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It’s simple, eco-friendly and takes its cues from nature when keeping your house from getting too dry.

In the dry months of winter or in places that don’t have much humidity, it’s probably a good idea to invest in a humidifier. Without one, people can suffer from symptoms such as chapped lips, bloody noses and dry skin.

But while humidifiers may be practical, but they aren’t really known for their aesthetic beauty, or being kind to the environment.

That all changes with this brilliant, eco-friendly humidifier from the Ryoki Ohashi collection. Called the “Mast”, with its billowing sails of thinly cut wood on top of an equally elegant wooden boat, this is a humidifier that you’ll display proudly on any surface. Best of all, its defining feature is something we can all get behind: it needs no electricity to function!

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How does this machine-replacement work exactly? Put simply, it adds moisture to the air by absorbing water from the reservoir in the “boat” sections up into the paper-thin “sails”, at which point the water evaporates. The large surface area allows the sails to release moisture 10 times faster than a bowl of water, not to mention that it’s infinitely more stylish.

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Besides not needing to be plugged in, the beautiful wood from a hinoki (Japanese cypress) gives the room a faint forest aroma. Combining its eco-friendly properties with the relaxing fragrance really makes this humidifier rise to the top of the class.

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It should be noted though that, with time, the sheets of wood will begin to permanently change color, and the sails will also lose their ability to absorb water. At that time, you’ll probably want to order a new set of sails from the Masuza shop, where you can get the humidifier for 7,560 yen (US$67.30) and the extra sails for 864 yen ($7.70). This is a handmade item, so expect some delay in shipping to your home, but the beauty and simplicity alone are worth the wait.

Source: grapee
Images: Ohashi Ryoki Website