Beauty for a Moment

All images from: http://wasara.us/

I recently went to see a small exhibition in Axis Gallery in Tokyo. While there, I also had a look on the selection at Living Motif lifestyle shop. The shop carries many carefully selected goods for interiors and garden, and among them yet again, familiar Finnish products from Iittala and Artek.

My heart fluttered however when I came across this clever and beautiful product line of plates, mugs and cutlery: WASARA. Beautiful, timeless and practical design. With the kind of form and feel that makes you want to pick them up right away. The catch here is, that this collection of plates, mugs and cutlery is actually disposable, but they surely are hands down the coolest party plates I have ever seen.

Currently there are four different kinds of plates, two different kinds of bowls, four different kinds of drinking cups (a Japanese choko, tumbler, wine cup and coffee cup), and a set of cutlery in their selection. All have an ergonomically (and ahh so beautifully) designed shape – for example the cutlery feature a small carved vent, so they can be attached to the plates.

I didn’t fall in love with the plates and the cutlery only because of the way they look, but also because of how they feel in hand. Their texture reminds you of, say, Japanese washi paper. Warm and somehow rustic, yet refined. I reckon they are so beautiful, it will be actually painful – in a good way – to have to dispose of them after eating!

I was happy to learn that despite being disposable, WASARA products are however as environmentally friendly as disposable plates can be. They are manufactured from quickly renewable bamboo and bagasse, which is a by-product of sugar refining process. Bagasse is also often discarded, so I was happy to read they have discovered it can be used as the perfect base for paper making. The WASARA plates are also fully biodegradable.

I have to say though, that the first thing that surprised me with this brand was actually it’s name: ‘Vasara’ means ‘a hammer’ in Finnish. This is of course not where the name refers to however, but it is actually a clever combination of ‘WA’ ( the concept of harmony in Japanese aesthetics) and ‘SARA’ (plate or dish in Japanese).

WASARA has also teamed up with the popular Finnish Moomin Characters, and embossed them onto a selection of their plates and cups. Fun for the kids, but I have to say I personally prefer the original plates.

The WASARA concept incorporates Japanese traditions, aesthetics and knowledge from Japanese craftsmanship into their products – all facts that make me fall in love with the line even more. I feel like these plates *belong* in this house. We are thinking of hosting a small group of people for after-matsuri drinks and nibbles a couple of weeks later, and as we don’t have enough tableware to host a group of people,  these plates will most likely find their way onto our party table.