Bauer Wow Wow

Anyone who has ever been to a flea market would recognize Bauer Pottery. The iconic shapes and colors are are a favorite of collectors. Starting in Kentucky and then hitting its stride in Los Angeles, CA, J. A. Bauer Pottery Company created beautiful colorful stoneware from the late 1880s to the early 1960s. Well, you no longer have to scour estate sales and swap meets for Bauer classics. A ceramics studio in LA just minutes from the original plant has reintroduced much of the Bauer line with an emphasis on the styles from the 30s and 40s. These new pieces are called Bauer 2000. An American classic once again being made in America.

Modernism Lives

Vessel USA Inc. was founded in 1998 with the purpose of reviving "stunningly simple planters and other ceramic designs that brought acclaim to the Architectural Pottery Collection", a Los Angeles company founded in 1950 by Max and Rita Lawrence. The spare, geometric pottery was a favorite of local mid-century architects. It was so forward thinking, the pottery was exhibited in MOMA as early as 1951. Vessel USA produces modern planters, containers, sculpture and garden accessories from its studio in San Diego, with an eye on the past and one on the future.

Designer Q&A: Sadie & Emma

To conclude our pre-holiday 2011 Designer Q&As, we have a great interview with the founders of Sadie & Emma, yup you guessed it - Sadie and Emma.

Founders: Sadie and Emma

Website: www.sadieandemma.com

Favorite thing about LA? The mountains!!!

What do you make? Hand-thrown pottery in Los Angeles

How long have you been in business? Almost 2 years

What inspired you to start your line? Hand-thrown pots are way more awesome than machine made pots and we wanted people to have access to this awesomeness. We also want to participate in creating local culture and supporting local food. Meals cooked using farmers' market ingredients deserve to be served on local pottery.

What makes your products special? Our hand-crafted local pottery is made with lots of love and care. We formulate all of our glazes to fit the clay bodies perfectly, unlike typical pottery with glazes that just float awkwardly on top. Our pots have a wonderful, supple texture and we devote much time to designing cups and bowls to have forms that feel nice in your hand. The pots have personality making them human objects for humans. Also, our studio practices are super environmentally friendly.

Have you had any (major) recognition? We were featured on LA Egoist and Re-nest blog.

Where are your products sold? Reform School in Los Angeles and soon we will be in Plum Goods of Santa Barbara

As a Small Business owner what are the challenges you face? The greatest challenge is balancing all of our other commitments and getting things done for the pottery. We also wish there was more demand for locally manufactured home goods, we are excited because this demand seems to be growing.

If you can give 1 piece of an advice to someone starting their own line what would that be? Be creative so your initial overhead is as low as possible and make beautiful useful things.

What are your plans for future? We plan to keep loving each other and spreading love for hand-thrown pottery. Eventually, we want to have a family farm where we can build and experiment with atmospheric kilns.

What are your favorite websites or blogs you go to for an inspiration? pppots.tumblr.com and re-nest.com