During the Valentine's Day sales season, I see all kinds of chocolates lined up in shops all over the city. The taste varies depending on the type of cacao and the flavor mixed.

However, the "chocola texture" announced by Oki Sato, the chief designer who runs the design company nendo, is a little different. By changing the "shape" of the same raw material, we created chocolate that changes the taste.

Chocolate that enjoys changing taste with texture
Chocolate that enjoys changing taste with texture

"Chocola texture" is nine types of chocolate whose "shape" creates a change in taste. All of them have a size that fits within 26 x 26 x 26 mm, but the texture is changed by changing the shape, such as the tip is sharp, the inside is hollow, and the surface is rough.

For example, "tubu-tubu", which is a collection of many particles, "toge-toge", which has a sharp tip, and "fuwa-fuwa", which has many holes. , "Poki-poki" with four laps shaped like a linear skeleton.

From the left, crush, thorn, fluffy, fluffy
From the left, crush, thorn, fluffy, fluffy

Mr. Sato, who announced "chocola texture," was awarded the Designer of the Year at Maison et Objet, France's largest interior design exhibition.

In the award-winning interview video released on the event's official website, Mr. Sato said as follows.

"For example, I go to the same cafe or ramen shop and order the same thing every day. At one point, I notice a subtle difference. That's what inspired me to come up with new design ideas."

Mr. Sato, a designer who talks about his work (Source: Maison et Objet official website)
Mr. Sato, a designer who talks about his work (Source: Maison et Objet official website)

Small changes that exist in everyday life that look the same at first glance. The sensibility to transform the inspiration received from it into a form and create the only "work" in the world is truly professional.

Inspiration from trivial "awareness"
Inspiration from trivial "awareness"

Unfortunately, it seems that "chocola texture" is not planned to be sold in Japan, but you can feel the difference in shape with any chocolate. When you eat chocolate next time, why not pay attention not only to the flavor but also to the difference in shape and texture.

* Editor's note: Even in Japan , a limited number of Valentine's chocolate special products from 13 Seibu and Sogo stores are on sale from January 24th. The price is 5,400 yen for 9 pieces and 1,944 yen for 3 pieces, both including tax. The stores that handle it are as follows.

・ Seibu Ikebukuro Main Store Shibuya Store Funabashi Store Tokorozawa Store Tsukuba Store Higashi Totsuka Store Kasukabe Store Odawara Store

・ Sogo Yokohama store Chiba store Omiya store Kawaguchi store Kashiwa store

* All images are sourced from the nendo official website (photos by Akihiro Yoshida), except for those with special notations.