Life with Style — And Everything In Between

Who knew the first time I visited D&Department Project Osaka will be the last?

The D&Department Project Osaka closed it door on May 7th 2017. It is finding a new home for the irresistible collection of companion objects that you use daily. Opened with "long life design" as its central idea, some products in this so-called "select shop" might have you scratch you head and go "but that is not very special". That is exactly the point. A good design, can stand the test of time. A welled executed product dissolve into your life because it is just the way it should be. The value of such product cannot be found only in its craftsmanship nor flashy aesthetics. The value can be found when you use it or when IT service you.

If you feel "kid in a candy store" is too over-used, saying "designer in D&Department store" has the exact same meaning. I must have spent a good 2 hours in just the first floor! I grabbed a basket and start shopping but it is defiantly a very different experience than first time I visited Colette in Paris. On the left hand side, you can see a nice selection of bathroom and organization products and on the left, there are dinning, drinking and cleaning products. The space itself is boarder line mundane but I do find it helps me to consider more what "long life design" is and asking myself do I really need it. As Vivienne Westwood once said "Buy less, chose well and make it last". I ended up buy 2 things; a stainless steel spray can and a ceramic cake server. The spraying can has the most intriguing but natural handle design and the cake serve is made entirely of ceramic and has the most perfect shape. I will share with you my thoughts of these two products in later article.

Currently, D&Department has 13 stores across Japan and one in Korea. Make sure pay this place a visit. For those who is having a hard time grasp the concept of "normal but long lasting" designs, I would recommend you to visit as well. Walking into this store will open your mind on capitalism. If you ask me, this place is not a lifestyle store but it allows you to live your life with style.