A collection that re-imagines the glass bong as a design object.
With the increasing acceptance of cannabis culture, there’s a new category emerging in contemporary design: smokeware. WEED’D by Milan-based Simone Bonanni Studio is a great example. Following on the footsteps of WOOD’D, a brand of accessories designed to bring more color to the everyday, the studio launched a new project that re-imagines the classic bong with an Italian design twist. The brand makes “design-centered smoking objects”, or ceramic bongs. Created in collaboration with young Milanese designers, the WEED’D collection aims to show that good design is necessary in order to change the discourse on a subject that still remains controversial in many states and countries. For the first series, Simone Bonanni created one design. Fellow designers Maddalena Casadei and Valerio Sommella each created their own version of the classic bong.
The bongs have simple names that reference their creators: SB001, MC001, and VS001. Each design is distinctive but also has a different concept. While SB001 starts from the process of abstraction of the traditional forms and aims to infuse the object with an emotional value, MC001 explores the ritual of smoking and optimizes ergonomics and tactility. Finally, VS001 offers a visual representation of the system of communicating vessels with a simple bent tube. All three products are handmade in limited quantities of 50 pieces by traditional Italian manufacturers. Made from glazed ceramic, the bongs come in three colors: Pink, Blue and Yellow. The first WEED’D collection is now available online and at selected retailers in Italy, Switzerland and France. Photography © WEED’D.
