11.4.13

NEW TABLEWARE COLLECTION PREVIEW

Gladstone Pottery Museum

BONE CHINA FROM STOKE ON TRENT
Really excited to be visiting Stoke on Trent this week, to see the first of my new tableware pieces being sampled.  

My first job after graduating was as a junior shape designer at Wedgwood in Barlaston, what a fantastic place to start a career in ceramics!  Full of history, expertise and quality materials and craftsmanship.  Such a treasure trove of historical references in the musuem and also in the archives underneath the factory, so valued that they've built the Wedgwood Museum to house it all..

I lived just up the road from here - Longton.  One of our ceramic tutors worked just over the way at the Gladstone Pottery Museum, he's still working as a master thrower last time I met up with him.  He was the guy that they always had on the Generation Game as the pottery instructor!  One of the best production throwers around... makes throwing look so so easy!

Derelict Bottle kiln in Longton


Moulds on the casting bench ready for slipcasting. 
It's such a lovely smooth, luxurious material, and so robust and durable when fired, allowing for a thin cast thickness which helps with the translucent qualities.  

filling up the moulds with bone china slip



Bisq kiln being packed.


Fantastic to see my new moulds on the benches, it's been a long time since I worked directly with UK factories, the last production I had was with Park Rose and Hornsea factories up in Yorkshire, making earthenware tableware ranges for me with matt silk glazes, which retailed at Heals, The Conran Shop and Liberty's.  




Preview of new bone china work.  Still a few details to finalise for the new range and  some development to do for another range to sit with this before I launch the collection fully.

11.3.13

Ambiente




Arriving at the fair, the first stop, breakfast.  Tea's out in Frankfurt, far too thin, but latte's just right!
I like the consideration that goes into the cafes in the halls, why can't we do better here?  They're actually nice places to spend time...







LOFT the best hall to head for, with serious focus on design led product, it'd be great to spend all the time here rather than to scour all the other halls, best saved as a real treat or respite from the other mass manufactured halls. 





On my wish list The Cobbler Stool is a reinterpretation of the milking stool classic, simple styling and so nice to sit on...
Designed by Danish trio E2 the New Nordic bowls - porcelain serveware that's oven proof too.. clever thinking.  Large teak platters and serving spoons


The Pilot Coat Hanger designed by Nina Tostrup “Design should be based on a good idea, a simple and functional look and a beautiful form that makes the best use of the material.”   Elegant and streamlined coat hanger, typical Scandinavian..

Extrude wardrobe- won the The Formland Design Award – Autumn 2012.
Nomad


http://www.skagerak.dk/Default.aspx


Takahashi Kougei produce beautiful lathe turned products from their small scale family business
Aiming to create simple, functional wooden pieces.  Kami Cup & Kakudo Series designed by Masanori Oji. 
Stars of the show were these guys from 13th degree Alexander Paul Finke and
Jörg Zinser
http://www.dreizehngrad.de/pages-de/team.php









These were so cool, bags and aprons for the garden made from recycled paper...  Like how they used these planted with herbs around the cafes..
http://www.lesorelleinlucca.it/en/collection











So excited over Iris Hantverk brushes.. made by visually impaired craftsman using traditional techniques and quality materials. Impressed with the shaving brush made with badger bristles! Products made using birch or beech with natural bristles, from horsehair and goatshair. 






















beautiful turned bowls, paper thin


http://www.stelton.dk/~/media/STELTON/PDF/News_2013-1_brochure.pdf

Designed by Konstfack graduates  Sofia Lagerkvist, Charlotte von der Lancken and Anna Lindgren, the Swedish design company Front.