Making Japanese-style Lamps & Lanterns


Book Description

Nothing is quite as beautiful as the Japanese lamp or lantern. Edward Turner gives both novice and experienced woodworkers the ability to create remarkable lighting devices including bedside, overhead, freestanding, and outdoor lamps. All designs come with detailed instructions and rich color photographs. Projects are rated, with something for every level of ability.




Soul Lanterns


Book Description

The haunting and poignant story of a how a young Japanese girl's understanding of the historic and tragic bombing of Hiroshima is transformed by a memorial lantern-floating ceremony. Twelve-year-old Nozomi lives in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. She wasn't even born when the bombing of Hiroshima took place. Every year Nozomi joins her family at the lantern-floating ceremony to honor those lost in the bombing. People write the names of their deceased loved ones along with messages of peace, on paper lanterns and set them afloat on the river. This year Nozomi realizes that her mother always releases one lantern with no name. She begins to ask questions, and when complicated stories of loss and loneliness unfold, Nozomi and her friends come up with a creative way to share their loved ones' experiences. By opening people's eyes to the struggles they all keep hidden, the project teaches the entire community new ways to show compassion. Soul Lanterns is an honest exploration of what happened on August 6, 1945, and offers readers a glimpse not only into the rich cultural history of Japan but also into the intimate lives of those who recognize--better than most--the urgent need for peace.




Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light


Book Description

“It’s impossible to resist [this book’s] big-hearted appeal.” —BookPage A little girl and her friend Bear learn the true meaning of selfless kindness in this sweet, stunningly illustrated debut picture book. Bear is sad. All the other animals think he’s mean because he’s so big. But his human friend, Coco, offers to help him. Coco shares her grandmother’s advice: “When life gets dark as winter’s night, share some kindness, bring some light.” They decide to bake cookies to “share some kindness” and make lanterns to “bring some light.” But when the cookies and lanterns don’t work, they must look for another way to win over the other animals. And while they’re at it, Coco and Bear just might discover that kindness is a gift that only comes from the heart.




Upcyclist


Book Description

Upcycling goes upscale in this beautiful, elegant, and global collection that showcases what today’s designers are creating out of yesterday’s materials. Upcycling is the process of transforming seemingly low value items into something new. Today’s upcyclists are creating stunning furniture, lighting, and art objects that combine values of superb craftsmanship and design with ideas of how "waste" can be both inspiring and informing. While the environmental and financial benefits of upcycling are readily acknowledged in Upcyclist: Reclaimed and Remade Furniture, Lighting and Interiors, the designers and makers profiled show how the practice can result in pieces that are as aesthetically exciting as anything created using only raw materials. Based on the author’s popular website, this book features hundreds of creations from an international collection of today’s most exciting designers. It is organized by material, with chapters dedicated to wood, metal, glass and ceramics, textiles, plastic, paper, and mixed media. Reclaimed tree branches and barn doors are transformed into exquisite pieces of furniture; bicycle chains into chandeliers; t-shirts into rugs; saris into upholstery. Filled with an enormous range of materials and objects, this unique book will inspire any designer or design-conscious consumer to incorporate upcycling into their creative practice or interior design projects.




Japanese Style at Home


Book Description

Japanese interiors focus primarily on one simple philosophy, Zen. All the rooms in a traditionally furnished Japanese home strive to achieve a balance of peace and simplicity; their interiors are steeped in centuries of cultural influence, and a sense of calm is key to the whole aesthetic. This handbook shows how to create a tailor-made Japanese home. Working through the house one room at a time, it highlights classic items of furniture and signature accessories, from tatami mats and paper lanterns to shoji (dividing screens). In-depth case studies demonstrate the essential elements and provide inspiration, while colour combinations are explored to help personalize this iconic style for the home. Anyone who hankers after the Japanese look and is eager to bring it to their own home will find this book a valuable resource.




Young House Love


Book Description

This New York Times bestselling book is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up your home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts and millions of hits per month on their blog YoungHouseLove.com, Sherry and John Petersik are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Packed with 243 tips and ideas—both classic and unexpected—and more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.




Shoji and Kumiko Design


Book Description

Book 4 Diamond Patterns is the fourth book in the Shoji and Kumiko Design series, and follows on seamlessly from Book 3 Hexagonal Patterns. In Book 4, Des King gives detailed instructions on making 31 stunning patterns in the diamond (hishi-gata) jigumi arrangement, including the spectacular yotsu-kude four-way joint and tombo dragonfly pattern.More than 350 photographs and diagrams guide you at each stage on making these patterns using tools found in any Western workshop, and simple shop-made jigs. As with Books 1, 2 and 3, no specialized tools are required for any of the patterns covered in Book 4.




Lighting the Global Lantern


Book Description

This guide for secondary school and college educators leads them through the history, forms, and beauty of Japanese poetry. Most of the work is on haiku, but there are also chapters on haibun, tanka, and haiga. Traditional and contemporary examples of all four forms appear throughout, along with ideas for classroom instruction and a wealth of print and web-based resources.




Ichiro


Book Description

Ichiro lives in New York City with his Japanese mother. His father, an American soldier, was killed in Iraq. Now, Ichi’s mom has decided they should move back to Japan to live with Ichi’s grandfather. Grandfather becomes Ichi’s tour guide, taking him to temples as well as the Hiroshima Peace Park, where Ichi starts to question the nature of war. After a supernatural encounter with the gods and creatures of Japanese mythology, Ichi must face his fears if he is to get back home. In doing so, he learns about the nature of man, of gods, and of war. He also learns there are no easy answers—for gods or men.




Japanese Style


Book Description

Illustrates how to connect with and incorporate Japanese design traditions into western homes. Adept at compact living and masters of elegant simplicity, the Japanese embody the principle of doing more with less.