Mika, a Toronto plant store located on 1593 Dundas Street, beside the famous Lula Lounge, is owned by Hiroshima born Mika Sato. Mika draws inspiration from nature. While in Japan, she studied Ikebana, a floral art influencing her design, style, and aesthetic.
Welcome To This Ikebana Toronto Plant Store!
Ikebana style focuses on sparse and deliberate construction. It’s grounded in ancient Japanese polytheism and Buddhist traditions. Ikebana appreciates natural beauty and encourages the practitioner to find beauty in everything. Ikebana’s goal, according to 69-year-old artist Toshiro Kawase, is to “see the whole universe contained in a single flower.”
Ikebana is experiencing a revival period due to plant stores like Mika. Flower arrangement unifies humans and the natural world, allowing humans to discover beauty in the simplicity of nature. It reflects the times; a hard-wired connection to nature with awareness of environmental erosion. Emphasis is on life’s brevity and imperfection, fundamental to Ikebana, but less so in Western arrangements, which Mika studied when she moved to Canada in 1997. Mika travelled and learned new styles and techniques in Europe, South East Asia, and North America. One of Mika’s fond memories is working in a contemporary Amsterdam plant store.
Mika’s Journey
In 2010, Mika registered for pottery classes with experienced potters in Toronto and Hiroshima. She’s improving her skills working independently at local studios. She infuses Ikebana in her pottery, incorporating Earth elements like shells, seeds, and corals to create one of a kind vessels. Her most beautiful work comes in the form of elegant “Jellyfish Potters.” Her style is aesthetically pleasing and functional. A blend of hand built and wheel thrown pottery and floral elements.
Mika grows her own botanicals and locally sources others. Along with orchids, succulents, and air plants, other elements such as lichens, moss, and branches create unique terrariums and planters. Her Toronto plant store is the perfect place to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon without walking to a park. A little bit of spring on a cold winter day. Mika looks forward to seeing you soon!
Visit Mika’s site to explore her jellyfish planters here!
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