Japanese design studio Nendo has collaborated with Kyoto wire netting firm Kanaami-Tsuji to create a set of minimal basket containers (+ slideshow).

Nendo's powder-coated Container baskets are composed of individually hand-bent wires and held in frames, turning them into slim stands for tight spaces.

Japanese kana-ami wire netting cooking utensils, used to dip foods like tofu into boiling water, have been made by artisans in Kyoto for over a thousand years.

"We created this basket in collaboration with Kanaami-Tsuji, a Kyoto-based wire netting firm that preserves the craft's traditions and develops it for contemporary living and future generations," said a spokesperson for the studio, which is headed up by Japanese designer Oki Sato.

The stands come in three heights and two shapes, rectangular and oval, which hold the baskets or support a flat surface. The legs are slim enough to slot through the gaps in the netting, allowing the tables to be stacked.

The collection is available exclusively through Seibu department stores in Japan, as part of the studio's by|n range.

Nendo has also designed a wire lighting series using the same technique, launched earlier this year for the same collection.

Other recent projects by the studio include 3D-moulded light shades made from washi paper and a collection of contemporary chopsticks made in collaboration with a traditional manufacturer from the town of Obama in Japan's Fukui Prefecture.

Photography is by Akihiro Yoshida.