Kokedama Collection
Product Design . Production . Retail
Inspired by the fragile world that exist outside our windows, We Smell The Rain’s Kokedama collection fuses a time-honoured Japanese technique with contemporary craftsmanship.
Design thinking.
One of the principal motivation of We Smell The Rain is to remind people of the necessity to treat nature with kindness – to pay attention to the small things, to notice when things start to take a turn for the worse. The Kokedama collection is all about bringing this ethos of care into the homes and lives of city dwellers, so they can in turn direct this awareness out. Like small planets, the Kokedama are eco-systems in and of themselves, and just like the planet at large they require specific care and attention in order to thrive.
Kokedama is a Japanese word that can be loosely translated as ‘moss ball’. It’s an old traditional Japanese art form also called the ‘poor man’s bonsai’
Each Kokedama was 100% hand made to order.
Online store packaging. All Kokedama were packaged and posted throughout Europe with a plant specific care card.
Crafting.
Influenced by the aesthetic theory of wabi-sabi (侘寂), the Kokedama Collection celebrates simplicity and the integrity of natural materials and processes. Its clever design means that layers of soil, moss and thread not only create a self contained vessel for the plant to grow but a living sculptural object.
Project reflection.
Started back in 2015 the Kokedama collection was available in a variety of plant types and sizes. This collection encouraged city dwellers to bring the natural world inside. Every Kokedama was 100% handcrafted in our Amsterdam studio. They were sold in high-end design stores throughout Europe and our online shop. We now sell the Kokedama Magic Tree exclusively to the high end design store, The Conran shop in Paris and London (Marylebone & Chelsea). It was featured in numerous Design and Interior Design magazines, ie Vogue, worldwide, design blogs ie. Trendland, IGNANT, design hotels, resturants and workspaces ie. Hyatt.
Where can I buy one?
We have stopped producing our real kokedama at this point. In the future we may consider producing a small limited run of the kokedama. If you are interested please sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of the page.
For now we are focusing on our artificial kokedama range. These come in a variety of plant types and sizes. See here Forever Alive to King Size
Sharing our knowledge
For 2 years we hosted Kokedama crafting workshops for the public, events and corporate companies. This was the perfect way to bring yourself, friends or team together and connect back with nature, get your hands dirty, all while learning this traditional Japanese art. Our aesthetic is clean and minimal. Our focus is on high quality materials and detailed finishing. We hosted 15 - 35+ people. While these workshops are not our focus, we do enjoy hosting them for a minimum of 20 people. Please contact us for more information.
