7 Items the Founder of Tiwa Select Can’t Stop Raving About

What if your home could feel like your favorite art gallery? Tiwa Select, the Los Angeles gallery and online platform founded and curated by Alex Tieghi-Walker, makes this goal feel achievable. Part showroom, part web shop, and part studio, Tiwa Select’s mission is to celebrate self-taught and traditional folk craft through displaying, selling, and uplifting a rotating selection of work from its talented community of artists. Each of the functional, everyday objects for purchase—colorful glassware, sculptural pottery, and vintage textiles—feels deserving of its own spectacular display, whether in a dedicated exhibit or on the shelves in your home.

Since he sports such a strong eye for unique and humanistic design, we asked the Tiwa Select founder to give us the scoop on the home objects he’s loving lately—and his picks don’t disappoint.

"I keep hundreds of napkins at home, collecting sets from travels, flea markets, and designers. For me, it’s a really easy way to make dinners feel different each time. I love putting a stack of different napkins on a table and letting guests choose whichever one they connect with, especially for a larger gathering. I love the Block Shop napkins, all made with natural pigments and printed by hand."

"I usually go overboard with candles, especially in winter, and have a drawer full of different colored votive candleholders from Finnish glassware heritage brand Iittala. The colors are beautiful—iridescent blues and greens, sultry pinks and browns. What’s more, these super sturdy little pieces can handle the rough-and-tumble of a party and can also be scooped up easily and thrown in the dishwasher after an event."

"I remember my first visit to March one San Francisco winter and being greeted by a fresh grilled cheese toast cooked on their in-store Aga—it took me right back to childhood in the United Kingdom. The shop is also known for these spatterware plates from Puglia; they turn every dish into a spectacle."

"My home is full of blankets; I’d rather grab one and curl up on the sofa inside of it than walk downstairs to turn the heat on. Because the mild California climate still allows for outdoor gatherings in winter, blankets take on a new importance here as the temperature drops at night. This piece from RP Miller is made in Guatemala with indigo-dyed fabric, but the pattern reminds me more of folk quilts from the Celtic corners of the United Kingdom, like Wales and Scotland."

"I buy printed material through Bookshop.org, which gives money back to local bookshops for purchases. It’s a great way to get the convenience of Amazon, but know you’re helping independent and local bookshops to thrive. This book is one of my recent favorites—Leslie captures spaces so peacefully and perfectly. I get a lot of joy in seeing how artists create spaces that inspire and reflect their work."

"I collect little tools and utensils and display them all over my kitchen and home. The root of craft comes from small instruments like this, so collecting them helps me to understand how certain objects that I sell might have come to be. I also think about how I use food as a way to bring communities together, and the importance of tools in that world, too. After all, nourishment is a form of craft. Quirky little tools like this Poglia pocket knife hold an especially important place in my heart!"

"Skye Chamberlain repurposes pieces of scrap metal into beautiful wall sconces. I've always filled my home with candles, so when I learned that Skye was making these I was thrilled that he wanted to sell them through Tiwa. Traditionally, Skye works in wood so it's interesting to see his take on this new material. Each sconce is totally unique based on whichever scrap pieces he has available. I try encouraging people to move away from expecting something they buy to be exactly what they see on the site; I think we need to give ourselves more space for surprise, and these pieces do that for sure."

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