Tea isn’t just a beverage; in many Asian cultures, it’s a cherished art form deeply woven into daily life. Nowhere is this truer than in Japan, where tea has been part of the nation’s traditions and hospitality since the 1100s.
The Japanese tea ceremony, in particular, is a solemn and beautiful ritual — far from casual teatime. In these ceremonies, hosts serve carefully prepared matcha using specialized Japanese teaware. And yes, a Japanese tea set is far more intricate than it might first appear. Continue reading What are Traditional Japanese Tea Sets?→
“I visited a Ferrero chocolate factory, and it was incredible: millions of pieces of chocolate just churning out,” Thomas Bayrle once recounted. “It was absurd and somehow funny, but also terrifying and sublime in its vastness.” This sense of awe is conveyed in many of Bayrle’s works, in which he interlaces and repeats a single image to create a complex larger whole – an approach informed by his early training in weaving. Continue reading Eye On Design: Cups Wallpaper By Thomas Bayrle→
I recently went on one of my urban adventures to the city of Newark, New Jersey, where I visited the small but impressive Newark Museum of Art. That’s where I found this week’s Pink Thing, or things, as there are many of them. I’m sure you will agree, they are quite lovely. Continue reading Pink Thing of The Day: Pink Glassworks By Frederick Carder→
On the back end of my recent and very fabulous cruise to Alaska (!) I spent two days seeing the sites in beautiful Vancouver BC. It was at the wildly impressive Vancouver Aquarium that I spotted this Shark Attack Mug in their extremely well-appointed gift shop! Fierce! Continue reading Shark Attack Mugs!→
Color plays a powerful role in Eatwell Assistive Tableware (2015). Designer She Yao’s grandmother lived with Alzheimer’s disease. Her cognitive and sensory impairments caused her to eat less that she should. The Eatwell bowl uses the color blue, which does not appear in food, helping people with Alzheimer’s to distinguish food from the dish. Continue reading Eye On Design: Eatwell Assistive Tableware By Shao Yao→
