Years back, I learned about the lesser-known sonambient work of Italian-American designer Harry Bertoia. Bertoia, celebrated for his now-iconic wire mesh seating, created a series of sound sculptures in the 1960s with sonic and kinetic properties. Discovering his sound art led me to reconsider the aural pleasantries of the wind chime. I’ve found that I especially gravitate toward Japanese wind bells, hung at the entrance of the home or from surrounding trees, which are thought to bring good fortune and grant wishes to the inhabitants of the home.
The sense of sound in the garden is often overlooked but shouldn’t be. Here, we’ve profiled our favorite wind chimes to help grant wishes while bringing sound back into the garden.
Above: Designed by Oji Masanori for Nousaku, the Tsubomi Chime is made of solid brass with a thin clapper disk that produces a gentle ringing sound when a breeze passes by. Designed with a trio of cotton pompoms, the chime is designed for indoor spaces and covered outdoor spaces/porches; $110 at Nalata Nalata. Above: The EOS Wind Chime is made of fine stoneware with a white satin glaze and durable cotton rope designed for the outdoors; $24 for a single strand (shown in a group of three) at Stag & Manor. Above: The Owara Kaze No Bon Wind Chime in brass is made in Takaoka City in the Toyama Prefecture of Japan by a company founded in 1609; $94 at The Good Liver, which stocks a wide selection of wind chimes in various finishes and shapes. Above: The Edo Glass Bell from Maison Martin Margiela is a longstanding favorite. An interpretation of traditional Japanese wind bells, the blown glass bell is available in three sizes. But as far as sourcing online, we can only find the medium available for €51 at Atelier d’Exercices. Above: From Wind River Chimes, the Corinthian Bells 44-Inch Wind Chime is a classic western-style chime available in a range of finishes. Visit Wind River Chimes for a sample of the sound; $167.98 for the 44-inch size. Above: The Porcelain Wind Chime from Pigeon Toe Ceramics in Portland, Oregon, is made from a series of ceramic disks strung together on a deerskin lace cord. Shown in a natural glaze for $99 at Schoolhouse.
Above: The Onion Wind Chime from Nousaku is made of either gold- or silver-finished brass in the shape of an onion; $93 at Jinen. Above: Cosanti bells are made from molds by Italian architect Paolo Soleri originally for his futuristic Cosanti buildings in the mid-1950s in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The #118B Bronze Bell with a patina finish is $595 at Cosanti Originals. For more see our post Object of Desire: Architect-Designed Bronze Wind Bells from Cosanti. Above: Designed by Masanori Masuda, the Japanese Iron Wind Chime is made of iron, paper, and thread for $60CAD at Mjölk. Above: The 44-Inch Cloud Nine Wind Chime, shown in silver, is a straightforward wind-catcher made with 6 aluminum tubes, a styrene clapper, and an aluminum ring; $119 at Pottery Barn.
Above: The Nijiro Furin Chime by Sugahara Glass is coated in such a way as to mimic the iridescence of an everlasting soap bubble; $165 at Rikumo. Above: At Pottery Barn, the Sanctuary Bells Wind Chime Collection, shown in brass, is designed to resonate with the hum of Tibetan singing bowls; $79. Above: From Ceramic Pix on Etsy, the 9 Tier Ceramic Wind Chime is handmade with nine white matte clay bells on a long piece of faux leather; $85 on Etsy. Above: From Michele Quan, the MQuan Small Round Thrown Bell Crescent makes a gentle chiming sound thanks to a wooden knocker and ceramic bell; $305 at Cedar & Hyde.
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.
Full Access Individual Subscription
Benefits include:
Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive the full-text daily newsletters
All features that Members have access to
Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Become a Member at no charge
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Congratulations on becoming a Subscriber to Remodelista, Gardenista and The Organized Home! You now have access to many great features across the sites:
Unlimited access to all three sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive any of the newsletters, including the the full-text daily Remodelista and Gardenista newsletters
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Congratulations on joining as a free Member of Remodelista, Gardenista and The Organized Home! You now have access to many great features across the sites:
Access to all posts published in the past year
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
If at any time you want to become a Subscriber and enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to all our content, just go to the My Account link and choose Subscribe.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation