- Kokuyo Energy Line replaces discrete outlets with a continuous slot that accommodates up to five two-prong plugs anywhere along its length
- It won a Good Design Award 2025 thanks to its accessibility, style and attention to detail.
- The Kokuyo Energy range also offers an inclusive design that allows users with upper limb disabilities to easily operate the product with one hand.
Kokuyo is a well-known Japanese furniture giant that focuses on both functionality and aesthetics in its furniture and interior design lines.
The company regularly wins Good Design Awards, although it operates a public “live office” where users can test equipment in their workplace, in addition to HOWS DESIGN, an inclusive design program that has spawned multiple success stories.
The Kokuyo Energy Line power strip is one of them: it is rewarded with a Good Design Award (2025) and is influenced by the HOWS DESIGN program.
A power strip that combines design and functionality
Modern work desks are a far cry from their old, mundane workplace or home alternatives, offering a degree of customization that few could have predicted.
Among all the improvements we see in monitor arms, cable management, electric desks, and even headphone stands, one thing often remains an aesthetic (and often functional) outlier: the modern power strip.
The Kokuyo Energy Line aims to solve this problem by offering a single continuous power outlet for up to 5 devices, with a plug-in-anywhere design and wiring hidden under the table via a minimalist clamp.
It also features an inclusive design that allows users with disabilities to easily operate it with one hand, as demonstrated in the inclusive design workshop held by the company at its “HOWS PARK” diversity office.
The Kokuyo Energy Line costs around 7,000 yen (~$50) and comes in black and white to fit different themes. Its goal is to eliminate cable clutter on the desk with a universal approach.
Despite the progress made, the Kokuyo Energy Line also has its limitations: its design means it can’t accommodate heavy devices, with a limit of 5 devices and a maximum power of 1,500W, which may leave users who use high-end computers or multi-monitor setups looking for something different.
Unlike competing power strips, it also lacks a surge protector or grounding bracket, limiting its use to electronic devices using a 2-prong cable.
With no support for 230V power cables or outlets and no current plans to integrate them, the Kokuyo Energy Line is an impressive but geographically limited power strip offering that suits the company’s target audience looking for an aesthetic upgrade, although with serious limitations that might prevent it from playing to more outlet- and/or power-demanding consumers.
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