On a quest for the personalized craftsmanship, organic materiality and nuanced palettes of classic ceramics, all roads lead to Japan—but one takes a scenic route through North Carolina. That geographic pairing might seem surprising on its surface, but a closer look reveals deep roots. For more than 50 years from its home base in Rocky Mount, home furnishings brand Wildwood has embraced the exquisite artistry of Japan’s handmade goods. And now, in its selectively curated, small-batch Shiga stoneware collection, the company has combined its all-American know-how and eye for compelling silhouettes with its partner country’s centuries-old skills. The resulting pieces are subtly hued, sumptuously glazed, irresistibly textured and completely one-of-a-kind. “We’re taking art and making it into lighting,” says Wildwood CEO Russ Barnes.
The brand began importing traditional Japanese home accents three generations ago, when founder Bill Kincheloe, Barnes’s late father-in-law, tapped into an appetite for the exotic. Sourcing product to build his fledgling business, he visited Japan first. While such Orientalism gradually came to be seen as a bit clichéd—a mainstream iteration of Asian motifs catering to American tastes—the bond forged between the company and the culture was genuine. As aesthetics evolved, growing more sophisticated and global (and as exchange rates stabilized), the moment was ripe to open up the relationship once more, this time bringing a refined mindfulness to the offerings and a more collaborative approach to the manufacturing. In 2021, Hideo Nishiofuku, Wildwood’s original director of Japan operations, came out of retirement for the occasion, and working with his son, Tomo, conceived of Shiga.
Named after its place of origin—in the Shiga prefecture east of Kyoto, on the island of Honshu—the collection culls its clay from the banks of freshwater Lake Biwa. Celebrated for its artisanal pottery and ceramic techniques, the village of Shigaraki is the site of one of Japan’s remaining “six ancient kilns,” and its stoneware dates to Japan’s medieval period. Iron and other minerals in the mud give the hand-thrown pieces their distinctive base color and texture, with the heat of the wood-burning kiln baking in unique patterns, ash oxidizing into a signature blue-green finish.
“We really focused on the glazes,” says Barnes. He describes “a little store down a little alley where they have little jars of all the colors” that sounds straight out of a fairy tale. With this charming “ceramic chemist” as a local resource, he and the Nishiofukus experimented with different mixtures over the course of several trips, drizzling, splattering, spraying and painting glazes to discover which effects would translate best to the lamps, vases and accessories.
Back at Rocky Mount HQ, Wildwood’s home team of artisans brought the same degree of care to finishing the lamps as their Japanese counterparts had to casting and firing them. Brass fixtures, cloth wiring and rolled-edge linen shades were all carefully considered so that their weight, shape and scale served to enhance the ceramics, not compete with them for attention. “When you put a piece of art on a pedestal, you want the pedestal to almost disappear into the background, escape notice. But if you did stop to think about it, you’d realize the pedestal was also special and perfectly complemented the piece,” says Barnes—both making a comparison to the lamps’ fixtures and referring to the actual plinths Wildwood produces to display vases and other objets. “Every component is designed to contribute to a cohesive look.” Echoing the Japanese emphasis on efficiency, Shiga’s brass parts are small but solid. Conical linen shades evoke the lines of traditional kasa hats, their weave softly filtering light onto the glazed bases. “The choice of fabric is very intentional to cast a warm glow,” he adds.
Shiga’s debut collection, for spring 2024, features 11 lamps and four vases, glazed primarily in greens and browns. Nine new lamps and five fresh vases brought indigo hues into the portfolio for fall. Across both seasons, no two items are alike. “You’ll recognize a sister piece fired with similar glazing, but there is no way to replicate the identical drip and blend,” says Barnes. When speccing for a project, designers can confidently assure their clients that their Shiga piece is as original as an abstract painting. Chic and chameleonic, the styles speak fluently to the current moment and integrate effortlessly into any aesthetic.
“Their organic nature transcends so many different interiors,” says Barnes. “When you walk into a room, you go, ‘Wow, that’s special.’ You just don’t see artistry like that in the marketplace.” Part of the allure of the pieces is wrapped up in the peaceful coexistence of their contradictions: Crafted with ritualistic precision from the purest of materials by thoughtful artisans carrying the torch of traditions that date back centuries, the finished creations, rather than conveying this strict formalism and the weight of such history, are instead fully present—the buoyant undulations of their glazes grounded by their earthy colors and biomorphic forms. Any idiosyncrasies in the individual ceramics only add to the appeal. “It’s a glorious thing,” says Barnes.
In the new year, Wildwood will continue its exploration of other countries as founts of inspiration, but Japan will always hold pride of place. Extending its long-term friendship with the culture-rich island nation and celebrating the quality of its craftsmanship, the company plans to keep adding new beauties to the Shiga line for seasons to come. “It’s our heritage,” says Barnes of the special relationship. “If it hadn’t been for Japan and its artwork, Wildwood wouldn’t be the company it is today.”
This story is a paid promotion and was created in partnership with Wildwood.
Homepage image: Centered on the Stax console, which is carved from oak that’s stained for a driftwood effect, the textural Naha vase features waves of smooth, oceanic blues finished with glossy indigo: “It’s a mixture of glazes that run the gamut,” says Wildwood CEO Russ Barnes | Courtesy of Wildwood
