The eggs come out of the hen house in soft shades of green, one washed to sage and the other to olive. They are laid by Olive Egger and Cream Legbar hens on Martha Stewart’s farm in Bedford, New York, and their pale shells set the palette for a collection of buckets and watering cans from Hachimanthe beloved housewares maker named after its hometown, a riverside pocket in the mountains of Japan’s Gifu Prefecture.
Martha Stewart with one of her farm hens. Photo courtesy of Marquee Brands.
The five-track special edition resulted from Stewart’s ongoing collaboration with Chilewich, the company that introduced Hachiman to North America. Two egg-derived tones are added to a pair of the brand’s best-known indoor/outdoor designs: a lidded multipurpose bucket and an open watering can, both made in Japan.
“Hachiman products first caught my attention in Rome a few years ago when I was visiting the design store Nozzoli, a wholesale partner of Chilewich,” says John McPhee, managing director of Chilewich. “The signature bins looked great and the combination of beauty and utility – thoughtful design – was immediately apparent.
The multipurpose bucket in olive. Photo by Megan Senior.
Soon after, the Hachiman team happened to pass by the Chilewich booth at the Ambiente trade fair in Frankfurt, and the conversation turned to collaboration. A curated selection released in January 2025 with a variety of colors including mustard and navy.
Chilewich has been working with Stewart since 2024 and had sent her Hachiman pieces to try at home. “When we asked her what a ‘Martha’ version of these items might look like, she didn’t hesitate,” says McPhee.
“When we first shared our Hachiman collection with Martha, she was sitting in her kitchen, a basket of eggs on the counter,” says Kristin Harris, Chilewich vice president of design and creative. A brief minute with the dark green watering can and bucket was all it took: Stewart wanted the shades of her favorite eggs in the Hachiman forms.
The multi-purpose bin lids are a perfect match for Martha Stewart’s Olive Egger and Cream Legbar Eggs. Photo: Kristin Harris.
Carefully transported, the eggs made the journey from Bedford to Chilewich’s design studio in the Flatiron District, where the team held the shells against Pantone chips looking for colors that would retain their beauty when translated into plastic. “I’ve matched many unexpected objects in my career – yarn, garters, hand-printed swatches, nail polish – but never eggshells! There were a lot of smiles in the studio that day.” Hachiman hit the suit on the first try.
The Multi-Purpose Bucket, winner of Japan’s Long Life Design Award, is a ribbed, stackable container that holds much more than just water. An opening in the handle grabs a garden hose for hands-free filling, and the lid supports up to 330 pounds, enough to serve as a seat. The new colors come in three sizes, from a mini 1.1 gallon to an extra large 5.3 gallon.
“Lid bins are extremely versatile,” says Stewart. “They’re perfect for all kinds of outdoor tasks and double as stools, coffee tables, coolers and compost bins. Use them indoors to store everything from children’s toys and treasures to pet food and craft supplies.”
The Green Beetle watering can has a grooved spout for smoother water flow. Photo by Megan Senior.
The Garden Beetle watering can, recognized by the Red Dot Design Award and Japan’s Good Design Award, pours through an enlarged spout with grooved channels.
“The watering cans have a grooved spout,” explains Stewart, “so the water flows more like a sprinkler than a hose, and the open design makes it easy to incorporate plant food—no more clogged nozzles.”
The smaller of the two sizes, 0.4 gallon, nests inside the larger 1.3 gallon for storage. Both designs are molded in recyclable polypropylene, free of phthalates and PFAS, and finished to withstand sun exposure.
The collection is available now via chilewich.comthe Chilewich Store in New York and select retailers worldwide.
