Author: Nancy

  • Creative Exploration: Japanese Joinery

    Creative Exploration: Japanese Joinery

    Japanese joinery is a traditional woodworking technique that eliminates the use of screws, nails and glue. Instead they are joined together with very precise cuts and fittings. This type of wooden joint has been around for centuries and is known for its strength, beauty and ability to accommodate the movement of wood in different environments.

    Influenced by ancient Chinese woodworking techniques that were brought over to Japan, this style of joinery has greatly evolved over centuries to suit Japan’s fluctuating climate and natural resources. Wood was and still is the main used material because it’s durable, easy to work with and easy to get. Where metal for screws and nails was a limited resource back in the day, Japan’s forests offered a range of different types of wood to build with.

    Japan is home to numerous temples, houses, and other structures built using traditional woodwork and intricate joinery techniques. Not only buildings, but also a lot of furniture is made using this technique. With Japan suffering from frequent earthquakes, a great advantage of these joints is that it allows buildings to flex and absorb seismic shocks while still remaining strong. Japanese joinery is still used today in both traditional and modern architecture. Some of the world’s oldest wooden buildings are build using this technique.

    Now we know it’s functional and durable, but also very stylish. Japanese joinery has gained a lot of attention in other parts of the world, especially among architects and furniture makers who are interested in its precision, sustainability and simple appeal. The Japandi style for example, a mix of Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian functionality, is popular for its clean, harmonious aesthetic. This design style incorporates natural materials, often using natural wood in furniture and the seamlessness of Japanese joints.

    If you enjoy working with wood, this could be a valuable technique to incorporate in order to create clean and seamless transitions with wood. There are many types of joinery within this style, some designed to create different angles, others to join several pieces together seamlessly. Some are complex, but there are plenty of beginner-friendly options to get you started, allowing you to progress at your own pace and refine your skills along the way. You don’t have to start with large pieces of furniture either, you can start small by making items such as shelves, cutting boards, planters or stools to practice and experiment with.


    There are a bunch of great books that explain all the different types of joints and what they can be used for. A couple of popular ones are The Art Of Japanese Joinery by Kiyosi Seike, or The Complete Guide to Joint-Making by John Bullar. Both of these go into detail about the different types of joints, combined with information about the history of Japanese joinery. If you want to start making furniture immediately with some step-by-step instructions, there is Simple Japanese Furniture by Group Monomono. Another place to get information and inspiration from is online platforms, there are a number of creative people on Instagram who share their process and final products. For inspiration on creative design ideas, Pinterest is a great resource. If you need some more visual guidance, YouTube will help you out.

    Whether you’re an experienced woodworker or you want to try some new crafts, Japanese joinery is a sustainable way to expand your skills and create tastefully crafted pieces. The blend of strength, precision and aesthetic simplicity of this centuries-old technique continues to inspire creative makers. By exploring books, online resources and practice, you can start to craft pretty quickly. So why not pick up some wood, try a few simple joints and start creating something you’ll want to brag about?

  • See Through Art: The Craft of Glass Jewellery

    See Through Art: The Craft of Glass Jewellery

    By heating a mixture of raw materials, Silvia knows how to transform molten glass into carefully crafted jewellery. Inspired by her great aunt’s craft and the rural landscapes of Galicia, Spain. She decided to start her own brand Toda Frágil.

    Demonstrating how glass jewellery is shaped with a torch

    Ever since she was little, Silvia has been drawn to different forms of creative expression. “Growing up in a rural area with long, rainy winters and being an only child meant that I had to find ways to express myself artistically (apart from being incredibly mischievous). I would draw anything that moved and make sculptures out of things that were about to be thrown away at home. My father always let me use his tools, which gave me the freedom to experiment without limits. One of my great-aunts was a seamstress. She used to sew most of my clothes, and thanks to her, I developed a love for fashion and high-quality finishes.”

    But the idea of mastering the craft of glass came later. After studying graphic design and exploring a wide range of creative fields, techniques, and materials, Silvia started her first brand of crochet necklaces made from recycled fabrics. She never thought she would work in fashion or become a ‘traditional’ artist. “I found my way into the world of jewellery because I’ve always been fascinated by pieces that stand the test of time (even if some of mine are made of glass, haha). I spent the last ten years working in advertising, an industry that’s both fast-paced and fleeting, until I realised I was losing my passion. I needed to slow down and free my mind with a new project”.

    So she started Toda Frágil, for which she now mainly creates jewellery pieces, but that is certainly not all she wants to focus on. As she develops her knowledge and creative skills, she’s exploring new materials and techniques to expand her collection. Check out her Instagram for a glimpse of how she is branching out into wine glasses that double as sculptures for the home.

    The glass jewellery result

    Her creative process for Toda Frágil varies. Sometimes she takes inspiration from her surroundings, such as shapes, trends and textures, from which she creates a mood board to define a design direction. Other times she finds unique glass, colours or textures from suppliers and starts experimenting.

    “I currently work from my home in Barcelona, handling all the conceptual aspects and social media management, but I produce my pieces in a co-working studio where I share space with other artists. It’s important to remember that creatives are not just inventors – we need to understand the materials available and draw from references to create something new. There’s also a collaborative aspect to my work; bouncing ideas back and forth with others often leads to new concepts and perspectives”.

    Hand made glass shaped flower earring

    On the future of Toda Frágil, Silvia says: “Like anyone with a vision, I would like Toda Frágil to become a reference in the industry. My aim is to grow while remaining true to myself”.

    While she works on launching her own website, her jewellery pieces are currently made to order and sold through her DM’s on Instagram. They’re also available in selected shops in Barcelona, with more locations to come.

    Photography by: Silvia, Toda Frágil

  • Perfume Brands With a Concept

    Perfume Brands With a Concept

    Perfume isn’t just about smelling good, it can also tell a story. Have you ever wondered what Isabelle from Animal Crossing smells like? Or the scent of a Babylonian goddess? The memoirs of a trespasser? These perfume brands have turned their creative concept into a fragrance.

    We all know perfumes that make us smell a certain way – floral, musky or soapy and clean. Perfume has been used this way for decades, and still is. But for those who wear perfume often, scents are also linked to memories. A particular perfume can take you back to a particular time, place or even person.

    But what if, instead of a perfume becoming a memory, you could wear a perfume that already smells like a memory of a place, an object or even a character, fictional or real? A memory that is not yours, or perhaps it is?

    One such brand is Area of Effect, they capture the scents of video game characters. Or at least they try – after all, who knows what they really smell like? It takes a bit of imagination, but that’s what makes it fun. Take Isabelle from Animal Crossing, for example: peach, black pepper, fresh-cut grass, soft vanilla fur, dry wood and cedar. Sounds appropriate, right? Or maybe you’re more into Assassin’s Creed and want to smell like a game from that series. Syndicate is bottled as a blend of oil, petrichor, stone, leather, gasoline, benzoin, dark amber, frankincense, ginger, bergamot, and black tea.

    On a darker but no less exciting note, Fantôme is a brand inspired by the paranormal and the often overlooked, sometimes feared threads of magic that run through human history. As their website explains: “We draw from mythology, fantasy, and the scent-memories of places we have been.” To accompany their fragrances, they have designed beautiful packaging and bottles that perfectly match the story of their scents.

    One of their fragrances from the current collection is Astaroth: “Astaroth began her incarnation as the Phoenician goddess Astarte, the most powerful goddess of the Phoenician pantheon and incarnation of feminine divinity. Inspiring Assyrian and Babylonian cults, she was considered to be the same as the goddesses Ishtar and Inanna, and it is believed she later inspired a new iteration as Aphrodite in Greek mythology. Ashtaroth was her plural name that encompassed all of her multiple facets.”

    A very cool and well written story. And that’s only one part of it. There is much more to discover about their beautiful, mysterious fragrance collections.

    Finally, let’s take a look at Imaginary Authors, a brand that creates perfumes inspired by places, memories and even animals. Their main mission is to evoke and create new experiences through fragrance. In their collection you’ll find scents like Memoirs of a Trespasser and Fox in the Flowerbed. Each fragrance comes with a back story and a suggestion of what kind of memories it might unlock or help create.

    Take Memoirs of a Trespasser, for example. It is said to remind you of sitting by the fireplace with someone you once fancied or to create a memory of a quiet night at home, sipping a tipple with a brand-new book. Of course, the memories you create will depend on where and when you wear it. They give a suggestion based on the notes of the perfume and the story they had in mind with which it was created.

    “Your brain’s piriform cortex stores long-term olfactory memories, which can only be accessed by fragrance.”

    The brand embraces the power of scent on the brain and mood. They explain:

    “Fragrance stimulates your imagination by instilling curiosity, unblocking old habits of thinking, and inspiring the creative parts of your mind. Fragrance can uncover hidden talents and spark innovative ideation.”

    With this in mind, why not explore the power of scent and see where it takes you next time you choose a fragrance.