From Sarah:
Renowned Japanese potter Taizo Kuroda’s white porcelain pieces draw deeply on classic Zen aestheticism. He’s been called the Tadao Ando of pottery. Each exquisitely delicate piece is thrown on a potter’s wheel and burnished with fine-grade sandpaper to achieve a luminous glow. His work is available in the US from Matin Gallery in Los Angeles (starting at $1,500—a major investment). Go to Taizo Kuroda to see his work.





May 30th, 2008
Related posts:
- House Call: Matin in LA
- Outdoors: Luminous Pathway
- Palette & Paints: Dark Glamour
- Tabletop: Frances Palmer Pearl Collection
- Architect Visit: Nicholas Budd Dutton
From Sarah:
Kitone, based in Kyoto, features pieces by Japanese artisans from potters to woodworkers to basket weavers. For more images, go to Kitone.




May 30th, 2008
Related posts:
- Shopper’s Diary: Sfera Shop
- Shopper’s Diary: Tortoise in LA
- Fabrics & Linens: Transylvanian Images
- Shopper’s Diary: Auction Houses
- Shopper’s Diary: Flair Comes to NYC
From Julie:
We aspire to someday stay at the Claska Hotel in the western suburbs of Tokyo; a boutique hotel with an art gallery and exhibition space done in a spare Nippon style. Via Daily Candy.

Below: Until we make it to Tokyo, we’ll have to be content browsing the hotel’s online Do Gallery & Shop, which sells simple home accessories.



May 30th, 2008
Related posts:
- Shopper’s Diary: OK in LA
- Pure Style: Jane Cumberbatch
- Design Vote Network
- Shopper’s Diary: Sfera Shop
- Shopper’s Diary: Starnet in Japan
From Julie:
Last week in SoHo, Sarah and I spent an hour at Muji, admiring the genius design of mundane products such as nail clippers, tape dispensers, clothes drying racks. Muji “aspires to modesty and plainness” and the company’s mantra is: “Simplicity achieved through a complexity of thought and design.” Another Muji opens at noon today in NYC, in the Renzo Piano–designed New York Times building in Times Square. We confess we’re a bit envious; when will Muji come to the West Coast? Some products we covet:
Below: Wooden Soup Bowl.

Below: Striped Oven Mitt.

Below: Traditional White Donabe.

May 30th, 2008
Related posts:
- Shopper’s Diary: Leaf Zakka
- Muji Wire Clips
- Shopper’s Diary: Sfera Shop
- House Call: Industrial Facility
- Shopper’s Diary: Flair Comes to NYC