Some warmth for the New Year Now it’s mid-winter, some of us in non-insulated apartments are likely to be suffering a bit more than usual, which is why the Plus Minus Zero’s new Infrared Electric Heater is a handy little helper. You already know ...

Three weeks ago, Tokyo invited designers from all over the world to show their work at three major design events — Tokyo Designers Week, DesignTide and Design Touch — as well as at a host of other exhibitions scattered across the city. Here are ...

Tokyo celebrates good design It’s that time of year again when Tokyo hosts its biggest design festival. From Oct. 29 to Nov. 3, the streets of Aoyama and nearby areas will be offering the public a taste of what’s new in household goods, furniture, ...

Summing up stylish bookends There’s a reason why there’s a plus sign at the end of Ideaco’s Bookend+: They have a little something extra added. Aimed at households or offices with cramped desk spaces, the Bookend+ doubles as a tape dispenser or a letter ...

Working across the grain Award-winning designer Mikiya Kobayashi is the director behind Kime, a new line of beautiful wooden household accessories for Hokkaido-based manufacturer Dreamy Person. Named after the Japanese term for wood grain, all of Kobayashi’s designs emphasize the natural beauty of his ...

Gateway to stylish furniture Though we’ve already included the Karimoku New Standard line of contemporary furniture as one of our picks from last year’s Tokyo Design Week, we’ve found good reason to cover it again — the line is finally going on sale, exclusively ...

Fans of a natural breeze One of the most innovative releases over the past year in terms of electric fans has to be Dyson’s bladeless Air Multiplier fan, which, despite its odd appearance, works just as advertised, pushing a surprisingly strong flow of air ...

Nature is served Designer Nao Tamura’s Seasons containers were so well received at last month’s Milan Salone — the be-all and end-all of annual design events — that they won the SaloneSatellite Award. Finding inspiration in the traditional Japanese technique of serving food on ...

Nendo gains weight in Milan The annual design superfest known as the Milano Salone was held earlier this month in Italy, and although Oki Sato is no stranger to the event it was an especially grand year for the designer and his firm Nendo. ...

A handkerchief not to be sniffed at Mike and Yuri Ableton’s Postalco returns to the column with a brand new collection that once again sends all the right messages. A diverse array of goods, the releases include a rain cape, new editions of their ...