imari

Set Your Thanksgiving Table with Imari and Eddie Ross

I have always thought that polychrome Imari porcelain sets a stunning table for the winter holidays. Stylist and flea market guru Eddie Ross agrees in this month’s issue of Lonny Magazine. He uses a mix of antique Imari plates with some great do-it-yourself projects to set a lovely Thanksgiving table. The usual Imari colorway of orangey red, mixed with the cobalt underglaze, and highlighted by greens and yellows is perfect for Thanksgiving – and can be pulled out again at Christmas.

Ross says “The key is restraint. You don’t want a floral fabric and a floral china.” I am not sure I’d call this a restrained table setting, but that is exactly why it is so fabulous. He loves to mix color and pattern in every way he can.

Sweet Mizue Sasa, proprietor of Okura Oriental Art, let me have fun playing with antique Imari plates and serving pieces at her shop. I layered Imari on Imari, but it works with the calm obi table runner and the simple floral arrangement. I think it would also be lovely paired with simple white dishes on a deep orange cloth. A great feature of Imari porcelain is that you can mix and match all kinds of pieces and patterns (and I have even squeezed in a tiny orange-red sake cup) and it looks great together. And mixing is almost always necessary as most “sets” in Japan are sold in groups of 5 (as the number 4 is unlucky). You can change the look and feel of your table simply by highlighting a different color – for instance, playing up the blue instead.

Imagine your turkey and mashed potatoes served on these giant beauties…

Dish your stuffing out of this fluted bowl…

Thanks to Sasa-san and her assistant Eiko for this post. Watch for an upcoming “Shop Talk” about Okura.

Image credits: 1-3 Lonny Magazine October/November 2010, 4-6 me, courtesy of Okura Oriental Art.

Nov 19, 2010 By tokyojinja in Interior Design, Porcelain and Pottery Tags: Eddie Ross, imari, porcelain, Thanksgiving

A Small Saturday Secret…Shrine Sale in Azabu Juban

While not actually a secret, no one ever seems to list or mention the small shrine sale held in the patio square of Azabu Juban. I guess in all fairness, it isn’t an actual shrine sale as there is no shrine, but the feel is the same. No more than 12 dealers come every first Saturday of the month and they usually pack up by 3 p.m. As it is just down the hill from my house, I go regularly and always get lucky. There is something about small sales that makes shopping easier – like going to a favorite boutique instead of a large department store – it just gives you a more focussed view.

There was a bit of everything this past Saturday – lacquer serving pieces and small chests perfect for holding jewelry.

This set of really pretty Imari plates with tiny diapered patterns.

I can imagine them hanging on the wall in Olya and Charles Thompson’s richly colored Brooklyn brownstone.

An adorable collection of tiny shoyu (soy sauce) dishes, particularly the more unusual blue and white and celadon ones, looks like a plate wall display in miniature…

I loved this tiny wooden hibachi (charcoal brazier) with inlaid wisteria. It had its original copper lining and would be perfect for autumn flower displays. I’ve not seen this wooden style so small – it was about the size of a pineapple.

I also loved these two fabulous huge iron hibachi…

…perfect for planting palms in the Schuyler Samperton style. (And if you love palm trees and layered eclecticism make sure to look through her portfolio).

And for myself? OK, I admit I have gone a little crazy – glass crazy that is. Ever since my finds at Kawagoe I am obsessed with blue-green glass, old bottles and floats! I am not sure if my huge bottle will fit where I want it, so what about a small collection of little bottles, just in case?

These two had visible bubbles in the glass and an older hand blown feel.

The smaller bottle had a threaded neck. When I bought it, I hoped to be able to add a spout or pump and use it for liquid soap.

Kind of like this!

More information on the shrine sale schedule can be found in the tab at the top of the blog. Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

Image credits: 1,2,4,5, 6, 8 & 9. me, 3. Vogue January 2010 , photo credit: Francois Halard, 7. Domino April 2007, photo credit: Paul Costello, 10. Unknown

Nov 7, 2010 By tokyojinja in Glass, Metals, Porcelain and Pottery, Shrine Sales and Flea Markets Tags: flea market, glass bottles, imari, japanese antiques, lacquer, Olya Thompson, porcelain, Schuyler Samperton, shrine sale