Shiba Saucepans + Frying Pan

Forget the old adage about too many cooks in the kitchen. A cooking crazed culture has resulted with kitchens with too many pots! Going back to basics and the very essentials needed, Naoto Fukasawa created this tight collection called Shiba for Italian house Alessi. The name refers to a Shiba dog, which best expresses "Japanese characteristics," observes Naoto, a rock star of sorts in the design community, in large part for having ushered IDEO into dominance. He has since operated under his own studio, creating products with his signature minimalistic rigor yet "friendly" rounded edges. The Shiba pots boast their own, from the high-grade aluminum to the sturdy yet comforting plywood handles. "With this range of products I wanted to create tools that people can continue to use throughout the years," he adds, "rooting in their culture, repairing rather than replacing them, somehow even enjoying the signs of use they acquire over time, as habits and taste evolve."