Homegirl London pays homage to Alison Appleton British Ceramic Design Studio. Alison set up her business back in September 1998 making beautiful ceramics. She actually started off her career in textiles but fell in love with ceramics after visiting a factory in Portugal. Alison has an obsession and fascination with tea; making it, pouring it, drinking it and most of all celebrating the interesting places and cultures associated with it. This becomes apparent when you see her collection of charming teapots which are inspired by Paris tea salons, Oriental good fortune, fairy tales and historical moments in time. Her collection includes tea pots along with cups, mugs, tea caddies and she also makes tea light holders and decorative objects. I caught up with Alison to find out more …
Q: Tell me about your design background.
A: I studied printed textiles at Liverpool Art College (It was then the Polytechnic). I was offered a job at my degree show and went to work in a studio in Germany. I knew I wanted to be self-employed so I was always creating, making and selling at every opportunity. After my 3 children were born I found an agent who sold my designs for me, from then I gradually built up experience and contacts to enable me to go it alone.
I moved from textile design in to ceramics in 1998 when I was asked to visit ceramic manufacturers in Portugal to help put patterns on the plates. I loved ceramics from the start and soon began working with the mould makers and creating new shapes. Since then I have created lines for many manufacturers around the world, working very closely in the UK with La Cafetière since 2003.
Q: Why set up your business?
A: The new business, creating and selling my brand of teapots, was set up so that I could make and sell exactly what I like. I find the history and cultures associated with tea totally enchanting, I love the idea of sharing tea with friends and making an occasion out of it. It’s important to make fine teas perfectly, why buy a good tea and spoil it by letting it stew?
Q: Where are you based and why?
A: My studio can be found in the Baltic Creative area of Liverpool, this is a short walk from the city centre. The whole area houses lots of studios and workshops all serving the creative industries. I have a glass fronted studio, full of light, it’s a great space. It’s a nice feeling to work in close proximity to other creative companies. We often have people popping in to look at our ceramics and talk about tea.
Q: How many people work at your company?
A: We have 4 permanent members of staff in the studio and we use consultants for a number of projects.
Q: Describe your design style.
A: I enjoy combining different techniques and materials to create something dynamic and tactile. To create my Darcy teapot I liked the idea of a pure white delicate porcelain hand painted with delicate flowers sitting next to heavy black clay, the final flourish was to add a wooden handle. All natural materials are very appealing but the pot also conjures up the beauty of Oriental tea drinking and manages to look new and contemporary. My new work will explore mixing and matching new clays and glazes.
Q: Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
A: Mostly nature but also the cultures that are associated with tea; China, India, Japan, Ceylon, Britain and France.
Q: What’s your fascination with Tea?
A: My fascination with tea started in my grandmother’s house. It was the centre of everything when I was growing up. The kettle was always on and the house was really filled with cups of tea (made with loose leaf tea) endless chatter and laughter. She also had books, bags, ornaments and all sorts of souvenirs from China, India, Ceylon and Africa which were all collected by the men in our family who had gone to sea. I was absolutely enchanted by these cultures, I’m sure it is also the reason why I have always travelled a lot.
Q: Tell me about your collections.
A: My current collection consists of the following tea pieces …
Golden Carp: teapot and cups made from embossed porcelain with celadon glaze and a golden lid. This was inspired by the lovely shapes of teapots found in the Paris tea salons of the 19th century. I love French Chinoiserie and used Oriental symbols like the Carp, (they symbolise great achievements in one’s pursuit or high ambitions in life), Water lily (the lotus flower symbolises spiritual enlightenment) and gold (obviously a symbol of wealth) to create the pot of good fortune!
Golden Carp Teapot and Cups
Emperor’s Bird: black clay pot and cups with a white glaze and floral decoration. I adore storytelling, 2 stories form my childhood are buried deep, one is Matilda by Hilaire Belloc and the other is The Emperor and the Nightingale by Hans Christian Anderson. I am not sure what I can do with the very unfortunate Matilda but I have used Anderson’s lovely tale about a grumpy old Emperor and the sweet little bird for this collection. The pot represents the Imperial Chinese court; of course the delicate little bird is perched upon the top.
Emperor’s Bird Teapot and Cups
Darcy: pot, caddy and cups which have a hand painted porcelain lid on a black clay pot with a wooden handle. Darcy was inspired by British Chinoiserie, in particular the elegance of Regency tea drinking. During this period, the Brighton Pavilion was homage to all things Chinese. I used hand painted peonies and birds to decorate the lid and cups, these flowers were often seen on imported wallpapers and textiles during the Regency period. The body is made using black clay, very similar to black basalt which was also popular during this period.
Darcy Teapot
Camellia: teapot and mugs made in Blanc de Chine porcelain. All tea comes from Camellia Sinensis, the shape of the Camellia pot was inspired by the little white flowers on the tea plant, I like the unexpected and wanted to create a traditional spherical pot but with a difference, the lid curves in to the top like a sweeping petal. The porcelain used for this pot comes from the part of China where much of the tea is grown – Fujian Province.
Camellia Teapot and Cups
Woodland: teapot, breakfast cup, vase and tea light. This collection was inspired by British woodland and all the delicate flowers that inhabit it. I have decorated all the pieces with lily of the valley and topped the teapot with a lid glazed in a fresh forest green and a butterfly knob.
Woodland Teapot
Q: Which creative person do you admire and why?
A: The potter Dame Lucy Rie, created exquisite bowls and bottles, the materials and glazes she used are incredibly beautiful and timeless.
Q: What’s the best thing about owning your own business?
A: Being able to make your dreams come true!
Q: What one piece of advice would you pass on to someone wanting to set up their own business?
A: Do thorough research of the market before you invest further time and money in to your idea. When you start it’s normal to make mistakes, ignore them, learn and move on fast!
Q: What’s coming up for the rest of 2013?
A: I am working on new designs to add to my collection and hoping to launch something interesting in Paris at Maison & Object in September. We are busy putting together the prototypes at the moment.
Prices for Alison’s pieces range from £12 – £55. The products are stocked at places like Mulberry Hall in York, Whittard of Chelsea and Divertimenti. You can buy from Alison Appleton. Credits: text by Homegirl London, images courtesy of Alison Appleton, special thanks to Alison and Rachel Godman-Morris.
