Design*Sponge » ceramics

elephant ceramics

Amy Azzarito — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:40:09 +0000

Good morning! Grace hopped on the red eye from LA back to New York last night. So while she gets a little more shut eye, I thought I’d share these ceramics from Elephant Props that have been sitting on my desktop for a couple days. I’m a sucker for pretty much anything blue or gray, but the deep-blue shades in these ceramics absolutely kill me — they are seriously perfect. While I love the white pieces too, I’d love to have one perfect blue platter to highlight my mostly white dish collection. Michele Michael’s glazes are inspired by the colors in nature, particularly the colors found near her home in Maine. (She splits her time between Maine and Brooklyn. You can see both homes in her sneak peek!) She pours, drips and brushes the glazes on her pieces to give them that painterly feel. Michele has a prop house in Manhattan and started making ceramics for the stylists who rent pieces from her. She just opened her online shop this week. Everything has been flying out the door, so be sure to sign up for Michele’s mailing list to find out when she makes more! — Amy A.

janine rewell

Grace Bonney — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:50:17 +0000

I love seeing illustrators who branch out beyond paper to tackle different materials and product types. Janine Rewell is a Helsinki-based illustrator and graphic designer who studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki as well as RISD here in the US. Janine says she’s inspired by surrealist painters and children’s toys, and it’s that playfulness and use of color that I really respond to in her work. She recently did custom painted porcelain sets (sadly not available for sale) as well as illustrated boxes and swings for Tunto Design in Finland. It’s always fun to start the morning with something that makes you smile and for me, this is it. Click here to check out more of Janine’s work online. xo, grace

*I’m still working on my roundup to go with the first pictures from our new apartment, so stay tuned for that tomorrow instead. I spent most of my weekend trying to clean the house to get ready for the move and wasn’t able to finish my little online moodboard for this morning. Sorry!

victorian bunnies

Grace Bonney — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:00:04 +0000

Maybe it’s because of that Alice in Wonderland clip they had on the Golden Globes last night (How glamorous did everyone look? I loved it!), but rabbits in outfits seem like a good idea this morning. These sweet little porcelain cups ($35 each) are from Elm Design in Australia and would be perfect for juice or wine or even to use as little votive holders. Elm Design has a large collection of porcelain tableware with fun printed images, and you can check out (and shop) the full collection right here. xo, grace

2010 gift guides: for the kitchen

Kristina Gill — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:00:50 +0000

Nothing makes me happier than giving a unique gift, or one that has taken significant personal investment. I have divided my guide into two parts. The first part are all samples of work that some of my favorite artisans make. The images you see are just representative of their work. I have worked with almost all of them throughout the year on commissioned pieces for myself and friends and really enjoy the collaborative process. The second part is about enabling someone to give or personalise, so I have included ideas about things you can make or find yourself, or you can give to people who may in turn appreciate making and giving something on their own. -Kristina

1. Items for the kitchen + furniture, handmade from reclaimed wood and fallen trees, by Andrea Brugi. Pictured: Olive wood cutting board (starting at €60), olive wood salt cellars (€50 each). 2. Cup and saucer by Karin Eriksson. ($70) 3. Handmade porcelain products by Caroline Swift. Visit website for new products. 4. Christmas ornaments made from the discarded wood pieces from Andrea Brugi’s work. By Samina Langholz 5. Inscribed plate by Sabine Csampai, set of two (120). 6. Espresso cup (powder, $22), small dinner plate (dust, $47), dipping bowl (white, $35). Three of five new shades of white introduced by mud australia this year. Find the perfect color to match your friend’s interior. 7. Espresso cups with gold stars and dessert dishes by Le Petit Atelier de Paris. (Contact for details) 8. Zinnia soap dish by Molly Hatch. 9. Maple flour scoop by Herriott Grace. For prices for custom pieces, please contact artist.

1. Hard to find initials, or interesting typography. Pictured large aluminum letter, found in a Parisian market. K is not easy to find!! 2. A contribution to a worthy cause that you know your friend cares about, in your friend’s name. An example here based on food, World Food Programme. 3. Tartine Bread cookbook. Bake a great loaf, wrap it and take it to someone. 4. Print your own artwork and have it framed. Pictured “Art Depot” by Kristina Gill. 5. Doughnuts cookbook by Lara Ferroni. Bake and deliver, or have them waiting when family and friends come over. 6. A gift subscription to a magazine. The gift will come throughout the year! Pictured, Australian Gourmet Traveller. 7. Tender Volume II by Nigel Slater. All about fruit, all about dessert. Bake something with winter bounty to take along to a party.

dressed for dinner

Grace Bonney — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:00:46 +0000

I’m a huge fan of Marianne Van Ooij. Her work is always creative and I still consider turning her cute chair pillows into chair covers for events. How fun would they be at a wedding? Marianne explained that she needed a break from pillows, so she decided to explore the idea of dining with a new ceramics collection. Dining can be about so much more than food, and often comes with the excitement (or stress) of figuring out what to wear to dinner. So Marianne decided to combine the idea of eating and dressing into a new series of plates and bowls that feature details like shirt sleeves, straps and zippers. I would love to see these as fun serving bowls at a fashion event, but I’d be just as happy to use them as bowls for things like cufflinks and jewelry.

Marianne is still working on the prototypes, so they’re not yet available for sale, but as soon as they are, I’ll update this post with retail information. In the meantime, I thought they’d make a perfect piece of food-inspired eye-candy for recipe day. xo, grace

raku water vases

Grace Bonney — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:00:40 +0000

When it comes to collecting vases for flowers, I tend to own everything except actual vases. Mason jars, coffee tins and drinking glasses make up the bulk of my collection, but I think I could definitely make room for one of these beauties from ShopSCAD. SCAD alum Irene McCollam’s Raku water vases might be too pretty to use for flowers — the vases are lovely enough on their own. Irene uses an ancient Japanese pottery technique called Raku, which means “happiness through chance,” to create her vases. The process entails heating the pot in a kiln and then quickly moving it into a metal trashcan filled with newspaper and sawdust to cool it down. The quick cooling process creates an almost watercolor-like effect with the glaze and gives the vases a worn-in, aged patina. Each of Irene’s vases is handmade and signed, and available right here for $48 each. xo, grace

*Katie Runnels sent me the link to the new ShopSCAD catalog and it’s gorgeous. If you haven’t seen the full catalog you can check it out right here online.