An hourglass always makes for a fun decoration, but they’ve been around so long, it’s hard to have anything but apathy every time you see one. The Awaglass, though, is a whole new take on the classic time measurement tool, swapping in its sandy contents in favor of hypnotic bubbles.
Created by Norihiko Terayama of Studio Note, it’s an hourglass with some kind of soapy fluid inside that produces bubbles when shaken. Granted, it won’t measure time as accurately as sand slowly seeping through the gap, but it definitely makes for a more intriguing decorative piece. I mean, put one of these on your desk at work and nearly everyone who passes by will surely stop to check it out.
Once shaken, tons of bubbles congregate at the bottom of the Awaglass, each of which either passes upwards at random intervals or explodes to join the fluid underneath. If you’ve ever enjoyed watching bubbles fly as a kid, we imagine you’ll recapture some of that wonder staring at this thing, which traps the magic of bubbles inside its transparent shell. It comes in two sizes, small (90 x 35 mm, h x d) and large (150 x 60 mm), both of which are made from blown glass that’s handmade in Japan.
We know, you’ve never imagined watching bubbles fly and burst inside a bulbous glass case. But now that you know you can, do you want to? The Awaglass is priced starting at $11.