From left: Dyed wool locks, glazed bowls from Hagi, bud vases from Hagi, crystal chunks. “I had done research before the trip about the greyish-pink or milky white glaze that’s particular to the Hagi region. I wanted pieces with that glaze that were functional, like these bowls that can be used for food or flowers. There’s a common practice in Japan of having something organic in your home, and the bud vases allow you to display a single flower without the effort — you don’t have to make a whole arrangement, so it can be really simple. The blue wool is from Oregon, but I picked the color because it’s like the indigo you see in a lot of the Japanese textiles. The crystals are from my collection.”