We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer teawith kettle about their original and creative Kettle design work. teawith kettle is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original kettle works.
teawith kettle ("TK") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Teawith Kettle. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
TK : We like to design an elegant, beautiful, and easy-to-use tea kettle on the tea tables. The electrical kettle is an ordinary kitchen appliance with a side handle, the side handle is necessary part of kettle design. When we started to design the kettle, we really want to bring an uplifting feeling to the kettle, eventually we designed a handle over the top. We truly believe that tea is very necessary part of life no matter in east or west, the Chinese culture carries a very unique philosophy over the tea and life, which brings a very special connection between team and good life, the unique shape of handle design brings not just the feeling to have a good life, it fills the vacancy and enrich your mundane life. The kettle actually changes the relationship between the people and the environment, makes people more easily to find their own tranquility when they enjoy the tea moment. We also adopted a new design over the power switch, we used a new technology of “Pressing switch”, you can simply and gently press the handle, the kettle starts to heat the water. We apply three principles in the design: •Create something that truly used in the daily life •The balance between art and technology, right thing, right place, right time. •A proper design will remain for a long time.
TK : We really emphasize “The right thing in the right place”. We got a lot of ideas when we designed the kettle, but we didn’t just simply to meet the desire of people, we thought deeply about the relationship between the stuffs and people, and how people interact with other people, how they show their care for other people. We believe that the eventual stage is “the right way”.
TK : We plan to develop a portfolio of products relating to the kettle and tea. Also we are going to launch oversea version of the kettle. We like all the people over the world can have such a beautiful kettle.
TK : It took us two years to complete the concept and product design.
TK : I am the people who love to drink tea, but I was haunted by one question: why every tea kettle is ugly?” I couldn’t find the answer, eventually I decided to create a beautiful kettle by myself. That was the starting of Teawith kettle at the end of 2014.
TK : Teawith is our own brand, and the Teawith Kettle is our own product. We supervise the production of the supply chain and assemble it in our own factory. Every part, every component is finely manufactured to meet our requirements.
TK : Tea is a necessary part of our daily life. It helps to bring the calmness to the start of the day. Based on this shared experience, we decided to create a tea appliance.
TK : The Teawith Kettle is a product created by a diverse team. To achieve a functional appliance with aesthetic beauty, we brought various designers with different background together, collaborated each other to create such a beautiful kettle.
TK : The middle class who cares about their quality of life. Because the Teawith Kettle controls the water flow very well, it provides people with a pleasant feeling. In addition to using it make tea, it can also be used to make coffee.
TK : Compared with other similar electric kettles, the Teawith Kettle is elegant and easy to use. On the one hand, the Teawith Kettle brings beauty and enjoyment to people's lives with its majestic, quiet, and appealing qualities. On the other hand, the Teawith Kettle’s unique, innovative design also invites a novel, engrossing experience, such as with the classic overhead handle design, convenient for a more comfortable grip. Simply press the handle down to starts boiling. It will come to a boi quietly, and with excellent control of the water’s flow. Due to its smaller capacity, it will quickly boil.
TK : In Chinese, the Teawith Kettle is pronounced ting kettle. "Ting” means “beside the water”. Our studio is located on a beautiful lakeside, right beside the water, where you can drink tea and have a serene experience. We hope that Ting kettle will bring the same experience to the poople.
TK : The Teawith Kettle was designed by Teawith Design and UDL (United Design Lab). The two founders of Teawith acted as product managers and art directors. When it comes to the technical points of the product, we worked alongside technicians and external experts.
TK : We did not follow the traditional manufacturing concepts behind most small household appliances but designed the Teawith Kettle with a pure aesthetic orientation, which meant that we had to break from existing practices and develop technological innovation. In the process, we encountered substantial difficulties. Fortunately, we selected suppliers who also wanted to innovate something new. In the end, we fully meet the requirements of design and produced the Teawith Kettle.
TK : The process of design is also the process of learning. While working, I was constantly seeking a balance between art and technology, pursuing the highest logical degree, which is to say the "an ultimately sensible stage that is as good as it can be”.
