02 Intro

09 Editor's Letter

12 Retail Scene
Balmuda's retail strategy seen through Tsutaya appliances

18 Opinions
Satoshi Wada, CEO of SW Design

22 Lineup I
Five lineups of Air products

24 Inner Space
Design and core technologies of the Air product line

34 Lineup II
Kitchen product line with three lineups

36 Test
Cooking process utilizing the main features of the kitchen product line

42 Opinions
SWNA CEO Lee Seok-woo

46 In Use
Commercial Space Owners Explain How Balmuda Products Work

52 Voices
The Meaning of Balmuda: Hearing from Four Home Appliance Designers

60 Opinions
Choi Moon-gyu, operator of the blog "My View"

64 At Home
Balmuda users share their philosophy on space and lifestyle.

78 Small Giants
A powerful Japanese company that creates premium home appliance brands

92 Brand Story
The birth and growth of Balmuda

102 Record
Balmuda Creative Team Development Diary Serialized on Facebook

106 Partnership
Partners in various fields who collaborate with Balmuda

110 Creative Department
The Creative Team Talks About Their Design Process and Work Culture

114 Interview
Balmuda CEO Gen Terao

120 Figures
Numbers showing Balmuda's growth and present

122 Prizewinners
A Look at the Flow of Design Award Winners, Focusing on Balmuda's Awards

125 Outro

Magazine <B> is an ad-free monthly magazine that introduces one well-balanced brand from around the world each month, discovered from JOH's perspective.
A serious yet readable magazine for everyone interested in brands, from brand executives contemplating new business ventures to those seeking to develop a sense of branding.


This is the fifty-seventh issue of magazine <B>.

It must have been about 20 to 30 years ago.
Looking back, it seems that, aside from the dining table where we eat three meals a day, it was the 'machine' that brought the family together.
When a new TV took over the living room, when an air conditioner taller than a person stood tall in a comfortable spot next to the sofa, when an oven that could cook in various ways took its place in the kitchen, even the most reserved people's mouths naturally opened.
Even though the controls were a bit complicated, and there were a constant stream of features that were too difficult to grasp at first glance, I didn't complain.
Because the bigger, more complex, and more difficult something was, the more mechanical it was considered.
Even when it required cumbersome work, they moved for the machine without complaint, and were even willing to bend their backs or knees.
Becoming familiar with a machine meant that I first approached the machine and adapted my behavior to its mechanisms.
The machine didn't give in easily.
It seems that many home appliances have become an occupying force in the living room, kitchen, and each room.

But things are different now.
Since cell phones became 'smart' phones, home appliances have taken on the look of designer chairs and can even be controlled remotely from outside the home.
There are even tempting talks of combining it with artificial intelligence to reduce housework.
Machines are starting to approach people.
At the center of it all is the brand that magazine B introduces in this issue.
Balmuda started out as a one-man company in Japan in 2003, manufacturing computer peripherals and is now attracting a lot of attention by manufacturing fans, toasters, air purifiers, and other products.
They don't produce a wide variety of products like most of the larger appliance companies.
If you add up all the products currently on the market, there aren't even about 10 types.
But it stands out from all other brands in that a small number of products leave a deep impression.
That imprint begins with the senses, not the spectrum of size or function.
It is a machine that recreates the pleasant breeze that brushes your cheek in the middle of nature, and the moistness of freshly baked bread that you tasted at a bakery you happened to stop by while traveling abroad.
For example, their humidifiers, which resemble jars, are designed to pour water directly onto the body.
Not only did it reduce the inconvenience of installing and removing a separate water tank, it also maximized the pleasure of filling water, like watering a flower pot.
That pleasure is also evident in details such as materials, design, and finish.
Many users call Balmuda a 'furniture-like appliance' for this reason.

Balmuda's presence does not come from 'home appliances'.
Performance and technology are merely mediators, and the focus is on 'what value is gained from technology?'
Terao Gen, the CEO, also says, “We do not conduct research aimed at technological development itself,” and “Only when we have a firm goal of creating such a product do we repeat research and experiments to achieve it.”
Also, they don't describe their products by listing specifications that are completed by layering complex principles.
This is probably because the product has soon become a language.
When the product's original function becomes language, there is no need for flashy marketing or promotions.
At this point, I think Balmuda's attitude toward its products is similar to how we meet someone we love.
Even though I talk about my ideal type with various qualifications, I can't quantify why I love my current partner.

As I looked at Balmuda products and listened to the voices of Balmuda users, I thought about the items I use with affection in my daily life.
And I'm reminded again that my attachment to that object isn't born from the price or the brand's reputation, but from the experiences I've accumulated with the object.
I think that bond will not be easily shaken.

Editor-in-Chief Park Eun-seong