You throw most products out once they stop working, you throw other products out when they become redundant, but you also throw some products out simply because you don’t like the way they look anymore. This is a terrible habit you have and we need to stop. While it is not something that society actively frowns upon, we need to be accountable for the consequences that this behavior is having on our planet. One angle we can take to making a change is to add value to the things we own as they age.

One of the biggest factors in falling out of love with our belongings is no longer liking the way it looks, time isn’t a kind mistress to all products. White’s yellow over time, cords kink, fabrics pill, edges chip, styles date and photo evidence of our poor fashion choices live on to forever remind us that your feather-trim sheer cardi was more très bleak than très chic. The ideal situation is of course products that all together escape obsolescence along with the comings and going of fashion trends and this can be better achieved through a range of different approaches that both designers and buyers can adopt. These include classic, timeless and simple silhouettes, choosing materials that age well combined with quality parts and if possible a few clever extras like modular components that are easy to fix/replace, customize and if you are handy, hackability.

Kaikado‘s Chazutsa metal tea caddies After your purchase you will perceive a normal yet subtle change in the colour tone of your Chazutsu: copper in 2-3 months, brass in 1-2 years and tin in 3-5 years. Like fine wine Chazutsu becomes even more appreciated with age.

The Japanese have a long history of design and have defined many aesthetic principles which continue to be both relevant and applicable even in today’s trending minimal and modern aesthetics. Sabi means desolate or rust and describes a beauty which has been acquired through patina. Kaikado is a Japanese company who have been producing quality metal tea caddies and storage canisters since 1875 which patina over the time. This patina is a desired effect which represents quality and the evenness of this patina reflects the fine care and handling of the owner. This is an excellent example of Sabi as this patina grows the value of the object, creating a bond between owner and product.

Bethan Laura Wood, Stain Stain is a set of a teacups designed to improve through use. This project examines the assumption that use is damaging to a product.

Wood London’s Stain drinkware is a creative and modern inception of aging as gaining (or Sabi). The interior surface of the cup is treated so as to stain more in predetermined places. The more the cups are used, the more the pattern is revealed. A build up of an individual pattern occurs depending on the users personal way of drinking. This staining is individual to each user and can offer a perceived growth or gaining in value to the user as they are presented with this intensely personal platform of expression. This is excellent in my own opinion as it offers any person, even those who would not consider themself creative, an opportunity to claim creativity because in this case, the pattern cannot emerge without the help of the user.

NOTE TO DESIGNERS: If you love something you are far less likely to throw it out, I think we can all agree on this. As designers we need to offer users users as many angles as possible on their products to create a sense of gained value over time. Things will age this is inevitable, so why not make aging for for us instead of against us?