corcelain's ceramic cups have custom 3D printed feet and screws

mountable legs, handles, lids, and more under homeware

Kosuke Takahashi and 224 Porcelain release Corcelain, a series of ceramic cups and vessels with mountable 3D printed feet and screws. Dubbed the world’s first customizable porcelain vessel, each object comes with a screw hole at the bottom, so users can add vibrant legs, handles, lids, and more under every homeware piece. The design is inspired by a term in traditional Japanese ceramics called Kodai, which is the raised circle shape on the bottom of cups and bowls that allows the homeware to be more stable. In Corcerlain, the ceramic cups and vessels make use of Kodai for the 3D printed feet and parts, raising the objects while giving them a more playful yet functional look.

Because the parts are 3D printed, the users can customize the kind of mountable objects for their ceramic cups and vessels. ‘As a maker and 3D printer user myself, it’s hard to make things safe for food or drink,’ Kosuke Takahashi shares with designboom. ‘Standard materials like PLA and ABS aren’t food-safe, and even with safer filaments, the layered surfaces trap food particles. That’s where the idea of a modular vessel came from. You could mix and match ceramic bases with whatever extensions you dream up. That way, we solve the hygiene issue and, at the same time, give anyone the power to customize everyday objects like cups and plates. Corcelain became a reality thanks to a collaboration with 224 Porcelain, which is a traditional kiln in Yoshida – Saga, Japan.’

all images courtesy of Kosuke Takahashi/ootori

corcelain’s ceramic cups come with custom 3D printed parts

There’s a backstory to why the maker Kosuke Takahashi started Corcelain with pottery manufacturer 224 Porcelain. He tells us that traditional craft industries in Japan are facing a crisis, so he wants to bridge this with the use of current technologies like mountable 3D printed parts for the ceramic cups. He worked with a craftsman named Mr. Tsuji, who has been trained in traditional porcelain techniques that have been around for 400 years. ‘The idea of adding a screw hole to the base only worked because of Tsuji-san’s touch, combining technology with delicate, hands-on adjustments from his artisanal intuition,’ Kosuke Takahashi explains.

This is how he conceived the name Corelain for the series of ceramic cups and vessels with 3D printed feet and screws. It is a blend of ‘co-creation’ and ‘porcelain’, a hint at the use of traditional craftsmanship techniques with present technologies. The manufacturer 224 Porcelain steps in here, too, through its use of machines like CNC and 3D printers in their pottery works, which has allowed Kosuke Takahashi to realize his series. For Corcelain, the inventor also draws inspiration from the Japanese word ‘utsuwa’ which translates to ‘vessel’ or ‘container.’ But this word has its roots in the term ‘utsuho’ which means ‘emptiness’, but one that is waiting to be used. At the bottom of the Corcelain’s ceramic cups, it comes through as the kodai, the hollow bottom, allowing the users to bolt in the custom 3D printed feet, screws, and parts they have designed in varying colors.

Kosuke Takahashi and 224 Porcelain release Corcelain, a series of ceramic cups with 3D printed feet