Hasta La Ideas

Carved out of wood from Japanese trees, Hidetoshi Takahashi’s new series of cups for design-oriented boutique Merchant No. 4 are excellent examples of his meticulously executed work. The series offers two styles, the Cara and Kami.

The Cara cups, designed by Rina Ono, include a tea cup, a milk cup and an egg cup, all comprised of wood from the Linden tree. The Kami is a collection of three various-sized drinking cups, made out of wood from the Castor Aralia tree. Both the Cara and Kami cups are solid wood and coated in a food-safe resin to protect the wood from liquids. With their brilliant finish, the cups are not only great for their intended purpose, but also as a small flower vase or pencil holder.

Takahashi, who works from his studio in Asahikawa, formerly only sold his products in Japan. His series for Merchant No. 4 is the first available work from him for the U.S.

The cups are available from Merchant No. 4 and range in price from $15-85.