Cool Hunting
MoMA Design Store recently launched Destination Japan, an exclusive product collection of housewares, accessories and design objects usually available only Japan. Available for a limited time, it features a range of items—from those created by well-known Japanese designers to pop accessories and well-designed everyday items. The mascot for the the collection "Mochi" (pictured above) is a homage to the Japanese fascination with kawaii (cute) and was designed in collaboration with Japanese design studio Devilrobots and Kidrobot. We've picked out our favorites here.
The Ramen Spoon/Fork" ($12) designed by Masami Takahashi was originally created for use at the popular Sugakiya ramen noodle restaurant chain in Japan. Created as an ecological alternative to wooden chopsticks, this stainless steel version of the classic spork has a deeper spoon for increased functionality.
Splash Dipping Bowls ($40) from designer Akimasa Yamada are a functional interpretation of the classic motif. The design also creates an ideal groove to rest chopsticks—or maybe even your spork.


Crystal Cloud ($100), designed in 1979 by Yumiko Yoshimoto, is a cloud-shaped glass sculpture that replicates the precipitation cycle by forming water drops, becoming cloudy based on temperature. Each Crystal Cloud sculpture is mouth blown from borosilicate glass and shaped by hand.
The Hands-Free Umbrella ($50) made by Ryo Masaki has a flexible rubber handle that can be molded around your shoulder freeing your hands to carry other things. The heart-patterned umbrella is available exclusively from MoMA.
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We were lucky enough to attend the opening for the MoMA Design Store's new product collection, Destination Seoul, which highlights designers and products from South Korea. Buyers selected young, emerging Korean designers and their creations across a range of categories for a diverse curatorial of goods usually only found on the peninsula. As part of the MoMA Design Store's destination series and sponsored by...
Plus Minus Zero, the Japanese company co-founded by the master of minimal design Naoto Fukasawa, just released its fifth collection. Consisting of a table clock, a thermometer, a timer, a card case, a fan and an electric water kettle, the latest exudes a sense of austerity that, somehow, only Japanese design achieves. The success in Fukasawa's designs stems not only from a rigorous paring...
Following the success of Kidrobot's Dunny, the Bunny-esque doll that's been made over by some 60 artists (with a 3rd edition in the works), this coming November 3rd will launch Munny, the first DIY soft vinyl toy. A tabula rasa surface primes the 7" monkey-slash-alien figure for coloring, dressing, or otherwise customizing. Each doll, available in white, black, or glow-in-the-dark, comes with four mystery...
By Evan Orensten and Bailee Wolfson We got a sneak peak of the MoMA Design Store's Holiday 2009 products and wanted to share a few of our favorites. As always the store will have reissues, classics and lots of new designs. We were really excited that the price points for a lot of the new items are right for the times, with a lot of...
The latest country to get the MoMA Design Store treatment is a land more known for samba and sunshine than for industrial design. Playing to Brazil's strengths, the exclusive collection is heavy on handmade objects that take advantage of indigenous natural resources, such as this centipede-inspired fruit bowl composed of coconut fibers, sugar cane and wood. Also featuring both established and up-and-coming designers, MoMA's...
Melding the frivolity of balloon animals with the function of illuminating your personal space, these Blown Ups are quite the eccentric offering from Thelermont Hupton of London. Each piece is crafted with silver finished steel and are made from blown glass that combines the traditional handicraft of a glassworker with the every-day-magic of electric light that we often take for granted. They can be ordered...
