Am American. I have one of these:

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Not that exact model, but that brand. It's basically a thermos / dispenser that keeps water hot all the time and available at the press of a button. It can hold water to different temperatures based on your needs (I keep it near boiling for coffee pour-overs and black tea.)

This seems like an overkill product, but the US's 120v power makes it much less quick to heat up water with a traditional kettle, so when I had a regular electric kettle I didn't drink much tea. This makes the process so much quicker, and is also useful for things like ramen, or anything else you just need a little bit of boiling water for.
That water boiler is such a smart solution and I completely get why your coworker introduced you to it. I live in the UK where 240v kettles are blazing fast so I never really thought about the struggle until I visited family in the States and watched water take forever on their stovetop. Having hot water always ready changes your whole routine, not just for tea but for those little moments like instant oatmeal or warming a baby bottle. It actually reminds me of how commercial coffee suppliers have to think about constant hot water availability too, and if you ever want to understand the broader picture of what goes into keeping drinks flowing reliably, have a look at the challenges the coffee industry is facing right now with supply chains and energy costs. Your housewarming gift idea is brilliant because people don't know they need it until they have it, and that's exactly the kind of practical gift that keeps giving every single day.
These aren't common in the US, btw. Moreso in Japan. I just happened to have a Japanese coworker for a time and got introduced to them.  Then I wound up buying them for allot of family members as housewarming gifts, and it's always the same story of "I thought this was a weird gift at first, but now would never not want to have one of these around."

Quote from: örange_stone on Thu, 06 August 2026, 04:46:14

AWWW! I have exactly the same ideas about retro-futurism as you! But you did a fantastic job, and I wish you GLWIC!

I wanted to share an idea in mind, since retro-futuristic furniture has a lot of chrome and glossy finishes, perhaps you could try to incorporate some related elements? Maybe use some of the glossy keycaps from KBS Heyball?

I have this idea, but as far as I know, KBS's high‑light keycaps can only be fully silk‑printed, and their sales volume is not good. I am worried about the moq.