pots of love
9th September 2016
So I haven’t written a blog for ages and I’ve got a few up my sleeve, my trip to Mallorca was amazing and so was my day in the ceramics studio making a majolica tile, oh and my day with Steph making a silver ring, that was such fun. She is coming to work in the ceramics studio and make beautiful things along with Ed, Hannah and Claire but that’s another story. I’ve taken so many photos my phone is full but before I share those images with you I just had to tell you about Claire’s pots. I did a lifestyle photoshoot the other day with Tim and I got a sense that these ceramics were really special. I already own two of the crackle top mugs and I know they are going to be old favourites in years to come.
I guess I’m biased, but really I haven’t seen anything like these pots around since the old Habitat days in the eighties and early nineties when I had a few really lovely pieces that I coveted and was very attached to. They got lost somewhere along the way but I still remember them, the feel and the colour, one in particular was pea green. Which is why I wanted to write this blog, because odd as it seems, some people can have an attachment to things in their home, especially pots. They hold memories and they can be comforting, they can feel good when you hold them and look good on your table, they can have character and almost seem to breath, a cup of tea in a special mug is just comfortable and safe.
I have been surrounded by ceramics all my life, my Father was a fascinating collector of many things, ceramics being one of them. So our home was filled with amazing collections of pottery and I still have many of these pieces today, a few quite rare and valuable items that along with books, have followed me around since I left home. In the good old days, you left home with boxes of odd glasses and plates from your parents house, an old sofa and some flat pillows that were 100 years old and you set up home with these things and gradually tried to replace them, but they often lingered for longer than you would have liked. In my case it was more than a few boxes and it’s nice really, sometimes a burden to house these things that you can’t bear to part with but they give your home history and life.
A sweeping statement it may be, but I think Claire’s pots come under the heading ‘trusty, stylish, classics for everyday life’, maybe that’s more than a heading but it’s what they are!! Claire has managed to make a small but growing collection of classic stoneware in the most beautiful soft muted colours, that feel good, are practical and simple and they will be around forever. The little lipped bowls in three sizes and the colander with a slightly rustic finish looked great on the photoshoot, I love ceramic colanders and finding some elderflowers in the grounds of Cotes Mill made it come alive.
The ceramics studio at deVOL is just the loveliest place to be, I am very lucky to be able to spend time in there making and designing new products with the help of the experts. The days I was there, the sun was baking hot, the doors were pulled back, the radio was on, everyone was busy, Hannah making tiles for a big American order, Ed building his legendary sinks and Claire patiently helping me make things out of clay. A bit of chitter chatter, some cups of tea and biscuits, the odd friendly face just stopping by to chat and see what we are up to. There’s an Olive tree at the door, an outside sink which for some reason I love, and lots of pots and bags of clay and things drying in the sun. This time last year we didn’t even have a ceramics studio, now we have pots and sinks and tiles that have been featured in articles and magazines all over the world. They are being sold all over the world and are in my opinion some of the most beautiful and unique ceramics around, where else can you buy a beautiful handmade kitchen, with a handmade sink and handmade tiles, a special mug and a collection of crockery like no other!! all under one roof, yup deVOL.
We have all our ceramics on show and for sale at Cotes Mill and plan to have lots in our new London showroom (opening October 2016), you can also view them all on our website. Take a look and come and visit us, you can even pop your head in the ceramics studio door and say hello to Ed, Claire and Hannah.
