Katsushika Hokusai, South Wind, Clear Sky (1830-1833)
Photo: The British Museum

In the 1860’s, Japan opened up to international trade, which provided Europe with greater access to the Ukiyo-e woodblock prints that were gaining popularity in France. The style of artists like Katsushika Hokusai was completely different from the realism found in traditional European painting at the time.

Mary Cassatt, Maternal Caress (1891)
Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Artists of the Impressionist and later movements emulated the clean lines and bold colours of the Japanese masters, as well as the scenes of everyday life and landscapes.

Vincent Van Gogh (after Eisen), La Courtisane (1887)
Photo: Hokusai Online

People in Paris and London went crazy for all things Japanese, including ceramics, bronzes, and clothing items like kimonos and fans. As interest in the East grew, so too did an interest in the art of other cultures, like China.

19th Century Dress Made from a Kimono
Photo: The Dreamtress

Perhaps the greatest example of this fascination with incorporating elements of Asian culture in 19th century design is The Peacock Room. Originally created for British shipping magnate Frederick Leyland to showcase his Chinese porcelain collection, it was redecorated in blue and gold by James McNeill Whistler in the 1870’s to reflect the patterns of Leyland’s ceramics. Whistler even installed one of his Japanisme paintings, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain, above the mantle.

The Peacock Room
Photo: Picturing AmericaMIAC

In 1908, Charles Lang Freer purchased the room and it shipped to America and installed in his house in Detroit. Like Leyland, he used the space to display his collection of Asian and Islamic ceramics.

The Peacock Room
Photo: The Freer Gallery

The room has once again been transported, this time to the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C., complete with its ceramics just as it stood in Detroit. I recently visited the Freer to view its collection of Islamic art but ended up spending almost an hour in this room. I was mesmerized by the rich gold and bluish-green colour scheme; it was both overwhelming and comforting and if I didn’t have a train to catch, I could have spent the rest of the day there taking in the many wondrous details.

The Peacock Room
Photo: Smithsonian Studio Art Blog

Since then, I have found myself a little obsessed with this space, wondering if a modernized version might be possible. Peacock blue has been a popular paint colour in recent years, and that would be the easiest fix, with added touches of gold and a few Asian accessories.

Photo: House of Turquoise via Vignette Design

If you want to go really bold, you could use vintage-style wallpaper, like this damask print.

Photo: Kaboodle

I think the Victorian horror vacui wallpaper/painting is a little much (and who can afford to have someone like Whistler come and paint their living room?) but a screen with a peacock design would help to evoke its spirit.

Photo: Whitehaven Interiors

Perhaps the easiest way to replicate the Japanisme décor of the original room is with groupings of Asian ceramics or other collectables.

Photo: Greentea Design

These don’t need to be precious antiques and in fact I think it would be far more interesting to use modern items, perhaps set on gold lacquered shelves against a bold blue background.

Photo: Greentea Design

If you are in Washington, I urge you to visit The Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery. If you can’t, you can at least take a virtual tour online. But what I would really like to see is your interpretation of this Western take on Eastern style. Have you mixed East and West in your décor?

Screenshot of Nigella Lawson snacking away

I love watching Nigella’s cooking shows! I think she’s awesome. When I grow up, I want to be just like her.

Sorry, I just had to get that out. This post isn’t really about her… although she’s sort of its starting point. There’s a couple of seconds at the very end of some of her shows that show her munching away in the darkened kitchen, illuminated only by the refrigerator’s light. I totally get that — we’re big on midnight snacking in my family, and we absolutely love leftovers.

I think there are certain kinds of food that taste even better after they’ve been in the refrigerator for a bit. My scientific explanation is that some time in the fridge evaporates some of the moisture, making the flavors more intense, and with the added time to settle in, the flavors are now living comfortably and have gotten really friendly with one another.

So here are a 3 kinds of food that are better the morning after a night spent in the fridge — covered, of course.

Stews and other Saucy Dishes

Beef Rendang. Image via Rasa Malaysia.

Chicken adobo. Image via Au Pif.

It makes for a heightened taste experience when meats have absorbed as much as they can from their sauces. Curries and stews take on amazing flavors after a night in the fridge.
In the Philippines, we have a stew called adobo, the basic recipe of which is chicken and/or pork stewed in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns. Before the advent of electricity and refrigeration, our ancestors prepared their meats in this way to preserve them — as the salt and acids in the soy sauce and vinegar serve as curing agents, and the fact that it keeps well is just as widely accepted as the conviction that it gets better with time.

Pastas

Image via A Bitchin' Kitchen

Pasta Frittata. Image via On the Move Gallery

Spending the night in the fridge may make pasta a bit dry, but oh my gosh, the yumminess that those noodles have absorbed more than make up for it, in my humble opinion. I would totally eat these dishes cold, although I’ve tried making leftover pasta puttanesca into frittata, and it’s heavenly!

Brownies and Bars

Image via East European Food

Date and Walnut Bars, also called "Food for the Gods". Image via Panlasang Pinoy.

In hot climates, there’s a bigger difference between room temp and refrigerator temp. Getting the cool treatment gives certain sweets a hugely different mouth feel. Brownies, date and walnut bars (aka “Food for the Gods”, butterscotch bars — they get less cake-y and more chewy, and this for me raises their awesomeness to the stellar level.

How about you? Have you discovered some eats that get better in the fridge?

Whether it’s his humour or social activism that draws you in, his place in your newsfeed is sure to brighten your day.  Here’s but a small sampling of all things Takei:

George, with his husband Brad, was recently in Toronto to receive an honour from the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre at the Sakura Ball for his activism work.  At 75 George is busy with advocacy, focusing both on the fight for Gay rights and strengthening Japanese-American relations following his personal story of internment during the Second World War.

image via Legit Print

He’s parlayed this dark and under-explored time in history into a new musical entitled Allegiance. Allegiance follows the Omura family from their home in California to the Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming.  The family’s conflict with their experience of the war and internment reflects the broader conflict felt by the country as a whole.  Allegiance opens at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego September 19, 2012 and then hopes to move to Broadway.  You can learn more about it here, including how to lend your support.

There is something about George’s unpretentious sophistication, his humility and humour that attracts folks (that and the whole Sulu thing).  But it’s his social conscious and commitment to equality that makes more than 1.8 millions people think a little harder on Facebook.

All images via George Takei’s Facebook page unless otherwise noted.

Flowers are a staple of Mother’s Day, but before you stop by the florist for a bouquet consider giving her a true work of floral art with an ikebana arrangement. For those who don’t know, ikebana is a specific type of Japanese floral arranging that aims to bring humanity and nature together. Ikebana is an art form that is exceptionally powerful because of its impermanence.

image via Nori Noda

image via biku designs

Another idea would be to get together with mom so you can both try your hand at Ikebana inspired floral arrangements. Gather the materials beforehand, purchase some wonderful teas and spend the afternoon centreing yourselves while creating flower arrangements.

image via coated arms

It takes years to learn and master the art of ikebana but here are a few of the basic principles and materials you will need to get started.

A few popular styles of ikebana are:

Rikka- meaning standing flowers.

Nagiere- a non structured design the often features a tight bundle of stems and an asymmetrical triangular shape.

Seika- where three main branches represent ‘ten’ heaven, ‘chi’ earth and ‘jin’ human.

Jiyuka- a free form design that often utilizes materials other than flowers.

This website gives a good overview of the various styles with pictorial examples.

Japanese Flower Vase from Doug Smith Pottery

Materials:

Container- the container you choose should be cohesive with the type of arrangement you’re trying to create. Don’t be afraid to use an unconventional object as a vase.

Kenzan- also know as a ‘floral frog’, is a small disk with pins protruding from it that sits at the bottom of your container. It will hold the stems or branches in place which will help you achieve your desired shape for the arrangement.

Flowers, Grasses, Vines and Branches- Really any kind of plant life can be used, but some popular choices are orchids, long grasses, cherry blossoms and branches of Japanese Maple.

Small Garden Shears- a pair of small pointed garden shears will be helpful for trimming and cutting plants.

ikebana by junko

When you’re finished creating your masterpieces mom and you can exchange them so you each have a memento of the day.

Happy Friday everyone and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there!

via Anthology Mag

Who needs a place for tools and a lawnmower, wouldn’t you rather have a summer sleeping cottage with a pretty view? The luxurious building above was originally a prefab greenhouse that was modified with solar panels and wood floors to make it a backyard retreat and guest residence.

This is not the only example of homeowners and designers rethinking how outdoor spaces and outdoor structures can be used for a variety of purposes: like relaxing, working, sleeping and even bathing.

Office Pod via demilked

Greentea Design launched its Steps and Storage Sale this week, and to celebrate, we’re bringing back the Cho Mini Steps!

You, our dear readers, can have the chance to own one of the three Mini Step Chests that we are giving away! All you have to do is go to our Facebook page, “like” it (if you haven’t already), and comment on our posts. You’ve got until May 22nd to make your comments. Each one comprises an entry to the draw which we will hold at the end of the contest period.

Best of luck, you guys!

Here is the complete set of rules for this giveaway.

When they first encountered the step chest, or Kaiden Dansu, in the 19th century it was love at first sight for travelers from the West.  It’s such an iconic piece of Japanese furniture, with an instantly recognizable shape. Their asymmetry; the many drawers and sliding doors; the intricate Japanese joinery techniques that ensure they’re built to last: Step chests strike a perfect balance between art and design, form and function.

Image via Pinterest from Picasaweb

These beautiful solid wood pieces first appeared during the late 1700s custom built by the local carpenter for stores and loft spaces in Japan.   They were built to serve the practical purpose of acting as both staircase and storage. These step chests are constructed in three parts that can be arranged in various configurations.

Historically, building step chests in multiple parts served a couple of key purposes:  it allowed the pieces to be easily transported, carried on shoulder poles, from one place to another (tansu were generally considered fancy storage boxes); but it also allowed the furniture to be reconfigured depending on a space’s needs.

Greentea Design’s 3D Step Chest Guide

And the need, from time to time, was to screw the taxman.  Space has always been a hot commodity in Japan.  And as the story goes, these step chests would function as staircases to the upper level of a loft, where you’d find a family’s living space.  The government at the time taxed owners on their livable floor space only, so when the tax inspector came around, the step chests would be reconfigured – poof! The staircase was gone! – and the owner would claim the loft above was soley used for storage – with no permanent access to the space – and therefore untaxable. This worked for a while until, predictably, that loophole was closed.

Today, using traditional building techniques, Greentea Design has a range of step chests that fit beautifully in modern spaces.  With two-sided design, they function as room dividers and offer loads of storage that can be customized to your needs.  These are heirloom quality pieces, the unique focal point of any room, that imbue a space with a little culture and a little history.

When I was a bartender in the 1980’s, cocktails were brightly coloured, syrupy-sweet concoctions finished off with a festive umbrella.  It didn’t take much talent to serve drinks, unless you wanted to add some flair to your technique like Tom Cruise in the eponymous movie.

But just as food has undergone a revolution in the last few decades, so has the development of the cocktail. Bartenders are taking cues from chefs to create well-balanced libations with ingredient lists that often read like recipes from restaurants and include herbs, fruits and vegetables, and even bacon.

(Please Don’t Tell’s Benton’s Old Fashioned, Photo: Cocktail Revival)

Bars like Please Don’t Tell in New York created truly individual drinks, like the Bacon-Infused Old Fashioned. Ironically, while the flavour profiles of these cocktails are extremely modern (and follow similar food trends), many are based on pre-Prohibition era favourites, like manhattans, gimlets, and punch bowls (nothing like your mother’s punch, I promise you). And keeping with the history of these drinks, many modern cocktail bars are set up like private clubs, such as the Toronto Temperance Society (which has a $285 membership fee) or 1920’s speakeasys, hidden away from the general public.

(Bar Chef’s Vanilla Hickory Smoked Manhattan Photo: Intelligent Bartender)

Hunting down these places is often well worth it, as much to experience the mixologists’ creations as the atmosphere. Take Bar Chef’s molecular menu, which reads like the alcoholic version of a Top Chef episode; their Vanilla Hickory Smoked Manhattan arrives under glass, the namesake smoke infusing the drink before your eyes. But craftsmanship like this comes at a price- most cocktail bars charge at least 15 dollars per drink and the aforementioned manhattan is a whopping 45 bucks!

(Photo: Atomic Books)

To recreate these artistic concoctions at home, pick up a copy of The American Cocktail which includes 50 recipes from some of the best bartenders in the country. Don’t worry, none of them involve trapping smoke under glass, though the ingredient lists can get a little long. The results are worth it though and your guests will be much more impressed than if you poured a boring old gin and tonic.

(Photo: Outblush)

Most of the recipes include spirits that are readily available in liquor stores and produce from your standard grocery store (or even better, local farmers’ market). In some cases, specialty ingredients are called for, like flavoured bitters. Fee Brothers is a popular brand with a wide assortment of flavours to enhance traditional cocktails or to create your own masterpiece. The more adventurous home-based foodie can even make homemade bitters.

(Tequila and Sage Smash, Photo: Huffington Post)

Creating cocktails like this can be an expensive proposition, so you might want to start slow by brightening the flavour of more traditional drinks with herbs. The Huffington Post provides a list of 5 herbaceous libations, including the simply delicious Tequila and Sage Smash.

(Food & Wine Cocktail App, Photo: iTunes)

Interested in keeping up with cocktail culture? Check out Imbibe, a magazine which provides the latest information on “liquid culture.” Or get Food & Wine’s new Cocktail app, which lets you search recipes by the alcohol that you have on hand or hunt down the best bars to try the latest and greatest cocktails in your area. Cheers!

Image via Gone Thrifting

I visited Vietnam a couple of years ago, and I had no idea what incredibly beautiful pieces of artistry I would encounter there. I made so many memories in this beautiful country, but there are a couple of them that I live with. One of them is a lacquered wine bottle holder, and the other is an embroidered shoe bag that I take with me when I travel.

Embroidery and lacquer, it turns out, are two of the crafts that the Vietnamese excel in. The skills needed to create beautiful objects out of thread or tree sap are not learned in art schools, seminars, or workshops, but are ingrained in village culture. Different villages specialize in different crafts, and these crafts are passed on in unending streams that have been gushing forth for many hundreds of years.

And the world has gladly embraced these fruits of Vietnamese creativity. Anybody can partake of this bounty, whether with a budget of a few dollars or a few hundred.

Embroidery

From afar they look like paintings, and it is only when one draws near that the texture of the thread becomes visible. The skill and intricacy of these museum-worthy works are heart-stopping and thrilling.

Vietnamese girl practicing her craft. Photo by Nathalie Mariano.

Gallery of embroidery. Image by Nathalie Mariano.

Image from XQ Vietnam

Image from XQ Vietnam

Sometimes the embroidery is done on sheer silk, and the transparency of the material gives the piece a wondrous ethereal quality.

Image via XQ Vietnam

If framed art pieces are too much commitment, there are a lot of functional objects that are embellished with lovely hand embroidery — tablecloths, table runners bed covers, handbags, underwear travel pouches and shoe bags, just to name a few.

Shoe bag from Vietnam. Image by Nathalie Mariano.

A stall in Benh Tanh Market selling embroidered items. Image by Nathalie Mariano.

Lacquerware

The Vietnamese artisans also express their skills in the “high-brow” and “low-brow”, with the ones that venture into the realm of fine art definitely take more time, skill, and artistry, and therefore cost quite a bit more.

A lacquered art work with an eggshell mosaic depicting a fishing scene. Image via Vietnamese Artwork.

Image via Tudo Art

Image via News Hopper at Sulekha.com

Lacquerware shop. Photo by Nathalie Mariano.

And Vietnam has beautiful lacquer products whose functionality do not diminish their status as beautiful art.

Image via Geoff James

The aforementioned wine bottle holder. Image by Nathalie Mariano.

Another bottle holder, this time with mother of pearl and eggshell inlays. Image via Nathalie Mariano.

For more about lacquerware, check out Midori’s post from the previous month.

Photographs by Eric Cator

This weekend I was out exploring with my husband and I had just finished telling him that I could never be a minimalist because I can’t resist a good find when I spotted a garage sale sign. Cut to ten minutes later and I am walking home with a vintage globe. I almost passed it up because it was sans base, but it was free and I loved the pastel colours.  So home with me it went and here is what it became.

It was just the thing for my son’s room, and overall I’m pleased with how it turned out.  In case you want to try making one of your own I made up a small tutorial.

What you’ll need:

Globe
Light fixture with cord
low wattage or LED bulb
white paint
paint brush
exacto knife
pliers

Step 1: Decide Where to Cut

First, take your globe and decide where you want to cut your hole. For simplicities sake I chose a latitude line that was already there but if you want a larger or smaller hole you can draw one using a compass.

Step 2: Cut Bottom off Globe

Next, cut the bottom off your globe. I found that making a series of shallow cuts using an exacto knife worked best for getting the cleanest edge, as the globe was too thick to cut through in one pass.  My apologies to those living in southern New Zealand or the South Pole, they couldn’t be spared.

Step 3: Measure and Cut Hole for Cord

Measure the width of your plug and draw a circle with the same diameter on the top of the globe. Using the same shallow cutting method as before, cut out the hole. I encountered a small metal ring at this stage, but was able to pull it out with pliers.

Step 4: Paint Inside White

Paint the interior of the globe white. You could try painting it a different colour, but I chose white because it offers the most light reflection. Let the paint dry for at least a couple of hours.

Step 5: Install cord and hang.

Enjoy your new light and brush up on your geography at the same time.

That’s it! The trickiest thing might be finding a globe that you’re willing to repurpose. I’ve found they often turn up at antique stores and flea markets, but there are a few places online that you can also purchase them from.

Happy Friday Everyone!