Discover the places

Clay towns, glassworks, an ironworks village and a mill at a waterfall. Start with where things are made.

We go to the place before we go to the shelf. Each story below begins with the ground, the fire or the water that shaped the work, and the people who still do it by hand. Read the place first. Then, if a piece still speaks to you, bring it home. Roam first. Shop later.

Mexico — clay

Brown and white hand-painted clay mug and plates, four pieces

Born of Fire in the Mixteca

A sugar bowl, a pulque jar and the everyday clay of Río Blanco Tonaltepec, in the Mixteca de Oaxaca — and the potters’ cooperative behind them.

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Behind the Pieces

What sets hand-painted Mexican clay apart from printed imitations, why Talavera-style is its own craft, and how we choose what we show you.

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How to Choose Clay & Ceramic Tableware That Lasts

Clay bodies, glaze and firing, explained plainly — a field guide that works in a Puebla workshop or any shop aisle.

Read the guide →

Japan — kiln towns

Japan kiln towns, place before product

Mashiko, Hasami, Onta and Tokoname, and the wood-fired clay of Inbe in Bizen: kiln towns where everyday bowls, plates and teaware are still made for the table.

Read the chapter in Behind the Pieces →

Central Europe — glass and clay

Kilns and Furnaces of Central Europe: Moser and Bolesławiec

A Bohemian glassworks in Karlovy Vary and the pottery town of Bolesławiec in south-western Poland. Two places where you can watch the work before you look at anything for sale.

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