"Perfect” you say, is not possible. “Nothing is perfect!” is a cheery “f@#! you” spoken to children around the world whose clay figurine comes out disappointingly disfigured after baking. How can you possibly promise a “perfect” product to anyone? It’s irresponsible, it’s at the very least, a lie. 

But I’m going to try.

Let’s start by describing something that is, as close to perfect as they come. The platonic ideal of products. Sori Yanagi’s kitchen tongs.

1. They Work

   They are exceptionally useful in the kitchen. Whether I’m boiling dumplings, sauteing in a pan, or deep frying for Christ’s sake, they are the extension of my hand that deftly handles food in the environments that I can’t dip my fingers. And what’s with that shape at the end? It’s so rational, yet so human, almost like a “cupped hand” handling my food, rather than some arcane metal stick.

2. They’re Beautiful

   Read enough design magazines, and you’ll hear about the “japanese curve” and “curvature continuity” and all of that. Just know this. Sori worked in plaster and it shows. You’d be hard pressed to arrive at a shape so pleasing inside the confines of a CAD box…

3. They’re Simple

   Jesus, they’re one f@$!n part. A living hinge, a business end, and no mechanisms, no need for applied finishes, no superfluous anything. They’re the consomme of products: Reduced and clarified until nothing else remains, just the pure intent.

4. They’ll last forever, or when they don’t, they’re recyclable

   I think I’ve owned my pair of tongs for over a decade. I probably bought them at some designey store purely on their aesthetic merits. Only over time have I realized what a joy they are to use. They don’t particularly wear when used, and for that reason, I don’t think I’ll ever need to buy a replacement. And…… even if I were to replace them, the tongs are a singular and simple stainless steel part, making them highly recyclable, with an obvious circular waste stream.

So that’s the north star. The direction. Products that make your life better for using them, that you enjoy using and having around, that stay out of the landfill for as long as they can, but have a circular waste stream when they die.

It’s a new era for products. For us and for our planet, it has to be.