Nobuhito Nishigawara is a busy man: Chairman of the ceramics program at California State University at Fullerton, he's also a sculptor who shows internationally—and in his free time he makes useful, hand-thrown tableware at a studio he calls West River Field Lab (WRF for short). West River Field is a translation of his last name—Nishigawara grew up in Nagoya, Japan, and ventured to Los Angeles via the Kansas City Art Institute, where he got a BFA in ceramics, and Arizona State University, where he earned his MFA.
We're ready to start collecting his stacked dinnerware—white glazed and subtly detailed (and, yes, dishwasher safe), the simple shapes work equally well for everyday use and entertaining.
WRF's work is available at several of our favorite shops across the country. Here's a sampling of the current collection.
Photography via West River Field Lab and Spartan Shop, in Austin, Texas.
Above: Piles of WRF ceramics ready for a dinner party. All are hand thrown in Nishigawara's LA studio.
Above: WRF bowls have white-glazed interiors and exteriors and unglazed bases detailed with faint rust-colored stripes.
Above: WRF Bowls are $22 each at Spartan Shop. N.B.: WRF's full line is also available from Tortoise General Store and Nonchalant Mom.
Above: Tumblers come in four sizes.
Above: A large WRF Tumbler, 5 1/8 inches tall, is $24 from the Spartan Shop.
Above: The WRF Mug is $22 at Spartan Shop.
Above: The WRF plate comes in two sizes: Dinner (10 1/2 inches in diameter) and Salad/Dessert (8 3/4 inches in diameter), $28 and $24 respectively at Spartan. (See the OK Shop, in LA, for a third plate size.)
Above: The WRF Serving Bowl, 8 1/2 inches wide and 3 inches tall, is $48 from Spartan.
Above: The full WRF collection by Nobuhito Nishigawara. Visit West River Field Lab for more details.
Are you as obsessed with ceramics as we are? Here are three more LA studios to check out.
If you're looking for All-White Basic Dinnerware, we've got you covered. These ceramic Self-Watering Planters via Gardenista will keep your plants good-looking and happy.
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