Finnish homeware brand Iittala has collaborated with designer Philippe Malouin on a range of “sculptural and functional” ceramic and glass bowls called Kuru that help to organise the home.
The set of vessels comprises a glass bowl and cast ceramic bowls in three sizes, designed to store odds and ends such as keys, as well as a mouth-blown glass vase.
Kuru was designed by British-Canadian designer Philippe Malouin for the Helsinki-based company to “bring harmony to the interior”.
The bowls, which the designer describes as “home displays” are used to group the objects that hang around in the home in a way that is neat and tidy, but to “have a personality of their own when they are empty”.
“The French word ‘vide-poche’ refers to a bowl kept near the front door where you can empty your pockets into when coming home,” explained Malouin.
“Kuru pieces serve that exact purpose. The bowls allow you to neatly organise the personal belongings while displaying them in an interesting way.”
One of the ceramic bowls is a light grey, shallow dish with an oblong-shaped bowl, whilst the low, moss-green ceramic bowl and taller beige bowl both feature a regular round container.
All three are supported by a sculptural base that curves around the bowl form, with a corner of each vessel revealed.
“They are the result of a sculpting exercise done by removing matter by rotating basic geometric shapes around cylindrical volumes,” Malouin explained. “The collection’s timeless design identity is not dependent on trends.”
The shape of the glass bowls follows a similar pattern to the round ceramic bowls, and come in grey, moss green and seville orange.
Malouin was careful not to stray too far from Iittala‘s existing aesthetic language when choosing the colours for the collection.
“It was an exercise in both restraint and experimentation,” he said. “It was really important to us that none of the shades chosen were either masculine or feminine.”
The frosted-glass vases, meanwhile, stand 22.5 centimetres tall and come in clear and green colourways.
“I wanted to design a collection that helps people create centres of gravity in their homes and provides a place for precious objects and memories, regardless of the size of their living space,” said Malouin.
“They’re made for people who need a little help not to lose things,” he continued. “I personally use it to store my keys, my EarPods, and my bike lights.”
“The bowl helps me not to forget them in old jackets and be at a loss without.”
The Kuru collection will be exclusive to furniture and design store SCP when it launches early next year.
Earlier this year, Malouin designed the four-piece Barrel collection for SCP, which is based on the wooden, slated barrels used in the drinks industry and made from American white oak.
Philippe Malouin’s Kuru collection for Iittala is for people who lose their keys [Dezeen]