Daniella On Design

Yoga is the engine of my creativity, power beyond performance, source of spiritual fulfillment, and the single most substantial transformative agent in my life. I have been practicing Mysore style Ashtanga—also known as the most vigorous of all yoga schools—for 15 years. The first to introduce me to yoga was my grandmother Henrietta Reich, the […]

It is no wonder that many prominent American architects and interior designers of the mid-century years (such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Henry Dreyfuss, Donald Deskey, Raymond Loewy, and Samuel Marx) approached textile designer Dorothy Liebes (1897-1972) for collaboration and advice. After all, she knew what was needed for the modern interior to escape the cold

In this editorial series, I’ve enjoyed recounting my recent journey of discovery in Japan and my encounters with some of the finest kogei artists practicing today. In Part I and Part II of the series, I highlighted masters working in bamboo and clay respectively. In this final chapter, you’ll meet five more masters, each dedicated to a different medium.

When I think of a plaster workshop, what comes to mind is the famed atelier of Alberto Giacometti located in Montparnasse, Paris, where the Swiss artist created his magical and iconic sculptures and lamps in plaster until his death in 1966. Plaster has since developed into many variations and incarnations beyond the basic white deposits

As noted in Part I of my Celebrating Kogei editorial series, I recently had the pleasure of visiting Japan on a journey of discovery, traversing rivers, forests, and mountains to meet the country’s most celebrated kogei artists. In Part II of this series, I wish to spotlight the amazing talents I encountered who work in the medium of ceramics. The

Danish furniture reached enormous popularity in the US during the height of modernism in the postwar years. It was widely loved for its light, elegant, chic look, as well as for its balance of proportions, youthful vibe, and harmonious integration of structure and wood. In those postwar decades, the Danish Modern—as it came to be

As the design conversation has grown increasingly global, cross-disciplinary, and multifaceted over the last decade or two, I’ve puzzled over the limited attention paid by Western audiences—mainstream media, auction houses, and collectors—to the extraordinary production of Japan’s kogei tradition. Afterall, this body of contemporary handcrafted work, including weaving, ceramics, metalwork, and more, embodies the same values that

Bringing a new piece home is always a celebration. With every piece added to your collection comes the opportunity to add a piece that is a meaningful and important part of your narrative, each piece a player in your family story. That is to say, every addition should manifest design at its best; design that