herb shears | brass hooks | cast iron pan | steamer | incense holder | candles | bamboo spatula | bath stool | tilted bank
Beautiful, understated goods I’ve been coveting lately from my favorite housewares shop, Nalata Nalata. Their attention to refined details and care for the people and stories behind the products they sell is inspiring.
I’ve been reflecting on the importance of patience in our lives–at work, at home, in our marriage and friendships. The last several years have forced upon me an acute awareness of the difficulty in waiting for those good things my heart desires while also knowing they may never come. There’s a balance to be struck between complete indifference–which I sometimes tell myself I should achieve if my goal is control over and perspective on my emotions–and being utterly overwhelmed. Both are extremes, and in the past I’ve gotten caught up in the false truths of one or the other.
I understand impatience to be an elevation of my own desires above present and future grace. It’s a frustration that persists when those desires, no matter how well-intentioned, are not being satisfied. Even more, it’s a feeling of entitlement and lack of belief in the promises of God.
But waiting does not have to mean waiting in despair, and aiming to be emotionally grounded does not require I teach myself to feel nothing. It means, as someone said to us recently, expressing those emotions constructively, in a way that builds us up and directs us to the one who brings peace and comfort, who is in charge of our lives, working all things for good even when disappointments and hardships make it difficult to see.
Being patient is so closely tied to contentment and I’ve often viewed those concepts in moments of hardship as another way of saying to just give up one’s hopes or settle. When I allow myself the freedom to focus on the present, seeing my desires through God’s sovereignty, my perspective changes. Patience is not giving up but rather accepting that God’s will looks differently than my own, and his is the path to complete fulfillment. Patience is appreciating stillness instead of merely tolerating it. Patience is forgiveness, again and again. It’s grace and love. It’s looking to what we have and not what we don’t. Patience is turning away from fear.
I pray the Lord helps me practice true patience, knowing that through him I am sustained in all things.
To say I appreciate ceramics would be a serious understatement. From sculptural to functional, I treasure it all. Recently I downsized my collection but that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about adding in more practical ceramics, particularly in the kitchen. I’ve been on the hunt for a set of plates to allow us to have more guests over in the future, and nothing has appealed to me quite like the work of North Carolina based East Fork Pottery. I love the rich earth tones and slim, modern design of East Fork’s table and house wares collection. There’s an art to having what is essential without depriving yourself of what is beautiful, and East Fork Pottery has accomplished that gracefully.
East Fork Line is simple and fundamental. Unadorned, the work is distilled to its essential elements: form and function. It is durable and timeless, resistant to fashion and trends. — East Fork Pottery
One of my favorite things about this collection is how complementary it is in shape, from the serving bowls to the tumblers and vases. I could easily integrate it with our current collection to harmonize together beautifully, whether set at the dinner table or displayed on open shelving in our elemental but modern kitchen. These pieces create such a winsome, inviting scene that’s perfect for sharing with others.
My favorites are the dinner plates and shallow serving bowls in grey, incense burner in white, and the unglazed urchin. I can’t stop thinking about how stunning they’d look contrasted with the brass kitchen accessories also in East Fork’s shop, handmade in Japan by Ruka Kikuchi. Metal and clay are always a winning pair.
All photographs by Tim Robison for East Fork Pottery // Styling by SHELTER