How to Create Your Own Kintsugi Vase at Home

You might be wondering what on earth Kintsugi is, or you may already be aware of the power of mending with gold. Kintsugi is the traditional Japanese technique used to repair broken items with gold, which not only adds to their value but also gives the item a second life, saving it from the back of your cupboard or landfill!

The word ‘Kintsugi’ translates to ‘golden joinery’, it is said to have originated in the 15th century when a shogun needed a bowl repaired. Philosophically, Kintsugi highlights the damage of an object, it is seen as part of the objects history and something to be celebrated, not disguised! With the throwaway culture we live in, adopting a Kintsugi philosophy can be a really wonderful way to reduce what we throw away and celebrate the idea of things that are broken, then repaired, having a meaningful story behind them. Kintsugi also relates to the Japanese philosophy of ‘wabi-sabi’, which emphasises embracing the flawed or imperfect of both an object, and as a general aspect of human nature, to embrace the imperfect within ourselves.

Traditionally, Kintsugi is a very thoughtful and time-consuming craft, it involves using urushi lacquer and real powdered gold that is mixed together to form a paste. The object in question is then stuck back together to create the final piece. The urushi lacquer is related to the poison ivy family, so whoever is repairing the ceramics must be extremely careful to not get poisoned, however once it is dry it’s completely safe.

There are three main types of joinery involved in Kintsugi, the first is Crack (ひび), which requires gold dust and resin or lacquer to attach broken pieces. The second is the piece method (欠けの金継ぎ例), this is used when some broken fragments have gone missing and the entire section is recreated out of the gold lacquer. The final type is called joint call (呼び継ぎ), in which a similar shaped piece of ceramic is used to replace the missing piece from the original ceramic which creates a patchwork effect. There are only a few crafters left who are skilled in traditional Kintsugi, however there are many modern, inexpensive alternatives that can be used to recreate the same look that are achievable at home.

We’ve come up with some instructions for how you can recreate a Kintsugi ceramic from the comfort of your own home. You’ll simply need an item made of porcelain or ceramic bought from a charity shop, some 5 minute epoxy (such as Gorilla Glue), an old pillow case, an art paint brush, gold acrylic paint, a disposable mixing pot, protective gloves and some lollipop sticks. We’re using a vase from our new collection that unfortunately broke during transit!

Step One: Firstly, you need to place your ceramic or porcelain in an old pillow case and do a controlled smashing of the item alternatively you can wait to mend something broken accidentally. After this, carefully layout the pieces on a table to see how you are going to reattach them.

Step Two: Next, start applying the glue to the corresponding pieces, you’ll need to hold them together for a few minutes to ensure they’re stuck together properly! I find it best to do this step in small sections and then let them dry before combining it all together. It’s also important to not wipe away any excess glue at this point, as it will ooze out the sides. Don’t worry about this as its much easier to remove once the glue has properly dried!

Step Three: Once you’ve left your object to fully dry (drying time will vary depending on which glue you use) you can then use a craft knife to scrape away the excess glue. Once you’ve done this you’re ready to paint!

Step Four: Simply fill in the cracks with the gold acrylic paint, wait for it to dry and your object will be ready to display! As with any at home craft, if you’re intending to use the object to eat or drink from, you need to ensure that the glue used is food grade and safe to use.

For our kintsugi vase, we decided to over-exaggerate the gold cracks to really make a feature out of the vase, it's up to you how thin or wide you'd like your lines! We also styled it with a selection of our gorgeous preserved teal hydrangeas, which happen to be my personal fave of our hydrangea collection!

Words by Emily Carpenter