Chances are, the colorful chopping boards and bright salad bowls that jump out at you from aisles of boring steel home products are courtesy of Joseph Joseph.
“We understood that you need functional products, but you got to make them look cool because functional products usually look awful,” says Richard Joseph, who along with his twin brother, Antony, launched a line of stylish, award-winning kitchenware in 2003. And though their products are sleek and smart (just check out their Elevate tools, below right, to see what we mean) they’re affordable enough for young pseudo-cooks like you.
“We cook, but [we] like casual cooking. We love to entertain, and we don’t take cooking too seriously,” says Joseph. “So we want our products to be durable and fun. Our products are much more about allowing people to have [a good time] with their cooking.”
Five products in his kitchen
1. “The idea is that you can chop on this cutting board that has a handle. When you squeeze the handle, it turns into a chute and then you can pour the food on your board directly into a pot.” Joseph Joseph Chop2Pot, $16, www.josephjoseph.com
2. “You know we drink a lot of tea in the U.K., so a kettle is an important piece of kitchen equipment. I like Michael Graves’ Whistling Bird Kettle. When the water boils it whistles a chime, like a bird.” Alessi Michael Graves Whistling Bird Kettle, $175, www.amazon.com
3. “These are classic French kitchen knives. I think the design is iconic. They’re stunningly beautiful; and when you hold one, it’s very well-balanced, which is very important.” Sabatier cooking knife, $46, www.sabatier.us
4. “Initially, we were designing for small kitchens where you have small, square sinks. So we maximized the size of the strain of the colander by making it square. Also, the design of the handle is very ergonomic and easy to use. I have it in lime green. I love lime green in my kitchen.” Joseph Joseph Square Colander, $8, www.josephjoseph.com
5. “Microplane uses a particular type of metal on their graters and it’s amazing. It is really sharp and does really fine grates. They are so superior to others on the market.” Microplane Artisan series grater, $10, www.microplane.com
Their most popular products
“Our range of kitchenware called Elevate, which are tools with elevated heads, so they don’t come into contact with the table or surfaces, making them hygienic. When you put them down, they are always elevated off the table.”
