Tag: pottery

Designer Desire: Ulla Procopé

Montage of Ulla Procopé ceramic shapes and patterns for Arabia of Finland | H is for Home

Ulla Procopé (1921-1968) was a Finnish mid-century modern ceramic designer and decorator.

In 1948, Procopé graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts (later known as the Aalto School of Arts) in Helsinki and began working for Arabia immediately after graduating. She began in the factory’s hand-painting department under Olga Osol, after which she moved, two years later, to the model & decoration department.

She designed both the shape and pattern for the Liekki (1957-1978), Valencia (1960-2002), Anemone, Ruska (1960-1999) and Meri series. She designed the shapes of much of the Arabia output including the Pomona series of lidded preserve jars whose decoration was designed by Raija Uosikkinen.

She spent her entire career at Arabia, working there until 1967, the year before her untimely death in Tenerife.

Her Arabia designs are readily available on eBay and Etsy.

Portrait of Ulla Procopécredit

Additional image credits:

1stDibs | Barnebys | Bukowskis | What’s Blogging My View

Designer Desire: Renate Rhein

Montage of Renate Rhein ceramics for Rosenthal | H is for Home

Renate Rhein (1925-2020) was born in Hoya on the Weser. She began her working life as a paintress. From 1954, Rhein worked for Rosenthal – a company for whom Bjørn Wiinblad and Wolf Karnagel also designed.

In 1960, she taught herself ceramics and established a studio of her own in Worpswede in 1961.

The piece that first drew my attention to Rhein was one of her sun plaques. Aren’t they stunning?! Then I found this amazing tiled table of hers on Pamono.

Check out Etsy and eBay for pieces of hers that are for sale.

Any further information about Rhein is hard to come by; the tiny image below is the only one I could find of her online. If you can expand our knowledge, please comment below!

Portrait of Renate Rheincredit

Additional image credits:

Bukowskis | eBay | Pinterest

Designer Desire: Alan Frewin

Montage of Alan Frewin slipware pottery items | H is for Home

We own a beautiful charger decorated with a tree and inscription, “Comfort me with apples” (in the top, left image). We never identified the potter that created it – until now. It’s in the historic style of Thomas Toft and was made by Alan Frewin.

Frewin (1935-2016) was a potter who produced slip decorated earthenware. He trained at Briglin Pottery in London in the mid-1960s following which, in 1970, he founded Millhouse Pottery in Harleston, Norfolk. Here, he produced a large quantity of plates, bowls, mugs, flagons and other vessels for the next 40 years.

After his death, the pottery business was continued by his wife, Anne and son, Paul until earlier this year (2020) when they closed down the studio. Fortunately, they’re still selling quite a few of his items on eBay.

In the 1990s, a series of educational DVDs was produced by Frewin and his son. They are sometimes available on Amazon and excerpts can be viewed on the Frewin YouTube channel.

Portrait of Alan Frewin in his Millhouse Pottery studiocredit

Additional image credits:

Etsy | Studio Pottery

Designer Desire: Roland Zobel

Montage of Roland Zobel ceramic artworks | H is for Home

Roland Zobel (died 2006) was a mid-century ceramic artist. His most well-known work is the Les Cyclades range from the 1950s, a few of which are featured above.

I couldn’t find anything much about him other than that he was the son of the Martinique-born writer, Joseph Zobel, he trained at the Beaux-Arts in Bourges and at the International School of Ceramics in Faenza, Italy. He moved to Générargues, Anduze in southern France where he set up la poterie de La Madeleine (The Madeleine Pottery) with Vincent Bimar.

In the 1980s, he emigrated to Martinique to teach pottery.

Have a look at more of his work that’s been posted on Instagram

My French isn’t great, but if yours is, I’ve found a little memorial to the man here.

If you have any more information about him – please leave a comment below!

Image credits:

1st Dibs | Lot Art