We may prefer our coffee strong and unadulterated, but a coffee maker itself doesn’t have to abide by such strict conventions of caffeinated design. Benjamin Hubert’s design agency LAYER takes on a softer geometric approach to the kitchen appliance with a gentle palette and tactile functionality designed to keep simplicity at the forefront of every cup brewed.
The Breeze is a softly modern coffee brewing appliance conceived for Korean food corporation Dongsuh. While the design firm attributes its mild modernity to the influence of mid-century design language, it’s also hard not to recognize some semblance to Naoto Fukasawa’s line of kitchen appliances for MUJI. All share a conscious attention to detail – “micro considerations” – each conceived not just to improve functionality, but also aware of the importance of designing objects imagined to visually and spatially cohabitate within a domestic interior peacefully.
The Breeze is composed of a simple arrangement of block forms, with a head that cantilevers from the body and an adjustable drip tray that doubles as a platform for a glass or coffee mug.
The resulting compact design offers an almost PEZ candy-like charm, inviting a touch across all of its surfaces. The coffeemaker’s concise and narrow profile is accentuated by a tall water tank and a ridged wrap-around base finished in matte white, charcoal, and light pastel pink, while the Breeze’s controls are equally simple, a tactile iconographic interface comprising just four backlit buttons.
No word yet about the machine’s proficiency at preparing a proper cup of coffee, but like a good single origin roast, the Breeze’s softened simplicity already appeals to one of our senses nary any additives.
