Iron Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design · 2025
Coastal Bam Salt Jar for Collecting Brine
by Liang Hou
- A' Design Award 2025 Iron Winner in Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Zhejiang University
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 10,362
- Verification code 3888C707A8 · Verify this award
About Coastal Bam Salt Jar for Collecting Brine
Coastal Bam is a salt jar designed to collect brine in the coastal areas of southeastern China. Coarse salt is placed on the open upper bamboo funnel and scooped by hand for daily cooking. In humid air the coarse salt slowly deliquesces, and the brine passes through two woven bamboo filters that separate impurities. The clean brine is then used to make tofu and other soy products or to season food. Hand-woven moso bamboo funnels are joined to a corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy bottle of 300 milliliters, linking a local craft with a daily kitchen task.
Hou Liang's Coastal Bam Salt Jar for Collecting Brine represents a thoughtful meditation on the intersection of culinary tradition and contemporary design language, reimagining the ancient practice of salt preservation through a lens of accessible modern aesthetics that honor both functional necessity and visual delight. This tableware design participates in the ongoing conversation about how everyday domestic objects can elevate routine tasks into moments of aesthetic awareness, transforming the utilitarian gesture of salt collection and brine drainage into an opportunity for design appreciation within the daily rituals of food preparation. The work demonstrates compositional sophistication through its elegant integration of two distinct geometric vocabularies, the broad elliptical mesh bowl suggesting organic forms drawn from coastal environments, lily pads, or abstracted leaf structures, while the conical pedestal base provides stable architectural support that elevates the working surface to an ergonomically considered height, creating visual lightness and practical accessibility simultaneously. The chromatic achievement centers on the designer's selection of a vibrant spring green that enlivens kitchen environments while maintaining sufficient neutrality to integrate harmoniously within diverse domestic contexts, a hue that evokes growth, freshness, and the vitality of living plants while referencing the coastal bamboo materials suggested by the design name. The technical execution reveals careful attention to material appropriateness, the fine mesh structure allowing efficient liquid drainage while the smooth ceramic base provides visual and tactile contrast, creating a dialogue between the technical transparency of the perforated upper bowl and the solid sculptural presence of the supporting pedestal. The scale and proportion demonstrate ergonomic intelligence, the generous elliptical bowl offering ample surface area for salt collection while the stable base prevents tipping during use, and the overall height positioning the working surface at a level that accommodates comfortable interaction. This design seems to engage with broader cultural conversations about how contemporary makers can honor traditional food preservation practices while adapting them to modern kitchens, materials, and aesthetic expectations, the clean minimalist vocabulary speaking to current design sensibilities while the functional purpose maintains continuity with centuries of culinary tradition. The work invites consideration of how everyday objects shape our domestic experiences, how color and form can bring moments of visual pleasure into routine tasks, and how thoughtful design can acknowledge both the practical requirements of function and the human desire for beauty in our daily environments, asking viewers to contemplate the potential for even the most humble kitchen tools to serve as vehicles for aesthetic expression and cultural connection.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- CoastalBam Jar is a salt container designed for Chinese coastal communities to collect brine from coarse salt used in tofu and soy product preparation. It integrates dual bamboo weaving filters with a metal vessel to improve durability and hygiene. Drawing from regional customs and Feng Shui principles, the design modernizes tradition while ensuring cultural relevance and everyday usability.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Overall Height: 12.00 cm
Crystal Funnel Diameter: 16.00 cm
Crystal Funnel Height: 2.50 cm
Filter Funnel Diameter: 10.00 cm
Filter Funnel Height: 8.00 cm
Metal Bottle Opening Diameter: 10.00 cm
Metal Bottle Bottom Diameter: 6.00 cm
Metal Bottle Capacity: 300 ml
Bamboo Weaving Filter Aperture: 2 mm (Crystal Funnel), 0.5 mm (Filter Funnel)
Bamboo Weaving Funnel Material: Southeast Coastal Moso Bamboo
Metal Bottle Material: Aluminum Alloy (Corrosion-resistant Treatment)
Weight: Approx. 500 g
Color: Natural Bamboo Color, Green (Plastic Ring) - Tags
- Bamboo weaving, folklore, kitchenware, fishermen, salt pot
- Production Technology
- CoastalBam Jar combines traditional handmade bamboo weaving with modern metal processing technology. The bamboo weaving part adopts hexagonal holes and cross weaving method, which not only enhances the air permeability and filtration effect, but also ensures the smooth flow of brine. The metal bottle body is closely integrated with the bamboo weaving part through precise CNC processing.
- Design Challenge
- The most challenging aspect of this project was mastering the bamboo weaving techniques. As a beginner in this ancient intangible cultural heritage craft, I initially felt overwhelmed by the vastly different rules of each weaving method. Under the guidance of traditional artisans, I practiced tirelessly—from cross weaving to trapezoidal weaving, and finally to hexagonal weaving. My fingers were cut countless times during this process. Ultimately, I mastered each method and understood their unique characteristics, allowing me to seamlessly integrate this ancient craft into the design.
- Project Duration
- This project commenced in January 2024 in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, and was completed in March 2024 in Xiangshan, a traditional fishing village in Zhejiang. Following its completion, the design received the prestigious Red Dot Design Award in June 2024, recognizing its innovative approach and cultural significance. In October 2024, the project was showcased at the Red Dot Museum in Singapore.
- Operation Flow
- Step 1: The user places the coarse salt on top of the crystal funnel and uses their hand to scoop the salt for daily cooking.
Step 2: In the humid coastal environment, the coarse salt gradually deliquesces, and the brine flows into the filter funnel, where impurities are further separated to yield clean brine.
Step 3: The user uses the collected brine to make traditional soy products or season food. - Research
- This design research is an applied ethnographic study aimed at improving tools for coastal fishermen. The goal was to create a sustainable salt jar that aligns with traditional practices while solving issues like brine contamination. Through fieldwork and material testing, we identified challenges in fishermen’s cooking routines. The Brine Jar features an open-mouth design, inspired by fishermen’s habit of using their fingers to measure salt and the tradition of leaving coarse salt for Feng Shui purposes. We also explored bamboo weaving techniques to integrate them into the design.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by traditional fishermen in southeastern China, this design addresses the local practice of collecting brine from deliquescent coarse salt, which contains magnesium chloride impurities. To support this sustainable process, porous salt jars are crafted using regional bamboo weaving techniques. Bamboo, known for its flexibility and fast growth, is deeply rooted in the local culture and offers an eco-friendly solution for effective brine filtration.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Creator LiangHou, CoastalBam Jar, 2024.
Image #2: Creator LiangHou, CoastalBam Jar, 2024.
Image #3: Creator LiangHou, CoastalBam Jar, 2024.
Image #4: Creator LiangHou, CoastalBam Jar, 2024.
Image #5: Creator LiangHou, CoastalBam Jar, 2024. - Patents
- Copyright © [LiangHou], [2024]. All rights reserved.
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