I had an email this week from a reader noting our recent fascination with Japanese craftsmen, or you could say our prolonged fascination. He asked if we would showcase different makers from other parts of the world. Interestingly, I have to agree. My heads been a bit stuck in the sand lately and it seems like we’re just representing craftsmen and designers from East Asia, but that’s not really …
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Japanese potter Kazumi Kato ticked a lot of boxes in my eyes, she has a fantastic eye and a lot of the textural and characterful elements that could be reflected from her past oil painting experience.
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I’ve just realised that we’ve had a number of new arrivals in the shop over the last month, but I haven’t really made any of you aware of their presence. Often I get called out for this through email by other readers, so I’ve been trying hard to fit these type of posts in to the schedule on a regular basis. This week I’m highlighting a selection of new accessories that have arrived by Makr …
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As Charles Eames said, “The details are not the details. They make the design.” This is very true, especially in this case where I’m highlighting a selection of pottery from a Japanese store that I came across online titled Hibinokurashi (or Daily Life). I’ve been searching high and low for glazes, and have also been experimenting in the studio as of late to see what colours and different mixtures I can come up with for my own works. Unfort …
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Sometimes you just come across those designers or makers that instantly click, those that marry your aesthetic sensibility with the qualities of the final object. When I first appreciated Maiko Okuno’s works up-close this was my exact feeling, the beautiful forms that I saw in the photographs were not only backed up by the physicality in my hand, they were surpassed, I just couldn’t believe it. To be honest, my breathe is still taken away every …
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I’ve been admiring some of these fantastic forms by designer Herbert Schultes, it just goes to show that going back to basics really does work. It also seems that I’ve been drawn to work that has been a collaboration between craftsman and designer, maybe it’s my brain hinting that I should do something like this myself. The concept of this specific collection is to make common things …
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I have received some interesting emails as of late from readers recommending that I change our posting pattern a little to incorporate new arrivals from the shop. Interestingly this is something that I’ve been thinking about myself since there’s a definite disconnect from the shop and the blog, they’re sort of like two different websites (which isn’t something I personally like). In the future a re-design will remedy this, but for now I’m going to …
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It’s funny how unusual collaborations lead to the creation of such interesting work. I guess over the past few years we’ve seen a heavy rush in content relating to the craft and design field, mainly focusing on makers and craftsmen. One particular field that’s used their talent to good effect is in the filmmaking department, lots of young independents have been jumping on the bandwagon and have documented various designers and artisans all …
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Stephen Procter is a bit of a legend when it comes to working with glass, he initially began by researching English glass engraving, this inspired him to learn and explore the craft in more detail. During the late 60’s and early 70’s, in his studio near Ashburton in Devon, UK, Stephen focused entirely on engraving glass goblets in which he achieved a high standard of craftsmanship. In the late 70’s, as with any creative that reaches a …
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I thought I’d update the blog with some new craft work that I found on my travels around the web last week, it seems to have become absent from the blog lately. But I have to say I feel like we’ve been doing a good job on the shop. I mentioned before about us getting some lacquerware in the store from Japan, but I’ve also been contemplating on glassware, which is a new category that we’ve decided to push. It’s funny that once you latch …
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Wow, what an exciting array of product and furniture design by Tokyo born creative Mikiya Kobayashi. I stumbled in to his work via the chii furniture website, and I admired his simplistic approach to seating solutions, often using only necessary elements with not much adornment. Obviously, one thing leads to another and I had to check out his portfolio page, this is what really grabbed me and made we want to showcase a …
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I’ve been a bit cheeky today by pinching some inspiring imagery from another blog, the photography was that good I had to showcase it. The images come from a website titled ‘Cultivated Days’ that’s founded and edited by Prairie Stuart-Wolff. Interestingly Prairie, with the help of designer Tam Ngo, has been releasing online editions of the Cultivated Days magazine through the website …
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