Design Daily: Crockery by Max Lamb
Author:Sarah Virginia WhiteEngland’s Staffordshire region has produced some of the most elegant fine bone china in the world. Local company 1882 Ltd., founded you-know-when, makes innovative use of its craft heritage to create forward-thinking design, such as the delightfully blocky new tableware by London designer Max Lamb.
Starting from blank lumps of plaster, Lamb carved the models using stonemasonry tools, chipping each form into molds for slip-casting the china tableware. Some of the silhouettes, including the jug and mug, are reminiscent of past 1882 Ltd. whiteware collections. Lamb creatively interpreted the shapes for design-hungry tabletops, however. I love the chipped-and-chiseled angles on the otherwise traditional forms.
Introduced at London Design Festival in September, Crockery includes nine items, including a mug, a jug, salt-and-pepper shakers, vases and nesting bowls. My favorites are the small items—the shakers and vases—which look like mini-monoliths or icebergs dotting your table. I also love how the chunky feel of the collection belies its fine craftsmanship and near weightlessness. When viewed from the side, the thin china lets light through its walls.
Find select Crockery items, including the mug ($110), jug ($325) and small bowl ($120), at Supernatural in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill.
