Inspirations

DIY Idea: Japanese Basket as Light Fixture

Spotted in the Brooklyn brownstone of interiors and furniture designer Pali Xisto Cornelsen: a basket repurposed as light fixture.

When we asked him about the inspiration, Pali—who shares the brownstone with integrative health couch Daphne Javitch—wrote: “I went to visit the Nakashima compound in New Hope, PA, a while back and saw that they had hung a basket upside-down over a lightbulb in one of the houses. I really loved the light that it produced. I was working with a friend of the Nakashima family on a project for Laila Gohar involving Japanese papers, so I mentioned this basket to him and he told me he knew artisans in Japan who could make one for me. I drew the basket in the proportions that I needed for my kitchen and placed an order. It was custom made in Japan and then shipped to New York.”

Here’s how it turned out:

Photograph by Brian Ferry courtesy of Pali Xisto Cornelsen.

pali and daphne’s brownstone is all his own design, and the baskets 9
Above: Pali and Daphne’s brownstone is all his own design, and the baskets-as-lights make more than one appearance. Here, a basket adds texture to a bedroom.

and a basket light in the kitchen. (note also the wall mounted cupboard with ha 10
Above: And a basket-light in the kitchen. (Note also the wall-mounted cupboard with hand-caned doors, Pali’s design.) The light above the dining table is Noguchi’s PL2 Sculpture.
similar baskets can be found from japanese shops and retailers online. these ar 11
Above: Similar baskets can be found from Japanese shops and retailers online. These are the Mutsume Bamboo Baskets from Istumo: They’re “handcrafted in Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture,” according to the retailer. “It uses a knitting technique called ‘Mutsume’ (六目, hexagon), an open weave style that results in a beautiful hexagonal pattern throughout.” The exterior, they note, will change “from light green to rich brown” with use. (Not putting it to work as a light? It makes a useful fruit bowl, sewing basket, or even a dish-drying spot by the kitchen sink, the shop notes.)

For a peek inside Pali and Daphne’s previous place, see The Healthful Apartment: A Wellness Expert Finds Serenity on the Lower East Side.

For more DIY takeaways, see:

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