Iron Homeware Design · 2026
Banana Na Na Home Decor
- A' Design Award 2026 Iron Winner in Homeware Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Kazoo Design Studio
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 4,759
- Verification code F75A5AD230 · Verify this award
About Banana Na Na Home Decor
Banana Na Na is a decorative porcelain sculpture shaped like a banana in an upright standing position. The form explores how far a familiar silhouette can be altered while remaining recognizable. The overall U shape gives a sense of balance, while dashed and twisted ridges add a sense of rhythm. The ridges also act as supporting feet, because the piece has no flat base. Banana Na Na was modelled digitally and printed in three dimensions as a prototype, then cast in porcelain with a four part plaster mold. The width is 19 cm, the depth 4.3 cm and the height 8 cm.
Kazoo Design's Banana Na Na Home Decor engages with a rich lineage of decorative arts that seek to dissolve the hierarchical boundary between utilitarian vessel and autonomous sculptural expression, positioning this work within ongoing conversations about the aesthetic potential of everyday objects and the capacity of refined craft to elevate domestic environments into spaces of contemplation and delight. The piece demonstrates sophisticated formal intelligence through its masterful handling of continuous curved surfaces that flow without interruption from one volumetric swell to the next, creating a visual rhythm that rewards extended observation as the eye travels along the sinuous topography discovering new relationships between convex and concave passages, the discipline required to maintain such seamless integration across complex three-dimensional geometry suggesting either considerable hand-modeling skill with subsequent refinement or digitally-assisted design processes executed with notable sensitivity to organic form principles. The chromatic decision to render the entire surface in unblemished white represents a deliberate choice that foregrounds sculptural form and surface quality rather than relying upon color variation for visual interest, this restraint aligning the work with minimalist traditions while the exuberant biomorphic silhouette prevents any reading of austerity or coldness, the white glaze treatment itself exhibiting technical accomplishment through its flawless application and ideal balance between reflectivity and matte presence, sufficient sheen to capture dimensional modeling through highlight gradation yet enough surface absorption to maintain tactile invitation and material warmth. The compositional architecture reveals careful attention to asymmetrical balance, the two upward-reaching terminations of unequal height and varying degrees of curvature creating dynamic tension that activates the negative space surrounding the form, while the deeply undulating central body establishes a horizontal anchor that grounds the vertical gestures and prevents the composition from reading as unstable or arbitrary, this integration of vertical aspiration with horizontal foundation suggesting natural growth principles observed in botanical forms where structural logic and organic exuberance coexist. The work participates in contemporary design movements that champion biophilic principles, the incorporation of nature-inspired forms into human environments as a means of fostering wellbeing, connection, and aesthetic pleasure, the banana reference operating simultaneously as playful cultural signifier and as formal pretext for exploring curved volumes and rhythmic repetition found throughout natural morphologies. The technical execution evidences considerable craft mastery, whether through traditional ceramic hand-building and wheel-throwing techniques refined through glazing and firing processes or through contemporary digital fabrication methods translated into ceramic materiality, the resulting surface quality maintaining the warmth and slight irregularity that distinguish handcrafted or carefully finished objects from mass-produced industrial goods, this mark of human attention and care contributing significantly to the work's appeal as a meaningful domestic presence rather than anonymous commodity. The piece invites consideration of how functional objects can transcend mere utility to become focal points for aesthetic contemplation, how formal refinement and material quality can imbue everyday domestic interactions with moments of beauty and delight, and how contemporary designers working across the spectrum from craft to industrial production continue to explore the fertile territory where function, sculpture, humor, and refined taste intersect, suggesting that our domestic environments might be populated not merely with efficient tools but with objects that reward attention, invite touch, and contribute to the visual and tactile richness of daily life.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This controversial banana sculptural piece is a bold reinterpretation of a home decor object. Two key ideas shaped its design. Firstly the objective was to explore how much an object's form can be altered while still retaining its recognizability and secondly how to reimagine a banana in an upright standing position, defying its natural tendency to rest on its side.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Width: 19 cm x Depth: 4.3 cm x Height: 8 cm
- Tags
- banana, contemporary, pop art, home decor
- Production Technology
- The product was digitally designed using 3d modelling software and the prototype was 3d printed. A four part plaster mold was made from the prototype using traditional mold-making techniques. Porcelain was picked as the material of choice for its complementary role in the object's final look.
- Design Challenge
- The object does not have a flat base, but instead the ridges coming in from its sides play the role of supporting feet. Getting the object to sit correctly without rocking on a tabletop and not be back or front heavy was the biggest challenge that had to be overcome. A few different variations were made before finalizing the design that fulfilled the above criteria.
- Project Duration
- This project started in August 2025 and was completed within one month in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Operation Flow
- The overall U-shaped form of the object gives it a sense of balance, while the dashed and twisted ridges add a sense of rhythm to its character.
- Research
- This object was an attempt of turning a portmanteau (merging of two words) into a physical object. The name of this object derives from the words banana and the chorus "na na na na na" sung in Opus' 1984 song "Live is Life". The objective was to make the banana look like it would turn from its' resting position (laying flat on its' side) to a standing position in order to dance. The banana edges have been changed from smooth continuous ones to wavy dashed ones in order to add a sense of rhythmical motion.
- Inspiration
- Among all fruits, the banana has one of the most instantly recognizable silhouettes. It has repeatedly surfaced in pop art, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and installations cementing its role not only as an iconic form but also, at times, as a playful or provocative cultural symbol.
The name of the object is derived from the combination of banana and the repetitive na na na na na chorus in Opus' 1984 song Live is Life. - Image Credits
- All photos belong to Kazoo Design Studio.