Design Goods Showcase

Take ordinary, standardized products: buttons, dishtowels, greeting cards, baby bibs, pencil cases, gift boxes. Now add the eye and hand of some of Japan's most creative designers, bringing warmth, creativity and a natural touch to everyday objects. This beautiful and inspiring book is a collection of simple manufactured items that take on a new luminosity as they are re-imagined: polar bears and penguins cavort on ''Northpole and Southpole'' drinking glasses; trash bags become fluffy bunnies; French biscuits transform into key chains. A wealth of natural botanical and animal motifs, vintage pattern re-makes, and even the most elegant moss-topped ceramic sheep ever (Chia Pets begone!).