HAMON by wa/ter

DRAWERS, a design studio based in Osaka founded by Hiroyuki Ogura, has launched the brand "wa/ter" with its theme " Sustainable and eco-friendly life for people" in July 2020. They began offering original products and antique furniture on their website.

HAMON, one of wa/ter's first products, is a reclaimed glass object made from recycled TV cathode-ray tubes and fluorescent lamp. The designer Ogura was fascinated by the beautiful light-coloured glass, reclaimed from CRT display, and designed a thick, circular shape.

He said, "I think most manufacturers don't make these kinds of products that don't have a clear function. However, I was attracted to this block of glass, not something flimsy. At wa/ter, our goal is not to mass produce and sell a large number of products, so we wanted to create products that have a charm and universal value, rather than care about the market and trends."

HAMON can be used as a plate or displayed as art. It can also be used as a diffuser for aromatic oils. He also said, "I didn't want to limit its use, because it would be trashed after its purpose was over. So we left flexibility in the usage."

Colour variants include a blue-grey with cathode-ray glass and light yellow green with reclaimed fluorescent lamp glass.

When we asked him why he decided to set up the brand wa/ter separately from his design studio, he replied, "I've been thinking for the past two years about whether it was possible to create something different from client work and short-cycle interior design. As a designer, I felt it was crucial to discover the questions in today's society, and what kind of proposals I could make to address those issues. I also had doubts towards scrap and build and a love for long-lasting design, which led me to the concept of water.

Shortly, the wa/ter website will also provide information about ISLAND LIVING, in Awaji-shima Island, a satellite office of DRAWERS and accommodation facility that was recently constructed.