For many Americans, sake in years past meant a rather rough drink served hot alongside dinner in a Japanese restaurant. Today sake is far better understood and appreciated for its many varieties, each with its own subtle flavors that are best enjoyed chilled. Sake gets bonus points for the fact that it very rarely causes a hangover. The design for this simple glass carafe includes an ice pocket, which allows one to chill the sake without diluting it with melting ice. Also suitable for whisky, white wine, or any other beverage you care to chill.

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Canoe

Sake Carafe With Ice Pocket

Title

Carafes

You'd be forgiven for thinking this padlock was favored for good looks alone, but it combines style with true security. It was invented in Helsinki by an office machinery mechanic when he realized the rotating cylindrical discs of the cash register he was repairing were imminently suitable as a lock mechanism. Made of solid cast brass, the body has raised shoulders for extra strength and greater clearance and a stainless steel shackle. Each key is specific to each lock which itself is virtually pick-proof.

Abloy Brass Padlocks

Outdoor

Portland glassmaker Matthew Abadi discovered glassmaking by accident, when he stumbled into a glassblowing studio after work one evening. Taken with the medium, he moved across the country to apprentice with established talents in the Pacific Northwest. These hand blown, small scale vases reflect the artist's philosophy: "In making glass I intend to create works that are inspired by the idea that beauty can be found in simplicity, modesty and imperfection." Display the vases with a single flower or leaf, singly or in multiples. The handmade nature of this item ensures that no two are exactly alike.

Dimple Vases

Color

Sometimes the road between discovering a product and actually bringing it into the shop is a long one. We purchased this kitchen oil can at a restaurant supply store in Lisbon’s old town Baixa district in 2011. Distance and a language barrier foiled our attempts to work with the supplier until we met them by accident in Germany five years later. Worth the wait, the can is high quality 18/10 stainless steel and made by a manufacturer who produces commercial grade products for the European hospitality industry. Use it to store olive and other oils safely away from light and dust—the handy pour spout is a cook’s delight, and the polished finish makes it a handsome addition to your countertop.
Dishwasher safe. Capacity 750 ml/25.4 oz.

Kitchen Oil Can

Kitchen & Dining

Unplug your cell phone, laptop, or any other electronic device and its a sure fire guarantee that the cord will go snaking off the tabletop and on to the floor. Its annoying and doubly so when you end up on hands and knees reaching behind the furniture to make a retrieval. Designed by a Portland-based firm, this good-looking and ingenious little device keeps cords in place and is easy to use: slide the black band on the right side off and run your cords through. To adjust the amount of cord you need, just pull on the cord. The Pinza will rotate up allowing the cord to slide through. When you stop pulling, it will rotate back down, pinning the cord between the Pinza and the surface its on and holding it in place. Made of solid, hand finished steel.

Pinza Cord Holder

Home & Furniture

For more than a hundred years, the Iris Hantverk company has employed visually impaired artisans to handcraft high-quality products using traditional methods. Excellent examples of the Scandinavian ideal of beautiful, everyday objects, these brushes are designed with both beauty and utility in mind. Each brush is constructed of hardwoods and hand wired bristles, rather than glued in. Designed to provide years of use and an ecological alternative to plastic throwaway brushes. Oiled birch handle, synthetic bristles, soft concrete.

Toilet Brush With Concrete Stand

Put the National Park System into the palm of your hand with this leather bound mini atlas that features park-by-park maps, descriptions, travel tips, activities, fees and open dates. Find useful information on wildlife and land forms, important telephone numbers and web sites. Includes a 52-page journal section in the back. A handy reference guide on cross-country adventures.

National Parks Atlas

Books

This simple, lidded stoneware butter dish is a welcome addition to any tabletop, with its trim, neutral design and clean looking matte white glaze that highlights the lovely color of the butter. Thoughtfully designed with a ridge to hold both the lid in place and accommodate the stainless steel butter knife that is included, it is also dishwasher safe. Please note that if you use butter sticks longer than four inches, a small amount of butter may need to be removed from the end.

Butter Dish With Knife

Butter Dishes

These stylish, Italian-made scissors are crafted from carbon steel which is then nickel plated for an elegant mirror-like finish. Carbon steel is used in high quality cutting instruments because it delivers a consistently sharp edge. The long tips allow for precision cutting of even the most difficult points. The finger grips consist of two halves that come together to create a perfect circle or “full moon.”

Full Moon Scissors

Alas, all honey is not created equal. Portland-based Jacobsen Co. carefully sources and produces its honey to deliver the maximum flavor and health benefits. Unlike many mass-market honey brands, Jacobsen Co. honey is never cooked, never blended, and never ultra-filtered. The result is pure, single origin honey with outstanding flavor and fragrance and the benefits of healthful pollen. This honey, sourced from hives among the vineyards, hop fields, and berry farms of the northern Willamette Valley, is robust yet complex.

Jacobsen Co. Blackberry Honey

Japan produces bath towels of exceptional quality and Yoshii is a leading maker. The secret to the natural softness of Yoshii towels is the use of very soft twisted ring threads called "Shankar 6." 100% hand-picked raw materials are cultivated without heavy agricultural chemicals, their seeds allowed to naturally separate from the cotton to avoid tearing. The fibers are then massaged down and combed twice before being gently twisted into thread and woven. The result is a true luxury product that if properly cared for will last for years.
Japanese towels are typically thinner, lighter, and slightly smaller than Western towels—we find them to be exceptionally absorbent and quick drying. Machine wash gentle cycle only, tumble dry on low heat or line dry.

Yoshii Bath Towels

Style

Everyone needs a pair of good quality, all-purpose scissors and this clean-lined version is one of the best we've found. Precision made in Japan from a company that makes surgical supplies, each pair is from high quality stainless steel with a brushed finish to hide smudges. The finger holes are lined in soft silicone rubber for a comfortable and sure grip. The slim profile allows them to slip easily into a drawer or case without taking up much space.

Stainless Steel Scissors

These unusual bath towels hail from an 80+ year old Japanese company that originally produced mosquito nets using traditional weaving techniques. The fabric yields a number of outstanding features; in addition to being highly absorbent and quick to dry, its fibers are infused with Binchotan charcoal powder. Made in the Kishu region since the Edo period, Binchotan charcoal is created by burning oak branches at extremely high temperatures and then rapidly cooling them. It is valued for its natural anti-bacterial, odor absorbing, and purifying qualities. Made from layers of fabric, the towels are durable and long lasting, softening with each use. No dyes or chemicals are used in their production. Machine or hand wash, line dry only.
35% cotton, 65% rayon.

Binchotan Charcoal Bath Towels

This handsome brass card case hails from Japan, where the exchange of business cards is an indispensable part of business etiquette. The box card case is generously sized to accommodate even oversized cards. The lock style closure is secure and snaps shut with a satisfying click. The satin matte finish resists fingerprints. Made in Japan.

Japanese Brass Card Case - Box Style

Women

Made from pure hinoki cypress wood, this soap rest will extend the life of your favorite soap whether it's used in the kitchen or the bath. The slatted surface helps to hold the soap in place, yet keep it easily within reach. Hinoki cypress has natural and valuable antibacterial qualities and a fresh, light and slightly lemony aroma that is particularly pleasing. The wood itself comes from the responsible thinning of Japanese hinoki forests.

Hinoki Soap Rest - Slatted Box

For more than a hundred years, the Iris Hantverk company has employed visually impaired artisans to handcraft high-quality products using traditional methods. Excellent examples of the Scandinavian ideal of beautiful, everyday objects, these brushes are designed with both beauty and utility in mind.  Each brush is hand constructed of oiled beechwood with goat hair bristles to provide years of use and an ecological alternative to plastic throwaway brushes.

Natural Bristle Dust Brush

Home Decor

We think thriftiness is always in style, which is why we love this handy gadget that effectively squeezes out the very last contents from tubes of nearly any kind. The sturdy and effective tube wringer is made in the US and works on tubes up to 3" wide. Just secure the tube in the aluminum rollers and turn the steel handle. Use it for toothpaste, foodstuffs, ointments, shaving cream, oil paints, adhesives—basically all around the house.

Tube Wringer

The word “Eena” is a Chinook term that means “The beaver who builds the best lodge.” For over 40 years Portland’s Beckel Canvas Products has taken this motto to heart, creating canvas tents for outdoor enthusiasts. The same rugged good looks and timeless style defines this durable garden tote that is Ideal for carrying all gardening tools and essentials. Each tote is locally crafted of 20 oz. canvas, with a moisture resistant vinyl bottom and four outside tool pockets. Exclusive to Canoe.

Eena Garden Tote

Garden

England’s Windsor & Newton is well regarded for producing fine watercolor paints, used by none other than Prince Charles himself (fancy!). This pocket sized set has everything you need for watercolor sketching wherever you travel: 12 watercolor paint pans, a mixing palette, and collapsible brush, all housed in a durable hard-shell case.

Windsor & Newton Pocket Watercolor Set

These distinctive drinking glasses, made by one of Japan's leading glassworks, recall natural ice forms with their faceted base that has a satisfying heft and accommodates the palm and fingers comfortably. The slightly irregular diameter shape and gently wavy rim carry on this sensibility. Far from just looking beautiful, the glasses also are exceptionally strong as the glass itself has been tempered via a proprietary technology that makes it exceptionally resistant to breakage.

Glacier Glassware

Drink & Glassware

More than 50 years after its creation, the Ny Rocking Chair remains innovative for three reasons. First, the design takes a modern approach to the rocking chair—a furniture type usually associated with the traditional look of Colonial or Mission styles. Second, the chair itself folds neatly away when not in use—a space saving convenience that is highly unusual for a rocker. Third, it is exceptionally comfortable. The steel frame is accented with solid beechwood handles that provide strength as well as a warm surface on which to rest one's arms. The canvas seat and back are removable for professional dry cleaning. 210 lbs. weight capacity.
Please note: additional matching ottomans are available by special order—please contact us for details.

Ny Rocking Chair

Rocking Chairs

Portland glass artist Lynn Read uses surplus glass leftover from the creation of his large scale pieces to create these tiny hand-molded glass bowls that display a jewel-like quality. Ideal for use as salt bowls, they can also be used for serving small portions of olives or nuts, or even to hold rings or other small jewelry. As no two bowls are exactly alike, color cannot be specified, so please allow us to choose one for you. Sold individually (product image depicts color variations).

Glass Salt Bowl

Serving Bowls

David Mellor is a designer and metalsmith most famous for his cutlery designs, produced and immaculately hand finished in Sheffield, England, for more than half a century. His son, Corin Mellor, serves as Creative Director of his father's company and is a product designer in his own right. This distinctive range of knives feature black acetal resin handles with full length tangs and an internal backweight that provides exceptional balance. The high carbon stainless steel blades are hot drop forged and then ice hardened to minus 112 degrees, which stabilizes the metallurgical structure of the steel, for an extremely hard and durable blade.

David Mellor Kitchen Knives Black Handle Collection

Cutlery & Knives

Theories abound as to the origin of the Ah-So Cork Puller's name. More certain is that this German made version is the best of the type, with a quality and ease of use that outperforms cheap copies. The two hardened steel prongs embrace the cork, to remove and re-insert it without damaging the cork or getting pieces of cork in the wine. It is especially ideal for handling the brittle corks of aged fine wines. The satin finished, die-cast zinc top does double duty as a bottle opener.

Ah-so Cork Puller

Handle-less tea cups are a fixture of everyday Japanese life and the country produces them in a myriad of shapes and sizes. Typically each member of the family has their own special cup to distinguish it from others. This version combines the wabi-sabi spirit and earthy colors of Japanese ceramics with an unusual form that transitions from a square base to a round rim.

Bevel Tea Cups

Size

Tea Cups

These all-purpose boards are crosscut from fallen hardwood logs in the woods of Minnesota. Suitable for cutting or serving, the boards undergo a special curing process to prevent splitting. Unlike conventional cutting boards made from laminated wood sections, the boards are a single piece with no glue joints to separate. Finally each board is sealed with a penetrating, moisture resistant mineral oil finish, which is safe for food and which brings out the natural grain of the wood. Due to the nature (literally) of this product, all sizes are approximate, and each are approximately 1" thick. Small boards are 8"-10" in diameter and large boards are 10" or more in diameter.

Crosscut Boards

Tabletop & Dining

While 'Live and Let Live' is certainly a worthy concept, there are times when it simply isn't possible. Being kept awake by an insect buzzing around your bedroom is enough to make even the most merciful among us into a killer. Enter this fly swatter, made in Finland from birch wood, brass grommets and Italian bridle leather which is laser cut into the shape of this all-too-familiar pest.

Leather Fly Swatter

A bird feeder for the modern yard, made from 100% recycled plastic. Helsinki-based bird enthusiasts Mika & Julie Tolvanen designed Bird Silo as the debut product for their new company Pidät.
The design evolved from studying the eating habits of birds for several years by feeding them from prototypes at their dining room window (while eating their own breakfast). The feeder’s size and shape were chosen specifically for small songbirds and woodpeckers who prefer to eat while clinging vertically. Bird Silo is designed to function like a grain silo. You lift the top cone, pour in seeds, and the feeder fills from the bottom up.
The thoughtful design is complimented by thoughtful materials. Bird Silo is made from durable polypropylene that comes from 100% upcycled post-consumer waste plastic containers and washing machine parts. The raw material for the recycled polyester rope comes from 100% upcycled post-consumer waste plastic bottles, and it is colored using a water-free dying process. The metal parts are stainless steel, designed to withstand the elements gracefully.

Bird Silo

The original publication of Planting the Natural Garden ushered in a revolution in landscape design: the New Perennial Movement. Spearheaded by internationally renowned designer Piet Oudolf, and incisively articulated by the late plantsman and designer Henk Gerritsen, it transformed private and public spaces with its emotionally resonant, naturalistic use of hardy perennials and grasses. Now this classic has been expanded and updated to include scores of new plants and combinations. Packed with practical information and visual inspiration, Planting the Natural Garden zeroes in on the New Perennial Movement’s power to move us, making its distinctive plant palette available to all. For enthusiasts of these vibrant landscapes, it is an essential text; for gardeners who love the dreamy moods and colors that Oudolf and Gerritsen celebrate, it’s the key to a magic kingdom of garden beauty.
Hardcover, 288 pages

Planting The Natural Garden

These clean-lined glass mugs are made of German borosilicate glass, with a durability that belies their delicate appearance. Originally developed for scientific and industrial use, borosilicate glass is made by adding the natural element boron to the traditional glassmaking components of silicate sand, soda, and ground lime. The resulting glass is highly heat, chemical, and thermal shock resistant. The optional lid helps keep beverages warm and makes a handy place to set your tea bag. Loose tea or ground coffee can be brewed directly in the mug using the optional stainless steel micro mesh strainer. Dishwasher and microwave safe (metal strainer not microwave safe). Lid and strainer fit both sizes of mugs.