Or, the Joys of Big Bowls
To talk about our Fruit Bowl, I need to introduce a concept that has been rolling around my head for years: the thought of a Relaxed Object. Some pots, especially mass-produced ones, feel tense or feel static-- frozen and ready to break-- when you look at them or pick them up. These types of objects aren’t necessarily bad or wrong, they are just not how we want a Haand pot to feel.
Relaxation, as I am sure you know, is actually a lot of work. To make it appear effortless? Even more so. Look no further than Keanu Reeves for evidence.
We have made several large bowls over the years, but few feel as relaxed and at ease on the table as the Fruit Bowl does. It is a result of years of trial and error, and the secret to success is actually the result of material science. Our porcelain is very hard and very strong when it comes out of the kiln, but at the peak temperature in the kiln (2300 degrees) the clay and minerals in the glaze and clay body become liquid. As soon as the glaze and clay begin to cool, they become frozen in their final form. If the angle of the bowl’s walls is too wide, or the radius at the base of the bowl is slightly off, the effect is ruined and you create an object full of tension. The object feels fragile in a precarious way, not out of delicacy.
A big bowl is a design dynamo-- it completes a table, anchors a room, holds a salad or a bag of lemons. Need to take the edge off? Make a boozy punch and fill the bowl to the brim. Big bowls have more personality and now of all times, a good personality is most welcome.
-Mark Warren, Creative Director and Co-Founder, May 2020
