A little story about me

I'm Kaori (sounds like "cowrie", the shell), and my company te. by kao translates as ‘handmade by Kaori’, ie, me! 

I am Japanese, born in Osaka and grew up in Kanagawa, near Tokyo. I came to the UK many moons ago - first to Nottingham to study fashion marketing, and then settled in a beautiful Shropshire town with my lovely husband, where we continue to live with our two boys and a ginger cat. 

I started te. by kao in 2016; originally crafting leather offcut hanging nests. Since then I have expanded my range and now create a range of homeware and accessories. I also love working with ceramics, and create unique custom-made pottery from my own studio in our garden. 

I’m passionate about good design. Inspired by my Japanese heritage, I love creating according to principles of functionality and simple form with playful twists. I’m really excited to share my designs with you, and hope you enjoy them too! 

Kaori