Press Release
Peng Sun Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Soul Teapot in Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
Peng Sun honored for bakeware, tableware, drinkware and cookware design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 27, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design category for Soul Teapot by Peng Sun. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Bronze A' Design Award Means
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Soul Teapot
Soul is a cast iron tea kettle made for boiling water and brewing tea on several types of heat source. The form is inspired by the relaxed posture of an Eastern Han dynasty drumming storyteller figurine, reconstructed through contemporary art. Soul is hand cast by the traditional Chinese lost wax method and joins trapezoidal and circular shapes. The surface carries milk spot patterns, and gold plating inside and outside improves corrosion resistance. A rosewood side handle reduces heat transfer, and the angled spout gives a clean pour.
About Peng Sun
he designer and creator of this work, Sun Peng, is the project initiator of the intangible cultural heritage Traditional Iron Pot Making Technique in Baoding City, Hebei Province, China. With over 19 years of experience, the brand Teasince Iron Life is based on the concept of Originating from tea, born from iron, mainly using iron as the material to create tea-related artworks for tea rooms. In the Chinese iron pot industry, it has a certain reputation and is regarded as a contemporary iron pot artist.
Award Record
With this recognition, Peng Sun is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design Award
The A' Kitchenware Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good kitchenware designs by best kitchenware brands and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to kitchenware designers, product designers, industrial design studios and kitchenware brands from all countries. Typical entries include pots, pans, cutlery, plates, bowls and glasses. The awarded kitchenware designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/kitchenware
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/182960
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182960
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182960
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/380887
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Soul Teapot
- Function
- Teapot
- Category
- Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home and Food & Hospitality
- Colors
- Light Gray, White Smoke, Dark Slate Gray, Goldenrod and Khaki
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Peng Sun
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #182960
Credits
- Image Credits
- Peng Sun
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Lingpo is an iron tea kettle hand cast using the traditional Chinese lostwax method. Its shape is inspired by the relaxed poise of the Han dynasty drumming storyteller, reimagined through contemporary art. The surface is decorated with milk spot patterns and finished with gold plating. It embraces an open design philosophy, accepting all viewer interpretations and presenting a unique dialogue between contemporary and classical aesthetics.
- Inspiration
- The morphology of Lingpo, or Spiritual Form, derives from the famous Eastern Han Dynasty drumming storyteller figurine.Its relaxed posture has been artistically reconstructed, evoking multiple images, Chaplin, a gentleman, Pinocchio, without imposing a single interpretation. Instead, it invites viewers to project their own experiences. This open design concept endows the object with stronger visual intrigue and imaginative space.
- Research
- For a long time, iron kettles were constrained by traditional aesthetics and functional demands, mostly adopting stable forms like flat round or square. Lingpo, rooted in the lost wax method, integrates contemporary art concepts to shatter these structural limits and reshape possibilities. The internal and external gold plating not only enhances corrosion resistance but also softens the water and improves mouthfeel.
- Challenge
- The greatest design challenge was the seamless integration of the body, spout, lid, and side handle lines, meeting contemporary artistic aesthetics while sparking infinite imagination, balancing beauty with smooth pouring and ease of use. The most difficult aspect lies in the traditional lost wax casting process, highly intricate and demanding. Coordinating high temperature nitriding with gold plating adds further complexity.
- Realization and Technology
- Hand cast via lost wax, integrating trapezoidal and circular design languages. The process includes hand drawn modelling, wax model making, casting, grinding and finishing, high temperature oxidation, and both internal/external gold plating. The result is a structurally complex, agile form with exquisite texture, combining utility and artistic value, showcasing the unique spirit of handmade iron kettles and contemporary sensibility.
- Operation and Interaction
- Lingpo can be used for boiling water and brewing tea, compatible with multiple heat sources. The side rosewood handle offers excellent heat insulation and follows the natural inward rotation of the wrist when pouring. The spout and lid feature consistently angled, inward cut geometry. Water flows smoothly along the spout, minimizing dripping, with a clean cut off. The inner rim of the lid is extended so that even when the kettle is fully tilted, the lid remains securely in place.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project commenced in Beijing in March 2025, with the initial design finalized in April 2025. The final piece was produced in October 2025 and exhibited at the Songzhuang Grand Canal Art Season in Beijing later that month.
- Specifications
- 183 mm x 91 mm x 88 mm
- Keywords
- Lost Wax Casting, Cast Iron Potware, Tea Brewing, Water Boiling, Contemporary Art Piece, Gold Plating For Rust Prevention
