Forget the Maison Martin Margiela Ostrich feather pen and turn your attention to charcoal for an intelligent home novelty.

We've watched as Japanese bamboo charcoal at Boulettes Larder has gained popularity among the Gastronomes, and have long been enamored with the Chikuno Cube as an all-natural air freshener, but last month we were delighted to see other Binchotan products — like the famous "black toothbrush", known for radiating negative ions and providing a powerful deodorizing effect by removing the plaque and the cause of bad breath — gain mainstream appeal.

No longer an online exclusive, this cohesive heath and beauty Bichotan offering was spotted on a recent trendscaping safari at Inform in Vancouver, Canada. Using a QR technology as part of the product signage, the simple visual presentation was able to communicate the vast benefits of traditional and contemporary Japanese aesthetics to overseas markets. 

We believe that the strength of merchandising is often in simplicity (and quality never goes out of style), and adding the QR code provides instantaneous customer service.