An ink bottle for the delight of future eyes
Part one
Kakimori’s latest collection New Tools for Writing with Joy was developed over more than a year of conceptualisation and refinement.
The centrepiece of the collection is a new range of inks, presented in original bottles.
We sought to create an ink bottle that captured our core values without compromise: connection, classic design, longevity, sustainability, sensibility, and intuition.
Our ideas were brought to life by furniture designer Makoto Koizumi.
The brief we put to Koizumi was no more than a vague description: to design an ink bottle “worthy of becoming a valuable antique in the next century”.
Koizumi’s response introduced the notion of a well-aged and well-loved tool, giving our design process a definitive theme.
He noted three key characteristics of such a tool which strongly resonated with us.
・Physically robust
・Functionally sound
・Emotive
We both envisaged the bottle to be more than just a container for ink and an object to be cherished in its own right.
The next step was selecting a suitably enduring material.
Although metal and ceramics had their merits, we decided on glass for superior properties including its high recyclability.
Koizumi then took into consideration our more detailed concerns and presented us with several design concepts.
The designs were emotive, durable and highly functional as we’d imagined.
While they were all impressive, we found ourselves drawn to one round form — the very design that you see in our collection.
Petite enough to be wrapped in the palm of the hand, the bottle was simple yet somewhat whimsical.
It had a certain charm even as an early concept on paper.
We sensed the beginning of an enduring journey and affectionately named it “dumpling” by the end of the meeting.
