today is May 24, 2022
Project Rotate, an L.A.-based design studio, sells an unusual series of items on their online shop: Desktop Zen garden sand rakes. (I didn't realize enough people had that hobby to make the business viable.) Made of acrylic and walnut, they're available in the following varieties:
A six-piece Groove set:
A six-piece Ridge set:
Five individual styles of closer-to-traditional Kawaerakes:
And a Leveler, for when it's time to start over.
I learned about these rakes from designer Yuki Kawae, who collaborated with Project Rotate on the rakes. Kawae makes mesmerizing sand art videos like this:
Lastly I'll say, for those of you with 3D printers, I'd think designing and making rakes and selling them on Etsy might be worth a shot.
If you have a project from last year that you’re proud of then take a few minutes to send it in to the 2022 Core77 Design Awards. We have 18 categories of practice, and for this year we have a special Sustainability Prize for any projects that have a beneficial environmental impact. Check out designawards.core77.com for details and schedules.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.