Last week, Inform Interiors opened its 50 Water Street showroom to an intimate gathering of design-minded guests for Japan Handmade, a speaker event and gallery installation seven years in the making.
The evening brought five celebrated Japanese craft houses to Vancouver: Kaikado, Nakagawa Woodworking, Kagizen Yoshifusa, Kanaami-Tsuji, and Kamide Choemon Kiln. Each maker occupied a distinct corner of the experience, and the cumulative effect was something closer to a museum opening than a traditional showroom event.
The Work on Display at Inform Interiors
The objects themselves commanded the room. Nakagawa Woodworking’s hinoki and bamboo bathing vessels — each bound in polished steel — were arranged on sculptural white plinths, their warm grain a study in precise craftsmanship. Kanaami-Tsuji’s copper mesh pendant lamp cast a geometric shadow pattern overhead, referencing traditional Japanese metalwork lattice. Kamide Choemon Kiln presented an arresting range of stoneware: hexagonal sake cups, layered trays glazed in pooling indigo, and sculptural forms that read as much as art objects as vessels. A display of hand-painted porcelain yunomi alongside a square ceramic teapot rounded out the ceramic offerings, while Kaikado’s signature tea caddies anchored the central product table.
The Conversation
Guests arrived at 5:00 PM to light refreshments before the craftspeople took the floor at 6:00 PM. Each speaker addressed their practice, their lineage, and the ways Japanese identity continues to shape the objects they produce. The room was full. The conversation was worth it.
Get on the Inform Interiors Guest List
Inform Interiors hosts events of this calibre by invitation and newsletter. If last week’s gathering is any indication of what their community receives, signing up at informinteriors.com is where you begin.
Photography by Steve Kennedy.
Author Profile
- Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Communications & Marketing Inc and publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine and PORTFOLIOY.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine. She is a prolific content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist within the ecoluxury and luxury lifestyle niches. Helen is the west coast correspondent to Canada’s top-read business magazine Retail-Insider, holds a vast freelance portfolio, and is an EIC for Hire. Connect with her here: [email protected].
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