This Beautiful Fire Extinguisher Is Designed to Encourage Disaster-Preparedness

Written by

Mia Nakaji Monnier
Mia Nakaji Monnier
Mia Nakaji Monnier is a freelance writer and former weekend editor at Apartment Therapy. She lives in Los Angeles and spends most of her free time knitting.
updated Nov 29, 2019
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Credit: +maffs

Have you ever seen a beautiful fire extinguisher? We’d never even imagined such a thing, but now it exists, thanks to a Japanese company that has been making fire extinguishers for over 100 years. The new sleek, minimal fire extinguishers just won a Good Design Award, and their beauty is for more than just aesthetic purposes.

According to Japanese art and design blog Spoon & Tamago, Morita Miyata, a company that makes equipment for firefighting and sanitation, wanted to encourage more people to stock fire extinguishers at home for disaster preparedness. Japan is prone to natural disaster, particularly earthquakes, which can cause fires when they damage power or gas lines.

Credit: +maffs

The new fire extinguisher is sold through Morita Miyata’s new brand, +maffs, where it costs 10,000 yen (currently about $92). Its minimal design, powder matte finish, and neutral color (black or white) makes it a harmonious fit for any home. Unlike typical glossy, red fire extinguishers, its appearance also doesn’t signal emergency or panic.

The solution in the fire extinguisher is also home-friendly, made from vinegar and other “food-based ingredients,” according to Spoon & Tamago. Like any other fire extinguisher, it does have an expiration date and should be replaced after five years. Its cardboard tag has spaces where you can fill in its purchase date and replace-by date.

Credit: +maffs

In times of disaster, beauty might seem unimportant, but if good design inspires you to keep an emergency kit at home, it’s not frivolous at all. For now the +maffs fire extinguisher does not appear to be available for sale in the United States, but maybe it will inspire even more design-forward disaster-preparedness equipment.