Interview about Solic Incense Product, winner of the A' Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design Award 2025
The design is a device intended to help office workers incorporate brief moments of rest into hectic schedules. The design features a descending top that safely burns incense inside, preventing ash from scattering and minimizing fire risks. A subtle light source is integrated to blend with various interiors, providing a calm atmosphere. The design's simple form and intuitive mechanism enable short breaks without disrupting the routine.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsSolic began with one clear insight: busy office workers crave a moment of truly personal rest. Because many cannot switch off work thoughts even during a short break, the act of resting often feels like another task. To solve that, we built the product around automation that lets users enter a relaxed state with zero effort. One press ignites the incense, and a gentle ambient light immediately calms the mind. We balanced colour and form so the device blends harmoniously anywhere in a room and always looks reassuring. By leading people unconsciously into a natural flow of rest, Solic enables effortless breaks inside their daily routine, ultimately improving work-life balance and overall quality of life.
Our design began with a wish to give exhausted minds and bodies a brief sanctuary after work. We chose the sunset on the commute home as our symbol: it marks the close of a hard day and the journey back to comfort. In our interpretation, sunset also implies tomorrow’s sunrise—a seamless cycle of closure and renewal. That philosophy shaped every material and colour decision. Instead of merely copying sunset hues, we used warm twilight tones that convey comfort, ease and inner calm, embedding the emotions of ending and beginning directly into the product.
The greatest hurdle in creating an automatic electronic lighter was the lack of prior examples. We searched for technologies with similar ignition profiles and focused on Heat-Not-Burn tobacco devices. Their high-temperature heating columns mirrored the needs of an incense stick. We bought several units, dismantled them, mapped every part and circuit, and ran repeated tests on prototypes that applied the same principles. Through a cycle of cross-industry benchmarking, structural and material analysis, and hands-on prototyping, we arrived at a stable, reliable electronic ignition solution.
Internal components face intense heat and friction, so we chose anodised metal with high hardness and wear resistance. That prevents wear during repeated ignition and extends product life. The exterior—constantly touched and seen by the user—is injection-moulded plastic. Moulding lets us create seamless curves that feel smooth in the hand and reflect light evenly, giving a calm visual impression. In short, anodised metal supplies functional durability, while the moulded shell delivers a soft, soothing aesthetic; each material fulfils its own role to provide a long-lasting yet comforting experience.
Modern professionals lack both time and mental space to stage a separate ‘rest ritual.’ Unlike a conventional holder, Solic is fully electronic with an automatic timer. Once switched on, subtle scent and soft light run for a set period without any further attention. The gentle glow and calm aroma seep into the background, guiding mind and body toward mindfulness without interrupting workflow—even while users focus on other tasks. The auto-off sequence removes fire risk and cleanup worries, so rest becomes safe, effortless and truly restorative.
As you noted, our core challenge was uniting the technical demands of burning incense with the emotional ambience of rest in a single object. Inside, air circulates naturally from bottom to top, while the exhaust port is centred on the upper section so fragrance spreads evenly yet never clutters the view. Ventilation is functionally essential, but we hid it within the form so the calming silhouette remains intact.
Early development centred on building a mechanism that could burn incense safely and automatically—minimising fire risk and simplifying use. Prototype testing, however, revealed that users felt just as strongly about sensory nuances: the slow drift of smoke, the moment the light comes on, and subtle changes in brightness. That feedback reminded us how crucial emotional resonance is, so we shifted from pure mechanics to the choreography of the senses. That pivot enriched Solic’s identity and deepened the user experience.
Solic’s ash-collection system was shaped directly by early user research. Many people said traditional holders scatter ash and are messy to clean. We therefore adopted an electronic format in which residue automatically gathers in a single sealed chamber. Users can now enjoy incense hygienically with no extra cleanup—proof that practical solutions often emerge straight from user insight.
Solic acts as a sensory switch that clarifies the boundary between work and home. After hours under harsh LEDs and screens, encountering its gentle scent and warm light signals the brain: ‘now it’s time to rest.’ By shifting body and mind from work mode to recovery mode, the device nurtures healthier routines. In that way, it does more than scent a room—it supports authentic work-life balance and could even help foster a wider culture of restorative downtime.
Recov is not merely a fragrance gadget; it is a catalyst for restoring sensory routines. Across Solic’s design we used visual, tactile and temporal cues to embody the value of rest. The form echoes sunrise and sunset so users recognise the day’s beginnings and endings. Warm-toned light reawakens the senses, while gestures—sliding in a stick, turning the dial—become deliberate acts that make the body pause. Each element helps users rediscover moments of peace that naturally fit into daily life.
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