The caféDavelle Ya
A man sharing a slice of toast with his cat at the kitchen table

A toaster on the kitchen counter. A kettle on the table. A lantern in the corner of a room.They can make you feel good before you even turn them on.

An early toaster prototype on a workbench

From the stage to the factory floor

  1. At 17Gen Terao leaves high school and travels alone along the Mediterranean coast.
  2. ~10 yearsA rock musician. His dream: to become a rock star.
  3. Before 30The band breaks up. He teaches himself metalworking, machinery and CAD by working with local factories.
  4. 2003He founds BALMUDA in Tokyo.

That unconventional background still shapes the company.

Gen Terao, founder of BALMUDA
One question comes first

Gen Terao

Founder of BALMUDA · Tokyo, 2003
BALMUDA The Speaker

Musical cues, not electronic beeps.

For many appliances, sound is only a notification. BALMUDA treats it as part of the emotional experience — and The Speaker pairs 360-degree sound with light that responds precisely to the music, like a small live stage. For a company founded by a former musician, sound is not decoration added at the end.

A crayon sketch of a lodge glowing at night among trees

“How bright should this be?”

The deeper question is: “What kind of time will people want to spend beside this light?” The Lantern began when Gen Terao noticed how comfortable a ski lodge felt — not from bright overhead lighting, but from soft light positioned lower in the room. Light can change the way a room feels.

“Faster. More convenient.”

That was never the goal. BALMUDA entered the kitchen because food is one of the strongest ways people experience pleasure through the senses.

What it designs for instead

  • Moisture
  • Heat
  • Steam
  • Browning
  • Aroma
  • Anticipation
  • Time
BALMUDA The Clock and The Lantern on a shelf in warm evening light

It simply feels good to have it there.

Most appliances spend far more time sitting still than being used — on a counter, a shelf, a table, in the corner of a room. BALMUDA treats those hours as part of the design: function and interior presence, one experience.

Bread toasting behind the lit window of BALMUDA The Toaster Pro

Experience it at Davelle

BALMUDA The Toaster Pro glowing on a kitchen counter
Why Davelle Ya chose BALMUDA

Japanese manufacturing is often associated with precision and advanced technology. BALMUDA has both — but what interests us most is what it does with that technology. It makes bread more delicious and cooking itself more exciting. It adds light to the experience of music, makes an evening feel warmer and more intimate, and creates objects that make a room feel better even when they are not being used.Technology should not only work. It should make you feel something.