Teroforma

September 25, 2009

Updates // Handmade, with a twist

Our good friend Maria Lintott is a super-talented designer and ceramist. Having worked with her a few years back to develop the patterns for our Oyyo Petal and Avva Fern bone china collections, we are huge fans of her talent and are overjoyed that her work has recently caught the attention of the style mavens at Daily Candy London. Working from her Hertford, England studio, Maria brings together influences from both town and country in a beautifully varied collection of fine bone china mugs and bowls. She is one to watch - and her recently launched website is one to check out.

May 25, 2009

Profiles // Lekker Home, South Boston

Great stores are the result of great people. This is the first Profile in what will be an ongoing series of interviews with our extraordinary retailers. First up? Dutch-born Natalie Carpenter, owner of Lekker Home, is a big reason that South Boston has emerged as one of the most exciting contemporary design scenes on the East Coast.

There’s a lot in a name. What does Lekker mean?
LEKKER was the first word my husband picked up when we traveled back to Amsterdam to see my family. We use it to describe just about anything. Like the English say “brilliant”, or Americans say “great”. The official meaning is “tasty, enticing, alluring, attractive, nice”. All “great” words to describe a home design store!

Great stores always seem to be a careful balance of inspiration and reassurance. To what extent do you see Lekker as a way to educate and inspire? To reassure?
It’s a balance indeed. We definitely educate our customers on the product, tell the story behind it, where it’s made, who the designer is etc. Our goal is to present the product in the most appealing, but also in the most logical way, so people can picture it in their own home. I could personally love the most outrageous setting that pushes the limits, but in the end, our goal is to sell product, so it’s got to make sense.

What prompted you to open Lekker in Boston? What do you think has fueled the growing preference for contemporary design in Boston and how has Lekker been able to play a role?
We are based in Boston, so it was pure convenience. The area we’re in was getting a lot of attention from the local government, lots of buildings being developed. We wanted to be in that area. I think that part of all this development, contemporary buildings prompted people to look for more “fitting” home products.

How does the American perspective on contemporary design compare to the European perspective and what changes have you seen since opening Lekker?
It has been an interesting experience. I think the US has some great contemporary designers at the moment. Boston as a market is generally speaking more conservative, so I have had to adjust to that a little bit, but I think if you help people see how they can mix their family heirloom pieces with more contemporary pieces, they usually get it. In the 6 years we’ve been in business I’ve noticed that more and more people want a modern feel, so my European designed products work for them.

What makes great design? And who are your current favorite designers?
For me, great design is the synergy that happens when you combine good quality/craftsmanship, originality and function. I like products that are use-able. Some of my favorite designers at the moment are: Piet Boon, Piet Hein Eek and Hella Jongerius.

What tips do you have for people who want to create that sense of effortless style when they entertain at home?
Splurge on a few pieces you know you’ll bust out every time you have people over. Like a good platter that can be used for cheese, salad, or a piece of grilled fish. ALWAYS use cloth napkins, no matter what (preferably linen ones, and Yes, you’ll have to iron them). It adds immediate class and luxury, even if you’re serving grilled cheese sandwiches. I love to cook and entertain, but I don’t have time to whip up 5 course meals so stick to simple dishes and good ingredients.

Shopping is hungry work, where do you send your best customers for a great local bite to eat?
The South End feeds just about any craving. We have great spots, from Italian to Indian, to Pizza and sandwiches. Here is my top 10: Butcher Shop & B&G Oysters for antipasti or oysters, you can’t go wrong / Meyers & Chang is a great contemporary Chinese “Snack bar” / Sage has simply delicious Italian / Flour Bakery makes the best sandwiches and sweet treats / Mela for fab Indian / Toro and Estragon for Tapas / Picco & Upper Crust for pizza. Enjoy :)

Lekker Home
1317 Washington St
Boston, MA‎
T. (617) 542-6464‎
Monday: Closed
Tu-Sa: 10AM to 7PM (EST)
Su: 12 Noon to 6PM (EST)

April 9, 2009

Profiles // Jose Joaquim Ribeiro

Jose Joaquim Ribeiro is the eldest of 5 siblings of the Ribeiro family that has owned and operated Cutipol Foundry in Caldas Das Taipas, Portugal since its opening in 1952. Having taken over daily management of the business from his father, Jose Joaquim is responsible for finding a balance between the traditions of the past - upheld by an unshakable faith in the importance of the role of the artisan - and the realities of a modern marketplace where demand for Cutipol designs stretches from Kobe to Copenhagen.

For the past 30 years, Jose Joaquim has worked to align his aesthetic preference for minimalism - as evidenced in the sleek and confident form of his Lolo flatware (left) - with the functional requirements of the objects he designs. As the Designer and Production Manager for Cutipol, he is constantly at the center of family- and company-wide collaborations.

In his own words: “I try to make things with a purity and simplicity. When you strip down the added decoration to the design, you need a very specific focus. I have a simple life - I enjoy the small things - simplicity is analogue to how I try to live.”

Having spent his childhood living literally next door to the foundry and accompanying his father on business trips, the balance of work and life for Jose Joaquim is somehow something more profound than it might at first seem.

Intrigued by the connection between a philosophy for living and a philosophy for designing, we asked how his outlook on everyday life influences his creativity:

“It is like ‘Columbus’s Egg’ (referring to a metaphor widely referenced in Portuguese and Spanish cultures about the apparent ease with which one can make an egg stand on its end). The trick is to make it all look ‘effortless’ and it is the hardest thing to achieve.”

We think he may have done it.

March 31, 2009

Profiles // Thomas Allen

One in a series of Teroforma Profiles. The questions are always the same. The answers, though, are as unique as the people who gave them.

Name: Thomas Allen

Hometown: Petersfield, Hampshire, England

Occupation: Designer-maker (Ceramics)

Hobbies: Any thing outside: Walking, Camping, Sailing, Rowing

Design philosophy: William Morris said ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.’ I will design only that which I ‘know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ and where possible the things I design and produce will be both.

Childhood ambition: To be an inventor.

Biggest challenge: Setting up my ceramic design business.

Favorite place: The Western Peak of Suilven (a mountain in Northwest Scotland)

Prized possession: My 55cm thrown stoneware plate.

Words worth remembering: Balance, composition, geometry and defenestration.

Working with Teroforma: My inspiration for Teroforma’s Oyyo White series was a single concept of fluid transformation from circular base into oval top - referencing the way potters alter shape with such apparent ease. I had been working on it off an on and had a small prototype which the guys from Teroforma liked when they visited my studio - I think it was a little flowerpot on my windowsill that caught their eye. Then came all the work as we turned that initial idea into the entire Oyyo series.

March 27, 2009

Profiles // Tihomir Tomic

It’s not everyday you meet someone whom others refer to, in all seriousness, as “the master.” It kind of makes you think of the Jedi Council or a Bruce Lee movie.

The nonchalance dissipates almost as fast as the time zones when the journey to meet a master glassmaker involves flying from New York to Vienna to Zagreb, then driving through Croatia into Slovenia, past the vineyards and medieval churches until finally arriving in front of Rogaska Glassworks, where they’ve been making some of the world’s finest crystal for over 340 years. When you finally stand in front of Tihomir Tomic and he says “all I care about is the glass,” somehow it all makes sense.

Tomic (pronounced tohm-eech) has been developing his craft for nearly 40 years, first as a student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb and then as an apprentice to Raoul Goldoni, one of the 20th century’s finest glass masters and the former Art Director at Rogaska. In 1969 Goldoni selected Tomic as his protege, and over the next two decades, they worked together on an array of projects across Europe.

Given the years of training and dedication, you’d expect Tomic to ascribe his achievements to rigor and discipline. The truth is at once reassuring and unnerving: “The technical, you learn in school. You must use your technique to bring out what is inside…and that is unfair. Your technique may be perfect but either there’s something inside or there is not.”

In the small studio behind his house, containing a furnace that he built himself out of spare parts and discarded machines, he still experiments with new design ideas and new ways of working glass. It isn’t fancy, but there he is surrounded by the things that matter most- the pictures of his family above his drafting desk, a few sails, booms and surfboards stretched out across rafters in the ceiling and, of course, his glass.

[Teroforma has worked with Tomic and Rogaska Glassworks to produce its Issi decanters, cruets and candlesticks as well as its collection of single-pull wine stems. They are each made entirely by hand...under the careful direction of a master.]

March 23, 2009

Profiles // Louisa Taylor

One in a series of Teroforma Profiles. The questions are always the same. The answers, though, are as unique as the people who gave them.

Occupation: Ceramist and designer (www.louisataylorceramics.com)

Hobbies: Motor biking, sketching, photography, collecting ceramics

Design philosophy: Simplicity and honesty to form.

Childhood ambition: To be an actress.

Biggest challenge: After completing my first degree in ceramics, I took on a small pottery business in a remote part of the country. It was very hard work, no money, long hours but it was extremely rewarding and the experience was invaluable.

Favorite place: My bed.

Prized possession: My Potters Wheel. It was the first piece of equipment I brought for my studio.

Words worth remembering: Multi-functional

Working with Teroforma: I had met Thea - Teroforma’s creative director - through a mutual friend. We’d been kicking around a lot of ideas, but the stoneware colour palette for the Ullu Line Series actually came from a cold January day I spent in Cardiff Bay, Wales. I documented my visit with photographs and focused on details such as man-made and natural contrasts. Colours were inspired by many elements such as the gentle purple haze of welsh slate and rusty fishing boats moored in the harbour.

March 19, 2009

Profiles // Roman Vrtiska

One in a series of Teroforma Profiles. The questions are always the same. The answers, though, are as unique as the people who gave them.

Name: Roman Vrtiska

Hometown: Prague, Czech Republic

Occupation: Architect and designer

Hobbies: Art, music, mountain biking

Design philosophy: Design is not revolution but evolution

Childhood ambition: More time for playing

Biggest challenge: Making people happy

Favorite place: 45°56′14.825″N, 10°48′56.692″E
[Editor's note - Laggo di Tenno, Italy]

Prized possession: My friends

Words worth remembering: I can’t get no satisfaction

Working with Teroforma: As designers, I think we are inspired by everyday life. Obviously, sometimes inspiration comes from totally unexpected places - objects, shapes, shadows, people, weather…you can be inspired 24hrs a day in every place on earth. What I can clearly say is that my design for the Ekke Carafe & Tumbler mirrors my approach to design and aesthetics quite well: two parts integrated into one piece, working in concert; compact functionality; respect for the visual aspect of the shape as a function itself. I also like the idea of trying to avoid plastic bottles in the household by replacing them with a pure material of the highest quality - glass.

January 31, 2009

Profiles // Ice Melts. Whisky Rocks.

A few of us from Teroforma just got back from a trip up to Vermont to see our friends at Vermont Soapstone who make our Whisky Stones. We spent much of the day with owner Glenn Bowman as he showed us around his workshop. We talked about the origin of his company and also a bit about its history. We thought we’d share some of our pictures from the trip. Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

Hawks Mountain, VT. Site of the original Vermont Soapstone quarry.

Vermont Soapstone in Perkinsville, VT.

Owner Glenn Bowman was born and raised on Nantucket where his family ran an inn.

Glenn shows us a picture of the original Vermont Soapstone mill which was entirely hydro-powered. It was relocated decades ago to its present location (about a mile away) following an engineering project that dammed the river to prevent flooding in the Connecticut River Valley.

Stone clamps line the banister as you walk onto the workshop floor. They're used during a setting process required to make composite pieces water-tight.

The light is great in this picture. It was shot using a Lumix DMC LX3 on out-of-the-box settings before we'd had a chance to read the manual.

A slab of soapstone is laid on this table as its cut into the pieces that become our Whisky Stones.

A close-up of the workshop wall. Just really like the texture in this picture.

Just visible off to the left in the image three above this one, this is a close-up of a closed-loop water filtration system that Glenn devised to clean away rock dust without infecting the local water table. The pipes pictured above feed the dirty water through 4 large mesh bags that capture the particles in the water as it is recycled to continue its cleaning process. According to Glenn, the approach is consistent with the way the original hydro-powered mill ran back in the 1800s, long before anyone ever heard the term sustainable manufacturing.