DESIGN NAME: Teawith Kettle
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Kettle
INSPIRATION: ‘ To design a beautiful and useful kettle, which can sit naturally on a tea table.’This is the original motivation.
The project started in 2014. As tea lovers we found that: almost each element of tea serving had been designed considerably, yet when it came to boiling water, there were not much good choices on the market. The traditional iron teapot is beautiful yet not convenient for everyday living, and the mainstream western-style electric kettles are set up for kitchen scenario (large volume, rough appearance and interaction), and is not suitable for tea.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: TEAWITH tried to create an unique tea experience that fits in modern lifestyle, while retaining the essence of oriental aesthetics. 1 The sense of quietness. The Oriental arched handle offers an classical elegant outline, yet the upright form is more reminiscent of Western design. The base takes design queues from traditional square-shape iron teapot stand. 2 Unique interaction. Hold the handle and press, and the kettle is turned on - one step in a fluid unconscious action. 3 Export in tea. The narrow spout offers excellent control of water flow, and ensures a clean and pleasant brewing experience.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: 1. Remove the lid and fill fresh water into the kettle.
2. Close the lid.
3. Place the electric kettle on the base, and connect the plug to the power socket outlet.
4. Press the handle or the switch to activate kettle heating program.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in November 2014 in Beijing, China. The prototype of the kettle was released on Milan design Week 2016. At the end of 2017 the kettle went into mass production. It was exhibited in Good Design Tokyo in October 2017, and Good Design Exhibition in Tailand in January 2018.
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Teawith kettle use stainless steel for the body, aluminum overhead handle, and kirsite metal for the base. The curve of the handle is specially designed for a more comfortable and effortless grip. The base has a specially designed counterweigh , that prevents it being dragged or moved easily, and the whole kettle is stable and robust in use. The capacity is one bottle of water: 550ml, and water to be boiled in a length of a song - 200 seconds, with very little noise.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: 190mm x 140mm x 230mm
DIA:120mm
TAGS: tea pot,kettle,Teawith kettle,electric kettle, tea utensil, tea set, tea ceremony
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: With the shrinking of living space and the change of people's lifestyle, the usages and using scenes of many traditional appliances are changing. For example, the kitchen and living room boundaries are increasingly blurred, so that many kitchen appliances using scene gradually shifted to the entire living space. Family unit become smaller, and people care more about the quality of life.
The mainstream electric kettle on the market has been set up for kitchen appliances (large volume, rough appearance and interaction). But today more and more people are using electric kettles to serve tea, coffee and other beverages outside the kitchen, while the size, shape and interaction of traditional electric kettles are out of place in these new use scenarios, and looks too 'cold' and industrial.
In China and many other Asian countries, tea is a daily routine. People are very particular about what they use on a daily basis as well as on a tea ceremony. We have visited many heavy tea drinkers living in different cities and with different backgrounds, to get insight of their needs. How do they drink tea within the modern life style, and what the true need is.
CHALLENGE: There are many technical difficulties when it came to the realization. Teawith kettle adopts double-layer stainless steel structure to achieve product appearance while satisfying performance. And The Overhead Handle-Switch is innovative yet also brings challenge to the structure design and manufacturing.
ADDED DATE: 2018-12-10 03:48:48
TEAM MEMBERS (2) : Art Director: Liu Fang, Keren Hu and Designer: Ding Fan, Fang Jianping, LiYu, Luo Tianze, Zeng Yuan
IMAGE CREDITS:
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Appearance Patent No for the pot:ZL 2016 3 0030741.4
Appearance Patent No for the mat:ZL 2016 3 0030742.9
Utility model Patent No:ZL 2015 2 0882966.2
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