Nendo designs space helmet-shaped vessels and cascading tables for Zens

Nendo has designed a range of products for Chinese lifestyle brand Zens, including a chair based on the design of a paper clip and glass vases shaped like space helmets.

The Japanese design studio's collection for Zens ranges from bowls and vases to tables and chairs.

This includes a series of vases and bowls called Scent, which take the form of glass spheres that Nendo likens to "space helmets" that encapsulate tall vases and shallow bowls.

Each glass hood features a circular opening through which the flower, plant or fruit can be seen.

The unusual hooded design keeps the scent of the encased item close, like a bell jar over a scented candle, so that when the user gets close to the vase they enjoy a more intense smell.

Nendo made a version of this design in frosted glass to hide the content thus "intensifying awareness of the sense of smell".

The Japanese brand also designed a five-piece Waterfall table line for Zens – comprising side tables, a dining table and a coffee table. The series takes its name from its structure, which is designed to mimic water falling from rocks above.

Two of each of the tables' four legs are formed from one tube of metal that has been bent at various points, causing it to cascade across and down the tabletop and its attached seats onto the floor.

"The table legs that should ordinarily support the tabletops appear instead to be supported by them, giving rise to a distinctive floating impression," said Nendo.

The tables are available in different colours including black, white, mushroom-grey, slate-grey, brick-red and teal.

A side chair and a lounge chair, each shaped like a paper clip, are also included in the collection for Zens. Both chairs comprise a thin frame made up of one curved pole forming the back and armrests, attached to four straight poles for the legs that support a flat, circular seat.

An accompanying cushion can be slid onto the seat and held into place between the arms and the two legs they are attached to – much like sliding a paper clip onto an object.

Seat and back cushions can be added or removed depending on preference, and come in a variety of fabrics and colours.

The smallest product in the collection is the Cone container, named for its conical shape. The container's opening is concealed only halfway, leaving space for the user to place their contents inside without it being on full display.

Sat on its side, the user can roll the cone upside down to easily retrieve the contents. When released, the weight of the half-covering will then gently bring the cone back to its original position.

While there are five different sizes and depths available, each cone is designed for small belongings from sweets to paper clips. The longer cones can be used to hold thin items like pens and pencils.

Nendo also designed an accompanying mirror for one of the cones, which can be placed over the opening.

Lastly, the Japanese brand created a selection of wooden side tables for Zens called Cut that outline the shape of cuboids with a section of the frame cut out.

Grooves cut into the wooden frame allow a sheet of glass to slide into the top part, acting as a tabletop. Nendo designed four pieces for the brand: two side tables, a console table and a coffee table.

Previous products Nendo has designed for Zens include a set of fungi-inspired bowls that appear "as if one is growing out of the other" and a series of furniture with triangle-shaped bases.

Taiwanese studio Yuhsien also designed a series of amorphous glass hoods designed to look like bubbles, similar to Nendo's Scent vessels, which are designed to be placed over vases.

Photography is by Akihiro Yoshida.

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