There are some drinks we put lots of TLC into making before we toss back, like home-fermented microbrews and pour-over coffee, where the ritual of making it is just as enjoyable as indulging in it. Water, though? It’s just not one of those beverages — the only reason you might pause between tap to glass is to check if its cold enough to quench your thirst. But now, H2O is joining the craft brew game with Still, a stunning collection of devices that might make you show some of that same reverence toward the most fundamental of all drinks.
Created by Netherlands-based design group Studio Formafantasma, Still is an artisanal water filtration set made of crystal, copper and activated charcoal, an ingredient which has been used to purify substances for centuries. With their powers combined, these alchemical elements help improve the taste of tap water.
As you can imagine by looking at all the beaker-like contraptions, the means to the refreshing end isn’t as simple as filling up the top chamber of your Brita. With Still, the purification process is lengthier and flashier, creating a ritual not unlike that of a mixologist crafting a cocktail. Tap water has to trickle through mounds of charcoal and flow through a copper funnel before it can be stirred to its most thirst quenching state, then poured into intricately etched crystal glasses so it can be “properly” enjoyed.
Besides giving your prettiest decanter a run for its money, Still puts great importance on the one resource we all take most for granted. Unlike a once-an-AM coffee or a once-a-PM beer, water is, for the fortunate, an anytime drink with anytime availability. But unlike those other bevvies, as hard as it is to admit, we literally cannot live without it. Now that does sound more like something that should be highly cherished. Cheers to Still for making us take the time to slow down and see that.
Would you ever use Still to filter your water? What other gorgeously designed gadgets have caught your eye lately? Tell us in the comments below.
