From Idea to Product
Starting a Business: How a Small Object Led to the Founding of OBAstudios
I’ve always liked bar soap – the scent, the feeling of holding something in your hands, the soft lather when you rub it together. It’s gentler on the skin, and ideally, it causes little to no waste as it simply dissolves over time.
If only it weren’t for the soap dish. Every morning, the same sight: soggy soap, until it's so drenched it has to be thrown away. Always too soon, but in such a misshapen state that it becomes an aesthetic affront and a hygienic nightmare.
Switching to liquid soap was not an option. And technically, my soap dish wasn’t even bad – it had two parts: a drip tray and a perforated platform above it. In theory, it made perfect sense. In practice, it was a disaster. Within days, the soap would turn into a mushy mess. Not exactly the kind of view you want to start your day with.
A solution was needed – and so I turned to my new hobby: ceramics. I shaped a simple rectangular slab, let it dry for a few days, then cut zigzag lines into both sides – like a mountain range mirrored in a lake. I’m sure a professional ceramist would’ve given me a funny look. :)
From a Soap Dilemma to a Ceramic Solution
A few weeks later, fresh from the kiln and glazed in a bright yellow, the zigzag slab sat on my sink – and to my surprise, it did exactly what it was supposed to do: keep the soap dry. Not just for a week or two, but until the soap was too small to use outside of a soap pouch. It stayed dry, week after week. No sludge, no mess. A small change with a big impact on my daily routine. My morning ritual was saved.
I wanted to share that joy. What if others had the same problem? And would be just as delighted by a soap dish as I was? That’s how a small problem and a simple ceramic object became the idea for OBAstudios. The idea first became a partnership* and, a few years later, a sole proprietorship. Our goal was clear from the start: to create practical, timeless, and sustainable design that makes everyday life a little more beautiful.
ROCKY M. (named after the Rocky Mountains) was the first product, and it embodies everything we stand for: simplicity, functionality, and a desire for better design. Today, we sell the soap dish across Europe, work with several workshops for people with special needs, and our product range has grown. In addition to the soap dish, we now offer a 2-in-1 lemon squeezer and ginger grater, an aroma stone diffuser, and other objects that make everyday life a little brighter. I truly believe even small things – like a soap dish – can have a big impact. And make a difference.
I hope my story inspires others. We live in a time when we often settle for products that don’t really meet our needs. Mass production has made many things impersonal and replaceable. At the same time, digital overload has alienated us from our routines and the objects that shape our lives. No wonder so many things have lost their value – and we our connection to them.
With this story, I want to show that sometimes, it’s the small things that create meaningful change.
A personal problem became a business idea.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Warm regards from the studio,
Barbara
*OBAstudios was founded in 2018 as a partnership (GbR) with Birgit Ostermeier, who stepped away from the business in 2022 for family reasons.