Product Design

I make pottery to be used — pieces that are practical, comfortable, and feel good to hold. My forms are simple by design, but each decision around shape, weight, and surface is intentional. I draw from studio pottery traditions as well as my own preferences, aiming for work that earns its place in daily life.

These choices reflect my own approach, but there’s no single right way to make a good pot. One of the things I love about pottery in Aotearoa is how diverse it is — full of different voices, styles, and techniques.

Mug handles

Handles are attached and 'pulled' in a traditional method. A decent width of clay gives stability when tipped forward and back. Indenting the bottom half of the handle upwards allows the middle finger to support a lot of the vessel's weight - this reduces the need to pinch down and grip with the thumb. No part of the hand naturally comes to rest against the mug body, which can be too hot to hold directly.

Mug shape

Mug bodies are thrown taller than they are wide. This is partly for aesthetics, but also makes it harder for liquid to slosh out, compared with a low, wide vessel (still great for the classic flat white!). A small foot keeps the mug bottom elevated and reduces the amount of heat or condensation transferred when placed on a table. Walls are trimmed thin to reduce weight, but not so thin to be delicate.

Clay-body

The clays I use vitrify during the glaze firing, at a little over 1200°C. This means the clay melts just enough to become glass-like, and reduces the amount of water the unglazed clay exposed on the foot can absorb (to less than 1%). If it is sat in the sink or put through the dishwasher the vitrified clay doesn't become waterlogged.

Glaze application

Where possible, pieces are almost completely covered in glaze, leaving just the foot exposed (needed or the glaze will stick to the kiln shelf during firing). This makes the piece easier to clean and adds a little bit of extra durability. I also stay away from crackle/crazed glazes (where the surface has many fine cracks) as these glazes can be harder to clean. More about our approach to glazes here.