It's not uncommon for architects to design not just a structure, but the fixtures that will populate it. The manufacture of these smaller pieces is outsourced to custom fabricators.

One such fabricator is Totetsu, a Japanese ironworking company. "Many of the products created by architects enhance the purity of a space," they write. "However, most of these custom-made products are only delivered to specific architectural projects and have no commercial future; they remain unknown."

The company is attempting to change that. "At Totetsu, we have started a new service that undertakes custom production on the premise of commercializing products designed by architects so that everyone can enjoy the spatial value of those products." As an example, they're now selling this toilet paper holder designed by IG Architects for a client:

That's not the finished product, just what Totetsu makes. Buyers are meant to customize the look by adding their own piece of wood to complete the piece.

"Totetsu focuses on traditional Japanese construction methods, such as baking lacquer onto pieces to resist rust and using forging techniques to strengthen iron, and we've incorporated them into the production process of our products. Traditional construction methods are packed with wisdom from working with iron for a long time. We believe that this wisdom can bring calmness to our rapidly changing modern lives."

Independent of this object, the overall concept of allowing custom fabricators to sell what were intended as one-off designs is an interesting one. (And I assume there's royalties involved for the architect.) It's no secret that Japanese traditional industries are struggling as manufacturing moves overseas. As local contracts dry up, it would be nice if they are able to essentially design their way out of the problem, with an assist from architects.