HomeAll Posts...The Brass Tacks: Switch Plates by Futagami
Welcome to our new (ish) column, The Brass Tacks, in which we highlight the tiniest but mightiest details in the house: good-looking hardware, hinges, and fixtures.
My partner and I bought our first house a few weeks ago—a compact 1940s Cape—and we’ve have been feverishly painting and moving ever since. But even with fresh paint on the walls and the floors newly stripped, all I can see is the dingy, yellowed plastic switch plate covers that conveyed with it. Searching for an upgrade, I came across these, crafted at a 126-year-old foundry in Japan—pricey, but proof that even the most quotidian fixtures can be beautifully made.
Above: The Idha Brass Light Switches and Plates are by Takaoka, Japan-based Futagami (whose work we’ve featured in 20 Best Online Shops for Japanese Housewares and elsewhere). “Futagami has been crafting brass goods since 1897,” according to Housework. With origins in Buddhist brass tradition, they maintain true to their roots with an unwavering attention to quality craftsmanship while exploring modern homeware aesthetics.”
Above: The switch plates are “outfitted with a brass toggle designed to be pleasant to the touch in every use.” Shown here is the Two Switch – Large Square switch plate, available from Housework.
Above: “Brass is revered for the subtle patina it develops over time, slowly transforming and becoming more tied to people and place, deepening in both complexity and meaning,” reports Housework. I particularly like the petite sizes, like the 1 Switch – Small Circle switch plate. Above: And the 1 Switch – Small Square.
For more finds (including budget-minded ones), head to our Hardware archive.
// Garden Answer