traditional home decor

Stars shine over blossoming flowers on a hand-carved rain tree wood sculpture by Jaifah Aksornsri. Elephants are a proud symbol of Thailand's cultural legacy. Detailed with sublime artistry, the sculpture includes an iron and wood stand.

With hot tropical colors, Seguso Family artisans create the sensation of carnival confetti. Each radiant bit seems suspended in transparent crystal. Crafted by hand with blown glass techniques developed in Murano, Italy, the vase is absolutely stunning.

The presence of air bubbles accentuates the nature of the traditional hand blown crafting process, making each piece unique.

From the imagination and skilled hands of Ghanaian woodcarver Rita Addo Zakour comes this detailed wooden mask. Handcrafted of local sese wood with a satin finish and hand-hammered aluminum detailing. Zakour names her creation Ahoofie, from the Akan word for beauty. Comes with a leather tab for hanging.

"In Ghana, an elephant raising its trunk is a sign of good luck," Francis Agbete says. Working in richly grained ofram wood, he crafts a pair of bookends depicting the cheerful pachyderms.

Spinning tunes with melodic wonder, a DJ captures the imagination of Mexico's Armando Ramirez. He transforms a sparkplug and thick wires into the DJ's body, sculpting it into a vivid pose. Speaker protectors preserve their function, continuing to pose as speakers. All other pieces from the turntable are crafted with recycled metal sheets to achieve a life-like depiction of a DJ hard at work.

Two wise owls stand guard over the books they hold in place. Expertly hand-carved by Gulam Rasool, these bookends showcase natural soapstone's innate beauty

"The tree of hearts is designed from personal inspiration. It's a metaphor of hope as I imagined a tree with heart-shaped fruits that when ripe, a person could pick and give as a present, or perhaps exchange, or else give to people who need to be more sensitive towards others, and why not be more to sensitive to the environment?" says Luitpol as he shares his reflections. "The boy jumping up and down shows his happiness at being next to the tree of hearts and feeling the effects of its fruits: love, peace, unity, and sensibility."

Titled "Árbol de corazones" in Spanish.

This face of solemn expression bears on its head the image of an elephant. For the Guro people of Cote d'Ivoire, this mask signifies strength and bravery. Guro masks are emblems of the spirits living in the underworld, which they worship and celebrate during special rituals and festivities. Salihu Ibrahim uses manual tools to carve this sese wood mask with the detailed care that characterizes Guro artistry.

Salihu Ibrahim carves a faithful replica of the Tigari mask uncovered in 1890, in Ghana. Of Moshie origin, a Tigari was person especially endowed with psychic powers. This person could be a man or a woman and could heal, predict the future, indicate the best place for fishing and hunting and even influence the outcome of war. Ibrahim hand-carves this mask from noble sese wood, and once the piece has dried he treats it to a special procedure so it may acquire a distinct antique look.

Hibiscus wood reveals the smooth features of a young man who closes one eye in a flirtatious wink. Bali's Wayan Rendah carves the sleek mask from hibiscus wood. This wood varies widely in its tones and patterns, thus each mask is an absolutely unique work of art.

The noble form of the African antelope is captured in this pair of carvings by George Obeng, representative of the craftsmanship of Sudan's Bambara people. Intricate details seem to direct the curve of the animal's necks, as dagger-like horns extend skywards. This pair, elaborated from mahogany, is sure to offer a sober elegance to any setting.

Obeng is a firm supporter of animal rights and his art serves as a vehicle to express his profound concern for global and local ecology. His work has been exhibited across the world, testifying to the universal resonance of his themes.

The legend of the dragon and the pearl inspires Seji Taram as he carves a sculpture of powerful beauty. Kinabalu the dragon guarded a grand pearl that the Chinese Emperor desired. He sent Wee Ping and Wee San to get the pearl to retrieve it, and Wee San plotted a way to trick the dragon and steal the pearl by waiting until Kinabalu went out for food. Then the brothers would fly to the top of the mountain on a kite, take the pearl and replace it with a fake. However, Kinabalu wasn't fooled, and he went after the brothers, who were now on their ship. As the dragon approached, Wee San ordered the dragon be shot with the cannon and Kinabalu, thinking the cannon ball was his precious pearl, swallowed it and died. Wee Ping lied and said it had been him who had come up with the plan, and that it was he, not his brother, who managed to steal it from the dragon. Wee San wanted no more trouble over the silly pearl, so he said nothing and left China. Eventually he became the happy ruler of the Brunei. Wee Ping was not so lucky, for his lying brought him nothing but sadness.