Work is work and everything else is life. Draw a clear line between the
two. No checking emails at night or texting co-workers and guard your private life religiously. That’s the goal, isn’t it? But what if private and professional passions intersect and the day job isn’t just a job?
That’s happily the case for Shobhan Porter’s team at Wild Life. Wild Life, on the plaza in Santa Fe, sells covetable, handcrafted and artisan wares for the home. Think of a glass by Malfatti (Italian for “misshapen”), so thin you think it might shatter when you pick it up. Made from borosilicate glass––the same material used to make laboratory beakers––it’s delicate yet durable.
Handmade Homewares That Last
Run your finger along the unglazed lip of a set of hand-formed nesting bowls in speckled celadon by ceramicist Laurie Goldstein. Marvel at the work of the artist. Feel the substantial weight of a piece of brushed stainless-steel cutlery from Astier de Villatte in your hand. Know you’re holding something meant to last.
It’s a marriage of nature. It’s untameable, unpredictable, and an utterly one-of-a-kind culture. The homeware is an art and craft that is at the heart of Wild Life. Nature is the inspiration and the hand of the maker lies at its heart.
It’s a refreshing philosophy that flies in the face of mass-produced, throw-away homewares. And it’s one that carries through to the staff who work at Wild Life and its sister stores, Santa Fe Dry Goods and Workshop. “I often say that Dry Goods is more uptown; Workshop is downtown; and Wild Life is out of town,” says owner Shobhan Porter. Wild Life metamorphosed from store to dinner party recently when staff members gathered for an after-hours celebration.
“We’re a pretty tight team, that’s all I can say. There’s a lot of
enthusiasm. Everyone loves living in this specific way.” And all share a love of handmade works. “Almost everyone here is an artist in some way, so there is a deeper connection in that vein,” she says.
Celebrating Artistry and Tradition
The food was prepared by Joseph Wrede, head chef and owner of Santa Fe’s iconic Jacob’s Culinary Pub, and was as inspired as the conversation. An egg-yolk yellow porcelain platter from Bertozzi, one of Wild Life’s signature lines, was the perfect choice for Chef Wrede’s salad of bitter greens, shaved fennel, blackberries, razor-thin slices of squash and pink grapefruit segments.
With its wavy, hand-built edge and yellow glazes ranging from buttery yellow to warm sunflower, Bertozzi epitomizes Wild Life’s ethos. The team’s quest for the unexpected is easily noticable. “I think the products are the maker,” Shobhan says. Each Bertozzi piece is handmade and the result of three generations of Italian know-how in the complex world of porcelain and glazing. “Their soul is throughout everything they make.”
“This maker world is available to all of us and this crowd pursues that on their own, so we share that as friends would.” Shobhan says this means passing around newspaper or magazine clippings and late-night texts that read. “You won’t believe what I just found!” Unique products, sourced and sold by a team just as unique. “It’s definitely a cast of characters and I love that.”
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Tira Howard
Styling by Kitty Solon, FORAGED Floral Designs
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