Get inspired and redesign your kitchen with blomus.com

Japan has an exceptionally long and successful history of producing ceramics, and this proud heritage is visibly present in the new tableware series by blomus, named Kumi. Comprising a total of 18 matching pieces, the range includes traditional Japanese items, such as the small bowl and jug for soy sauce, as well as the characteristic tea mug with no handle, but there are of course also European classics such as the coffee- and espresso cup plus saucer – making Kumi as versatile as it is beautiful.

The exceptional softness of the ceramic items results from a special technique – so-called reactive glazing – which often causes small irregularities, giving each item its own unique personality. True to the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi, according to which beauty is found only in the imperfect, these pretty little marks are considered traits of personality rather than flaws. The same goes for the inevitable scratches and other marks of use that will appear over time on the delicately glazed surface as you enjoy the plates, bowls and other ceramic items and include them in your daily life.

Kumi, which takes its name from the Japanese word for eternal beauty, was created by the blomus design team. It is available in two colours: a soft, gentle Fungi and a dark, powerful Espresso-brown.

Simplicity has always been at the heart of the blomus DNA. We believe in honest materials, bold shapes and clean, harmonious silhouettes, and we prefer design defined by modern minimalism which still emotes a sense of warmth and affability.

However, all this is not merely a matter of taste, trends or individual preferences. While we may be striving to design contemporary products that will fit seamlessly into the modern home, we also wish to go beyond the fleeting crazes and short-lived trends, and instead explore ways to enhance the quality and longevity of our relationships with the objects that we choose to live with. Put more plainly: we wish to make the cutlery, drinking glass or footstool that will remain in your life for years to come. Simply because you love them too much to let them go!

This season, we invite you to join us in celebrating the simple objects that make our daily lives a little less complicated, and in turn more enjoyable. A sturdy, wooden stool that will fit perfectly in your kitchen as the place to rest with the paper and a cup of coffee after work. A stack of well designed, easy-to-use bowls and plates that you will set out on the table every day – for that quick snack or for a home-cooked meal with family or friends. Or something as mundane as a cutting board that doubles as a tray and stops those crumbs from littering the kitchen counter, making a daily ritual a little easier and more efficient.

Because sometimes simple does the trick – and often the things that are not only easy on the eye but also serve a well-defined purpose, and fit naturally into our daily routines, are the ones we will keep forever.

One all-time kitchen classic is the cutting board, and reinventing this seemingly rather mundane product for the home chef might seem a rather futile task for any designer. Nevertheless, that is exactly what German designer David Meier did for blomus, with his Zen series: two brand-new cutting boards that double as trays with slim edges when turned upside down and have been named after the elegant and meticulously well-kept Japanese rock gardens.

The Japanese-inspired name seemed fitting on account of the pattern of the milled grooves in the boards, which serve the practical purpose of catching and containing those crumbs from your freshly cut bread which so often (irritatingly) end up littering your breakfast table or kitchen counter. The thoughtfully considered Zen boards in solid oak are a fresh and welcome take on multifunctional kitchen utensils – and when paired with the Ro or Sablo tableware range, it will take your table decor to a whole new level of sophistication.