Daniella On Design

In the world of Japanese ceramics, Mishima Kimiyo (b. 1932) stands on her own. She was never a member of any of the Japanese schools of the avant-garde—not Gutai, not Metabolism, not Hyperrealism, not Pop Art, not Mingei, and not any of the legendary regional streams in Japanese contemporary clay art. Perhaps Kimiyo should not […]

Long before I learned the Japanese word kōgei, I fell in love with Japan’s handicrafts, where the greatest talents are considered national treasures. The term, which means ‘traditional arts and crafts,’ – textiles, paper, ceramics, lacquer, wood, bamboo, metal art – has been used in recent years to describe those products by artists who use

Are you familiar with weathervanes? They are instruments used to show the directions of the wind, placed as finials on the highest points of buildings, particularly churches, barns, civic buildings, and shops. They take the form of sculptures and decorative objects, crafted in wood or metal. While weathervanes were invented in ancient China and Greece,

Have you ever visited Constantin Brancusi’s atelier in Paris? If not, you probably have seen images of this magical place—a replica of the workspace where Romanian-born, Paris-based sculptor worked for four decades, and bequeathed to the French state. I remembered Brancusi space, when entering the New York studio of fiber artist Dana Barnes, because of

“Bill Sofield possesses that rarest of qualities for any designer: a profoundly original, sui generis point of view. He orchestrates unexpected materials, eccentric details, and arcane historical references into compositions that radiate an almost alien kind of beauty, uniquely his own. He understands the difference between superficial glamour—Hollywood glamour, glitzy glamour—and serious glamour that enchants,

To those who know anything about art glass, Lino Tagliapietra (b. 1934) is known as ‘the maestro.’ A teacher, mentor, and artist, he is considered a “rock star” in the world of glass—the man who brought glass from its crafty position to the forefront of the world of contemporary art. Tagliapietra is not just the

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate R & Company’s 20th anniversary than the recently opened exhibition, ‘Verner Panton.’ When the design gallery first opened at its chic location in Tribeca shortly after 9/11, the first substantial exhibition was devoted to the Danish designer. Tribeca suffered tremendous loss and trauma following the September

Design editor Mitchell Owens once said: “Laura Sartori Rimini and Roberto Peregalli—partners in Milan-based Studio Peregalli—are time travelers, wizards whose spells conjure the distant past. Not precise replications, mind you, but rooms where historical precedents are employed as springboards for contemporary creativity, blue-blooded decors wherein traditional craftsmanship is not only celebrated but revered. Most of

“Masterfully combining sophistication with simplicity, Kathe and Tommy Clements intuitively demonstrate that great projects depend on a symphonic cohesion between architecture and interiors. Their sense of style, leaning on textured, earthy materials and simple patinated forms, creates a casual elegance that feels at once humanistic and luxurious. They are simultaneously rigorous creative collaborators and divinely

In his book Portrait of an Artist, recently published by Prestel, multidisciplinary artist Hugo Huerta Marin (b. 1985) reinvents the notion of portraiture, creating a personal statement and depicting history through portraits. The product of a seven-year journey, this beautifully-designed volume of 30 leading female figures of the art world is a testimony to their