Mimicking the Landscape – Hills Collection by Mikiya Kobayashi for Hiro Design

In 1936, Alvar Aalto designed possibly one of the most revolutionary pieces of glassware for Finnish design company Iittala. The design itself was part of competition that took place and, compared to decorative objects of the time, the simplicity in the organic shape was a real statement in a time that felt confused and full of unnecessary frivolities.

Fast forward to 2019 and the design has really come alive. Although you can always put a negative spin on the way commercialism has seeped in to the world of industrial design, there’s actually still some great work going on and you have to have a keen eye to spot them amongst the masses of work that doesn’t quite hit the mark. For this reason I pulled out the work of talented Japanese designer Mikiya Kobayashi for Hiro Design.

Mikiya is a talented designer and has been following the path of Naoto Fukasawa to design furniture and daily products that can make a difference in both Japan and the international market. The ‘Hills’ collection consists of three trays that combine perfectly and work as functional pieces of tableware. Crafted from aluminium, the side of the walls mimic the natural landscape to carry on many of the ideas that someone like Alvar Aalto brought forward during his time. Here are some pictures of my favourite pieces from the collection, more can be seen linked below. How can you use nature in your own work?

mikiyakobayashi.com
hiro.design

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