Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Mother's Day is around the corner and we have pretty finds for your special lady. Just in time for Mother's Day, enjoy 15% OFF all orders with code: LUVSPRING . Whether it's jewelry, home goods or accessories, here are some of our fresh picks for moms:

Shop Vuela:

Bookhou Tote and storage box / Naoko Ogawa Necklace / Tarin Thomas Earrings / Kuppers & Wuytens Bag / Ma Poesie Scarf / Studio Joo ceramic vessel

New Arrivals: Necklaces from Naoko Ogawa

We're thrilled to present the new jewelry designs from Berlin-based Naoko Ogawa.

Featuring contrasting elements of brass and silk cord, we currently have pieces from her " Factors" collection. As the brass parts, " external factors", hang on the looped silk cord, they provide the individual shapes of the necklace and can change through movement of wearer. I love her modern interpretation of the classic pearl necklace. The Imperfect collection is a collection of string pearl beads strung on a silk cord with the cord exposed intermittently.

According to Noako:
"When the pieces are worn over clothes of similar color to the silk cord, the silk cord will blend with the clothes and disappear, allowing the pearls to float on the clothes while still drawing an overall form.

Although this form is imperfect due to the visual interruptions along the necklace, the form of the necklace as a whole is clearly defined as our mind can connect the pearls with imaginary lines in place of the missing pearl. To imagine these invisible lines along the "imperfections" intensifies one's awareness of how beautiful the form of a necklace on the body is."

I'm always amazed by Naoko's innovative approach to integrating the wearer's movement, body and materials into her thoughtfully designed necklaces. Her designs combine simple minimalist design with understated elegance for the modern woman.

Model photos courtesy of Naoko Ogawa

Winter Sale: New Sale Items

Happy Friday! Our Winter Sale continues with new sale items added-including jewelry by Naoko Ogawa, Trois Petits Points, Marine De Diesbach and Victoria Bekerman. And the lovely totes, pochettes and cases by Manufacture des Rigoles are also discounted. There's a limited stock of Ellen Truijen's bags available until the spring time arrival, so grab some gorgeous pieces-now on sale like the adorable small Matroesjka bag. 

Travel Tips from Naoko Ogawa

This is Part II of our interview with Naoko who is currently based in Berlin. She has included some hometown travel tips and even for Japan.

What are "must see" things or "must do" for those visiting Berlin and Tokyo?  
Berlin:

1. BLESS Shop Berlin
2. Culture, mixture and energy of young makers/designers in Kreuz-Koeln area

Pearl Rack via Bless

via Bless

I actually haven’t been to Japan in a long time, but you will discover the following things about Japan:
1. Thoughtful, sympathetic and considerate culture
2. Uncompromising and insatiable pursuit

What are off the beaten path local hangouts in Berlin?
Tempelhof Airport Park-The airport closed a few years ago  and after that, the runways and surrounding areas have been opened to the people as a park. On the runway, people enjoy riding their bikes, in-line skating and wind surfing with a skateboard!

Favorite places to shop: boutiques or outdoor markets

Turkish open-air market in Neukoeln. I like to cook and go to the market to find many different kinds of vegetables.

{Images of Turkish open-air market and neighborhood in Neukoeln area, Berlin courtesy of Naoko Ogawa}

Favorite places to eat:
At home. My partner and I are very good at cooking! And we like to invite our friends to dinner and sometimes cook together. We really like to learn the food from other cultures and learn from our friends directly. Even if we can cook well, the falafel at "King of Falafel" in Graefestr, Berlin can’t be replicated at home. It's soooo delicious!

Easy day trips from Berlin or Tokyo-cool places to see right outside these cities:
I like to experience the sea. From Berlin, you can get to the Baltic Sea in 2-3 hours by train. The color of the water is emerald green and the shore is ivory white. And the sand produces sound when stepped on! From Tokyo, you can get to Kamakura city in 1 hour by train where you'll enjoy the beautiful combination of the sea, mountains and  many old temples.

 Groynes taken in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region by the Baltic Sea via

Sellin Pier on the island of Rugen via

Kamakura beach via

Favorite local designers:
I have a great respect for the design label, BLESS.


Where would you like to travel next?
Kassel in Germany to visit the art exhibition, Documenta.

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I've only been to Dusseldorf but definitely can't wait to visit the bustling city of Berlin next time. While we live on the California coast, it's always nice to check out the beaches in other countries and the Baltic Sea coastline is now on my list of places to someday visit. Thank you Naoko for the travel tips!

Designer Interview:Naoko Ogawa

It has always been important to me to get to know the individuals behind the products that we offer. Whether it's a simple tea towel, jewelry or our "go to" bag, these objects were created with countless hours of hard work from design to creation, collaborations, effort and a whole lot of love. And we truly appreciate not just the products, but the people that bring these products to life. It's been a long time coming and I'm excited to start the series of designer interviews with Japanese born Berlin based jewelry designer Naoko Ogawa. I love her innovative approach to jewelry design and minimalist elegant pieces that reflect her experiences in life.

 "Imperfect" Drawing Jewelry Collection

Black Triangle Pendant Necklace

What is your design approach or creative process from inspiration,design to creation for each collection?

I create jewelry with the concept that "jewelry cannot become complete unless people put it on".  In other words, only those who wear it are able to create a look or complete beauty. My creations of both jewelry "works" and "drawing" are based on this idea. I have a great interest in what happens to the body and how it affects the mind. I like to watch people and from these observations, I get many inspirations.

What are your current projects/exhibits?

My current project is "Jewelry Hunting". The concept and frame of the project is based on the idea of "accidental beauty", a form of prosaic jewelry stemming from aspects of daily life. I'm creating a website as a platform for this project where you'll see a Google map with some pins. If you click one pin, you can check some information about a jewelry that has been hunted or found there. You can pin on the map what you’ve discovered, and people can share it. This is my plan for the website, but the process of building the website is a lot more work than I expected. It will take a lot of time to realize.
{I can totally relate and understand what you mean about creating a website!}

How has your collections/designs changed or evolved from the early beginnings?
 At the beginning, I was just interested in the shape of human body. But in thinking about the function of jewelry, my interest and approach have moved towards the human mind, society, communication and the environment.

Running a business requires a lot of time and passion for what you do. On your down time, what are your other interests or activities that you enjoy?
 Not only as an artist, but also as a woman or a person who lives in this world, I deeply want to know the human mind. That's why I like to watch movies, read books and see people. When I'm tired of thinking about it, I cook. Cooking makes my mind calm down and fresh. 

Since you love to cook, what's your favorite meal or type of food to cook?
I like to improvise Japanese food with ingredients that are available in Berlin. For example, Turkish rice and miso-soup with Chinese hard tofu, pickled vegetables Japanese style-but they are pickled with some German bread and beer! I always get inspirations from my good friend Tomoko's catering "OKAWARI". She's a great cook! 

 
Any irks and quirks, you'd like to share?
Ha ha ha!! There are thousands of quirks, but I don't have enough space to mention each thing.
I don't know if it's a quirky thing or not, but I use "olive oil" for facial skin care. My skin is so sensitive and most skincare cosmetics don’t match my skin. I've finally noticed that just rubbing olive oil after washing my face is the best method for me. 

How does your hometown Berlin or Tokyo influence your design?
By creating and showcasing my works in both cities, I strongly believe that the existence of a common aesthetic can be shared beyond nationalities, cultures, languages and religions. It made me realize that the research of human behavior is important in the creation of my jewelry. 

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It was such a pleasure to get to know Naoko... not just for her design philosophy, but also as a person who loves to cook and read while sharing her skin regimen. I also admire her exploration of the interplay between objects, people and the environment. And as she emphasizes, one doesn't exist separate from each other but is in constant interaction. So I hope you discover some lovely pieces that you will love, wear or use in your daily lives. 

I'm truly thankful to showcase the works of such talented and kind designers.  Stay tune for part II of her interview for Travel Tips for Berlin and even Japan! Thank you Naoko for graciously answering all my questions and being so patient. Arigato and Danke!

Contemporary Jewelry Design

Berlin-based jewelry designer Naoko Ogawa contributed to this recently released book, A Girl's Best Friends Creative Jewelry Design, published by Gestalten. Editors: R. Klanten,S. Ehmann. The book is a compilation of the works of contemporary jewelry designers from around the globe and showcases their innovative concepts, materials and creations.It features new interpretation of jewelry pieces to more experimental forms of body accents or decor.  More images via Klimpt02.

We are proud to present Naoko Ogawa's minimalist and elegant jewelry design in our shop.

dual pendant silver necklace

Agate and Quartz Necklace

Triangle Pendant Necklace