One-of-a-Kind Handcrafted White Vase Sakura Table Lamp from Vintage Royal Delft

Meet Sakura! Sakura (which means cherry blossom in Japanese) is a one-of-a kind lamp lovingly handcrafted from a vintage Royal Delft (De Porceleyne Fles) White (Delfts Wit) vase. We've paired the base with a custom lampshade made from a hand-silkscreened Chiyogami Japanese paper with gold overlay, inspired by patterns on kimono fabrics dating from the Edo period.

De Porceleyne Fles started making White Delft in the 1930’s. Because of the economic depression and the outbreak of the Second World War, the market for hand painted Delftware all but disappeared. The Delft White models were seen as more utilitarian, but still had a unique artistry to them. Instead of the feature being the hand-painting, it became the shape of the vase itself. At the end of the sixties the total collection, consisted of more than 174 different creatively shaped models. In 1976 production was stopped. Today, only the tulip vases are made in Delfts Wit.

De Porceleyne Fles, later given the distinction of Koninklijke or Royal, known now as Royal Delft, is a Dutch manufacturer of Delftware, or Delfts aardewerk, headquartered in Delft, the Netherlands. It is the only remaining ceramics factory out of 32 that were established in Delft during the 17th century. Founded in 1653, it has been active for over 360 years without interruption. Royal Delft is not only the oldest surviving producer of Delftware, but one that is highly respected for its artistry.

Chiyogami paper is handmade by a few remaining paper making families in Japan. It is easy to admire Chiyogami for its beauty alone, but even more impressive is the time and craftsmanship that goes into making just a single sheet. To create a single sheet of Chiyogami, each base sheet of paper is silk-screened with as many colours as there are in that particular pattern—in most cases, four or five colours.