We choose them because we love the artistic process, they are more beautiful and much more interesting to use than anything made by a machine... and each one is unique, just like it's maker.
We thought we’d take this reflective, calmer time in January as a chance to dive deeper into this thoughtful, beautiful & peaceful art. I must confess I am mesmerised watching pottery throwing, I genuinely love the artistic process of making, craftsmanship and am fascinated by the differing techniques involved in creativity – it’s good for all our souls and it makes me deeply happy to see it done well, particularly with a warming mug of tea in my grasp from one of our very own makers! These skills take such time to learn and master, and they absolutely should be passed on from generation to generation. Iris Lifestyle hope's to cherish these skills by providing an outlet for the makers so they continue to bring joy and depth to all in our community.
So here's a deeper look at who our talented ceramists are:
Menna at Cleiog Ceramics, Great Shelford, Cambridge UK
First up is Menna from @CleiogCeramics. The Welsh word ‘Cleiog’ literally translates to ‘an abundance of clay’, which seems fitting and connects to Menna’s Welsh heritage. Menna is an experienced potter, self-taught but with an absolute eye for detail and quality. We’re so lucky to have her work instore and now that Menna has moved into our very own village where Iris Lifestyle bricks + mortar store is based, surely this means we have an artist in residence?! Not only do we love our resident potter, but we also get to see her regularly and let me tell you she is a total delight.
Her work is made in small batches, all hand thrown in stoneware on her potter’s wheel. She takes inspiration from vintage French pottery and fabrics that she adores and creates her own food-safe muted glazes which add a new quality and another dimension to her work.
You might be forgiven in thinking that it would be easy to throw a vessel.... but what if you had to make it to the same design again, and again... would that be so easy? The truth is, it is a very measured process where the clay is carefully weighed and prepared to the right level of moisture and pliability, and your hands are required to feel the walls into place with just the right amount of water, with regular, slim width and no air bubbles .... something that takes lots of practice, repetition and trial and error. And that's before you even thinking about at what stage of drying to add handles, spouts and holes.. or the kiln firing and glazing either.
Menna is a true artistic adventurer, taking the process from the start, right-the-way-through to finish, even mixing her own glaze colours to get them just right. She loves to make cups, mugs and candle holders but also all manner of one-of-a-kind kitchen ceramics such as butter keepers, domes, garlic pots and lemon squeezers... and her Berry Bowls are getting pretty famous here - they sell out almost immediately.
In the numerous conversations I’ve had with Menna about her work, three things become clear - she is really good at throwing, she is absolutely meticulous with her recipes where everything is weighed and measured - but most interestingly she loves the moment where a glaze doesn’t behave quite as it should, where the true beauty of imperfectly-perfect pieces shine through and the nature of handmade is truly nurtured.

Next up in our handmade ceramic stories are the makers we support further afield, with strictly fairtrade principles through and through, and excellent working partnerships.
Tung & Viet, Bàt Tráng, Vietnam
The diligent tableware studio Tung & Viet in Vietnam creates in a modern studio in Bàt Tráng with excellent working conditions. Here they make our stylish Cyl and Rutunda cups and plates – all are hand thrown in a contemporary, minimalist design, where part of the stoneware is left exposed to add to the user's tactile experience. Tung & Viet partner with Kinta, an authentic, refined and fairtrade interior homeware brand that collab to make accessories in a responsible and sustainable way. Kinta's union with the diligent tableware studio Tung & Viet in Vietnam yields stylish pieces designed well. We meet with Kinta each year to choose from this range.
The Tung & Viet Studio is located in the pottery village of Bàt Tráng outside Hanoi. Tung and Viet are the youngest generation to lead an old family pottery, which has existed for more than 8 generations, to the 21st century. They are very ambitious and work on continuing a long craft tradition combined with vision for the future. Fair trade is central to this. The company has recently been renovated; it is orderly and clean and has well-lit and well-ventilated spaces for production. Apart from the family, it is also the nearby farmers who work here when farming is less busy. Production therefore does not always go fast, especially around harvest time! The Kinta team make numerous visits to Vietnam to check all conditions and production regularly and work on new designs.
Tung & Viet use local resources and mix the non-toxic food-safe colour glazes themselves. They are carefully made from stoneware clay, and are robust, microwave and dishwasher proof. The glazes are colourful and so full of nuaces and character but it is the thrown shapes and the matte clay that we find so appealing, you know when a piece is beautiful if you find yourself gazing at the bottom of it in admiration!
Finally, we take a look at Sari Rikken from Rotterdam, a Dutch maker whose philosophy is to create tableware with a purpose. Her organic-shaped tableware is designed to serve a healthy portion size and invite you to consume each meal more mindfully, but also to look abstract and stylish on the table. From pretty much any angle these plates look different, organically-beautiful and are a never-ending delight to observe.
Sari Rikken Hand Crafted Ceramics, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
With a strong focus on sustainability, consumerism in modern society and functionality, Sari applies her profession as a florist & product designer to create ceramics that reveal new ways to consume more consciously. Having used them myself at home every day they certainly are very durable, addictive to look at and are quite simply unique. Sari also creates her own food-safe glazes and told us all about her processes when we met her after she had just finished her ceramic degree course and was vacation working on the Original Home stand at the Maison Objet show at Paris Design Week. Her pieces were being featured on their eco-friendly table mats, bowls and chargers. They looked incredibly striking and we fell in love!
Interestingly Sari's plates aren’t thrown but are hand-poured using liquid porcelain clay - a technique called slip casting - a way of shaping clay that is best suited for the consistent and precise shaping of complex shapes that are too difficult to throw. There are lots of tricky factors involved from the viscosity to moisture levels and the temperatures during production. The use of moulds to pour the porcelain slip into also needs care, and expertise in knowing when the semi-dry pieces are ready to come out and be handled without damage. Then there's 'fettling' or the removing of the imprinted mould seams from each peice before firing.
It’s so great to connect with artistic people all over the world who are appreciating the beauty of craftsmanship like this. Being inspired to create and make beautiful things is so human and something that we’re incredibly lucky enough to have improving our lives, our homes, our houses our tables and our minds - we must cherish it.
This next year 2025, we’re going to be creating some exciting things of our own in the Iris Lifestyle aesthetic, I can’t say much more than that at the moment, but we’re very excited about some creative plans of our own. Watch this space!
Nikki and Mags Xx
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