I’m introducing a new Paper Bottle term today: “JDS”, and it stands for Japanese Design Series. Sorry for inventing the acronym — it makes for cleaner RSS headers (and I’m also too lazy to type it all out!)
Since I like a lot of great designs coming out of Japan, I’ll occasionally feature items under this new category.
The other night when I was surfing for unique furniture pieces (as I do a lot of these days), I came across the “Otomo Project” — a collaboration by two Japanese companies, Toua Forestry Co. and Shinko Co. (the latter specializes in fabrics). Masanori Ooharu is the lead designer of the Otomo Project.
Bear in mind that I don’t have a lot of background on the Otomo Project. Everything I read was interpreted from broken-albeit-impressively-translated English generated by Google Translate.
Since everything on their website suggests that this is a collaboration based on ideation and prototyping, I think most of the models featured haven’t been produced for consumers (yet). Furthermore, to paraphrase the translated text, the two companies state that “the Otomo Project aims not to necessarily make a marketable product, but instead, add value to society by achieving sustainable living”. I find this to be quite an inspirational objective, but regardless of the project’s intent, I appreciate the designs showcased on their site.
The designs are categorized into two lines. One interesting piece that caught my eye is from the “Frame Series” and amusingly is called, “Baby in The Table”. Again, that’s the translated name because I’m sure it has a more polished name in Japanese 
I’ll admit that it was actually refreshing for a change to see a descriptive product name (unlike a particular furniture store from Sweden).
“Baby in the table” in its most basic form is exactly what the name implies — a 1.1 meter long table that has a built-in baby seat. From the looks of it, the table could fit a baby that can safely sit upright on their own, until the age 2 (so they claim). Kaley just turned one in September and I could picture her sitting in this with all her books and toys in front of her. It could even serve as an alternate feeding/snack table.
The description says that this table is constructed using beech wood and has natural wood colour, both of which help the project stay true to addressing environmental and chemical safety concerns. Now, I’m not certain what they used for treating and finishing the wood, but it’s a safe bet that the project has good intentions considering it is proof-of-concept. Any how, I’m starting to really like wood products, particularly designs to don’t have excessively painted finishes. Something I will keep in mind when I go attend upcoming trade shows and visits to manufacturers.
Also, in keeping with the Otomo Project’s goal of sustainable designs, the site mentions that after your kids outgrow this table, it can be used as a “center table in your living room”. My first thought was, “wow, that’s a creative marketing spin”, but after looking at the pictures more, I could see that the seat area could house a set-top box (e.g. Apple TV, Roku, etc) or a game console. I like it.
Possible Improvements to the Design?
Being a parent of a young child, I can spot from the picture a potential functional improvement over the design. A common oversight of restraining seat designs is bad leg holes (e.g. some high chairs and those free-to-use strollers found at shopping malls). I find that I have to sometimes force Kaley’s legs into intricate yoga poses to get her into restaurant high chairs. Using the pictures for reference, her bum would already be sitting on the back bar before her legs go through the holes. I know it sounds like I’m nit-picking, but this is a big annoyance for me (and Kaley), especially if you’re by yourself (it’s exponentially harder if your kid is kicking and screaming). Usually Mish and I are together, which allows one of us to stick Kaley’s legs in while the other lowers her bum into the seat.
Perhaps leg holes that angle/slant towards the direction the legs naturally go in, or a rounded edge along the bottom-side of the thigh?
My Business Perspective
Overall, I like the “Baby in the table”. As I mentioned earlier, it helped educate me on what I like and what I would like to see in future products that I source. I suspect some people might find this design to be a little bland in comparison to many of the modern designs out there, but I find its simplicity and the Otomo Project’s goals to be very appealing. I particularly like the design and construction because it has hints of workmanship by a quality garage carpenter (which contrary to how that might sound, is not of poor quality), while at the same time being simple enough that my business-eye sees that the product could be flat-packed for transportation and cost efficiencies.
I might be back to share some of my thoughts of other Otomo Project pieces. If you know of any other cool Japanese-designed kid’s furniture, please share them below!
Link: The Otomo Project
