Why the Wabi Nabe Cast Iron Pot is much like cat fur - Design Bureau

 

 

 

 

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Why the Wabi Nabe Cast Iron Pot is much like cat fur

Friday, March 9th, 2012

By Lauren Carroll

If you're scratching your head over as to why ODLCO compared their new Wabi Nabe Cast Iron Pot to cat fur. There's a precedent. Bruno Munari says in Design as Art (1966) that designers should create objects that have forms that are as inevitable as the fur on a cat. And apparently, ODLCO and Wabi Nabe designer Gabriel Hargrove strongly believe this, too. The concept is also found in the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi. “Objects should feel natural and easy but also, like cat fur, there should be a bit of variation and unpredictability,” says Lisa and Caroline, cofounders of ODLCO. 

The unpredictability is found the oversized craggy handles of the pot, inspired by a charred wooden mantle piece ravaged by the California wildfires, which Hargrove serendipitously discovered while hiking near his home in Southern California. And surprise, the pot is very functional—you can even make bread in it. In true California fashion, Hargrove was interested in the interplay between indoor and outdoor cooking, hence the small size for mobility. Not to mention that the pot is perfect for cooking that romantic dinner for two. “People have gotten creative in how to use it, doing things one could never do in a traditional Dutch oven – making popcorn, deep frying, baking bread.” 

Try not to think so much about the connection between a cat and a cooking pot and just consider the Wabi Nabe Cast Iron Pot a good multi-purpose buy.

The Wabi Nabe is $175 at .o-d-l.co

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