Reviewed by
Mary
Designer Box is a company that loves aesthetic interior style and design. Every two months they send out a beautiful item for your home, all made by independent designers and craftspeople using natural and/or recyclable materials.
Subscriptions cost from €40 per month, and each item will have a value of at least €90. Each box also contains a design magazine, which includes information about the designer of that month’s item.
This month’s item perfectly combines beauty with practicality and will particularly appeal to those who love cooking and eating.
I didn’t know anything about this month’s item before it arrived. The package was definitely pretty heavy, but that is usually the case for Designer Box! You can see that on top is the design magazine included, but no clue to the contents when initially opening the box.
This was the first inkling I had as to what was inside, a package of peppercorns.
Again, layers of bubblewrap and foam sheets. These can be recycled or kept and used again, which is what I always do.
Finally unwrapped! What an amazing looking piece.
As you may have guessed, it is a pepper grinder.
And what a pepper grinder it is. As you can see from the picture, it’s really of a size, and it’s rather heavy. This is absolutely a feature item for the table.
The main part is made from laquered wood with a beautiful visible grain.
The top part which rotates is made from ceramic, and is really beautiful in the hand. The twisted indentations not only look beautiful, but are perfect for gripping when turning the grinder, especially for smaller hands.
The grinding mechanism itself is ceramic, which is by far the best for pepper grinders, as it neither generates heat nor gets blunted or corroded like plastic or metal.
It’s also adjustable from the very coarse to the finest powder, depending on your preference.
Using the grinder is a lovely tactile experience. The combination of the wood and ceramic is really interesting but the contrast works really well.
The grain of the wood adds detail to the almost stark shape of the body of the grinder. As for the ceramic ball, the curved swirl makes what could be rather cold ceramic become much softer, and almost whimsical.
The wooden disc around the top gives it some extra shape, and it almost reminded me a a slightly stylized chess piece.
My only very slight reservation is that it’s rather heavy, and also I would be nervous about breaking it! Must that says more about my potential for clumsiness than anything else. It is a pleasure to use and I love the idea of making a feature out of something so common as a pepperpot. Now all I think is needed is a companion salt grinder, as having a pair, whether the same or in different but complementary designs, would be the perfect way to provide seasoning at the table!
By Evelyn 
