2,980-¥4,800); Hex, a sofa wrapped in
plywood that turns the armrests into side tables (¥210,600); and
Squares, a mathematically inspired collection of drawers
(¥450,000).
All pieces are currently on show at the Claska hotel's Mix Room
exhibition space in Meguro.
www.nosigner.com
Celebrated product designer Masayuki Kurokawa has followed up
2006's Kiri Watch with the Kiri Clock. Kiri is Japanese
for "morning mist," and as with Kurokawa's original design, the
clock plays with the idea of "fuzziness" by featuring a frosted
glass cover. Such minimalism is not only delightful in its
simplicity but also promotes the idea of slowing down — even
breaking free — from one's dependence on rigorous schedules. The
angled rubber base rotates independently of the face, providing
varied levels of textures when viewing the time.
The Kiri Clock was released this month and sells for ¥7,350.
www.idea-in.com
It's turning into an annual tradition: With Japan's rainy season
just around the corner, it's time to take a look at a new umbrella
stand for the home. Di Classe, an 18-year-old Japanese company
better known for lighting products, is expanding a recently
launched line of accessories with the G-Umbrella Stand. Unlike
designer Kyouei's Umbrella Pot, that used raindrops dripping from
umbrellas to water a plant at the base, the short steel and
aluminum stand of the G-Umbrella opts for a chunk of artificial
turf in producing the same appearance of greenery. Thus the
G-Umbrella is easier to clean up — simply pull out a tray to drain
accumulated rain water. The stand comes in black and white
versions, each priced at ¥9,975.
www.di-classe.com
The AC Adapter MIDORI has graduated from being a prototype —
that was first shown publicly when it was known as VINE — to
becoming a production model that joins mobile-phone
service-provider KDDI's new stylish iida (innovation, imagination,
design, and art) collection of phones and accessories. Produced by
Shunsuke Umiyama under his MicroWorks design label, the MIDORI is
an adapter for your phone that camouflages the boring black cables
we're all used to with a covering of green and plastic leaves. The
first accessory released for the iida brand, consider it a sign
that future releases will be worth a look.
Limited to to a production run of 20,000, the AC Adapter MIDORI
is sold for ¥1,365 at all KDDI stores and the company's online
store.
www.microworks.jp; iida.jp; www.kddi.com