Kaori &lt;3

Diary

This series is a small window into the people whose work, rituals, and everyday details quietly inspire Easthope. I’ve always been more interested in the personal than the polished, what someone is reading, listening to, making, wearing, thinking about on an ordinary Tuesday. These conversations are less interviews and more gentle snapshots a moment in someone’s week, the objects they return to, and the small habits that shape their days.

Each feature highlights an artist, maker, or creative whose work I admire, a friend of Easthope offering a glimpse into their studio, office or day to day life, the pieces they’re wearing, and the things currently bringing them joy.

First is my lovely friend Kaori Okada Hood, founder of ceramics and homewear brand Te. by Kao, who is hosting a Takeover at the Easthope Studio 13th-14th February!

Diary

Karoi Okada Hood

today I’m wearing a mismatched pair of Easthope melt glass drop earrings and a paperclip necklace layered with a small collection of charms. Most of them are Easthope pieces some I’ve bought over time, others were gifts from my boys, which makes them even more special. I’ve always loved layering jewellery, so I wear them alongside my Serge Thoraval necklace and ring that I bought more than twenty-five years ago. But when I am in the studio, I take my rings and bracelets off and drop them into a dish.

It’s my day off today, which really just means a slightly slower day in the pottery studio. I’m waiting for the kiln to cool, reclaiming clay, and planning the next round of throwing. There’s something very satisfying about these in-between studio moments, hands busy, mind wandering. Lately, though, my thoughts keep drifting back to the Winter Olympics. It’s very tempting to abandon all plans, sit by the TV, and watch it all day.

Diary

READING AND LISTENING

I recently brought back a few Haruki Murakami novels from Japan, and I’m looking forward to starting them soon, the kind of reading I like to save for quiet evenings. Musically, I’ve been rediscovering 90s and early-2000s Japanese music and found an old favourite again - Small Circle of Friends. I’ve been playing them on Spotify in the studio and singing along while I work.

COFFEE SHOP ORDER - CORNERSHOP SNACKS - USUAL PUB ORDER

Coffee is simple, black, or sometimes a soy flat white if I feel like something softer. A corner-shop snack is usually ready-salted Walkers crisps or Wotsits Giants, occasionally accompanied, I’ll admit, by a bottle of Pinot Grigio. At the pub, it depends on the mood: a glass of Pinot Grigio most days, but every now and then a pint of Guinness or an IPA!

There couldn’t be anyone better to kick off a year of quarterly takeovers in the studio than Te. by Kao

Kaori is a ceramicist living and working in Shropshire, drawing influence from her home country of Japan, her heritage, and the life she lives here in Shrewsbury. Her work, like all the best things, is beautiful and functional, playful and practical. Objects that want to be used. Textures and colours that slip seamlessly into the everyday.

Working with Kaori feels like this too. A friend who swings by in the week, sits and chats, remembers that I bathe, often so brings Japanese bath salts. She encourages and pushes, offers creative perspective, and a lot of laughs. Care shows up in small, thoughtful ways.

Alongside this, we’re beginning something new: a small collection of ceramic and glass jewellery. Some food-inspired, all born from earth, sand, and fire.

Follow - @te.by_kao

Shop - https://www.tebykao.com/