Iconic Coca-Cola bottle recycled to create simple but useful tableware!
It is inspiring in today’s mass produced world to see a such famous brand follow the mantra of recycle. Especially if this brand is Coca-Cola. We are talking about its iconic contour bottles.
They were first in 1916, created by Earl J. Dean,inspired by the shape of a cocoa pod. Now, the Japanese design brand Nendo have launched a range of glassware based on recycling Dean’s bottles. Nendo used glass from old Coca-Cola bottles to make bowls with dimpled bases. They are meant to resemble the classic green bottles with their tops sliced off.
The Bottleware collection debuted at Designtide Tokyo in 2012. Is was shown a series of five dishes and bowls alongside a huge mound of crushed recycled glass. Bottleware collection is made from bottles that have deteriorated over the course of extensive recycling and can no longer be used for their original purpose.
With this project, the japanese studio wanted to retain the aesthetic characteristics which make the original piece so unique. The greenish-colored hue of the glass has been maintained, whereby the bottoms of each dish features the ring of dimples. Also the brand’s logo is visible. The dishes retain the shape of the lower half of Coke bottles, alongside the dimpling on the base of the bottle that characterised Dean’s design.
We were captivated by the particular green tint known as Georgia Green, and by the fine air bubbles and distortions that are a hallmark of recycled glass. So we decided to create simple shapes that would enhance these traits.
Nendo says that it chose not to stray far from the original design of the bottle as a comment on the constant recycling of glass in society.
Find out more on the Bottleware website
Photo credits by Coca Cola & Nendo