Yusuke Watanabe takes inspiration from Coldplay's 'Parachutes' for new wall shelf

We never change, do we?

We never learn, do we?

So I wanna live in a wooden house

Where making more friends would be easy

I wanna live where the sun comes out.

As one of the early songs that put Coldplay on the global map, 'Parachutes' hits the nostalgia button for an entire generation. After more than two decades, the melody, coupled with lyrical felicity, is a welcome dose of serotonin and a familiar hug. Don't we all have songs that, like a time vortex, transport us back to a time that is reminiscent of a certain time, memory, or person? For product designer Yusuke Watanabe, Coldplay’s first album ‘Parachutes’ came with a pause and an idea for a new product design: “A universal shelf that holds anything in place!”

Watanabe’s exploration of this spark extended to the multiple meaning of the word ‘Parachute’. The extension of the word derives from the Italian word ‘parare’ (to protect) and the French word ‘chute’ (to fall). Guided by the music and terminology, Parachute then moves from the philosophical realm to design strategies. “Its clever design is influenced by how cloth pegs secure objects on a clothesline by clipping onto them. The multiple pegs or planks on the Parachute wall shelf hold your objects in place by gently ‘clipping’ them to the wall,” states the Japanese designer. Unlike most shelves that cantilever forward, Parachute sits flat against the wall until one of the pegs is tipped forward.

Transcending its functional aspects, the minimalist design and gradient colour palette make the Parachute wall shelf an abstract wall art. Made from coloured sheet-metal stripes, the wall shelf adds to the dialogue of a product catering to both needs and aesthetics. Furthermore, with coloured stripes separated by thin spaces and in gradient tones, the graphic design of the product is reminiscent of a modern parachute. His exploration of design mostly revolves around a single material, most often sheet metal and a unique play of vibrant colours, but none overlapping the other. The singular character of the material palette and the geometric forms used creates a design that has comparatively less carbon footprint .

Talking about the name and intent of Parachute, Watanabe shares, “I thought that was a rather fine name. I tried to think of devices that protect against falling. When in use, the plank for the section being used falls and hangs there. Your coat, your magazine... this protects them from falling. The sight of looking down on your parachute from up above is rather pleasing, too.” The creative perspectives of the designer extend beyond product and industrial design. In his Japan -based WD studio, he also works with art direction and graphic design. A series of small rugs ‘Tet,’ the furniture piece ‘C Base’ and the stool STL 33 are some of the other noteworthy works produced by the studio.