A black sign sits on the corner 38 Washington St. advertising “Japanese furniture and art.” Next to it, a flight of stairs goes below ground level and leads to the doorway of “Shibui,” a showroom dedicated to Japanese antiques.
It’s dark and quiet inside. Aside from the furniture, the building is stocked with a large collection of ceramics, folk art and small collectibles, all of which embody “Shibui,” a Japanese word used to describe a simple and unobtrusive type of beauty.
The word holds a lot of weight for Dave Owens, the owner of Shibui. With experience as a goldsmith’s apprentice, he came to love and understand the word as the ideal for craftsmanship in his trade. However, it’s not as easily defined for him.
He cites the August 1960 issue of House Beautiful to give a clearer definition:
“Shibui describes a profound, unassuming, quiet feeling. It is unobtrusive and unostentatious. It may have hidden attainments, but they are not paraded or displayed. The form is simple and must have been arrived at with an economy of means. Shibui is never complicated or contrived. It is a knowing exploration of its methods and material’s inherent capabilities. A thing Shibui must have depth worth studying after first being noticed. It must not reveal itself all at once. It is interesting, with intrinsic quality and depth of character. Its beauty is imperfect and unique, enhanced by particularities.”
After living in a college dorm room — a place he describes as an “aesthetic void” — Dave strives to share and spread this type of beauty to others. Since graduating, he’s been focused on running and expanding Shibui, which has since become a tribute to Asian art and home to the largest collection of Japanese cabinetry on the East Coast.
Rummaging through the store is almost like viewing an art exhibition at a museum. It’s both a walk through history and an excuse for an impromptu shopping spree.
For more information, visit shibui.com.
ADDRESS:
38 Washington Street Lower Level
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 875-1119
