Welcome to Artisan Homeware | Premium Ceramics and Textiles | Traditional Craftsmanship and Responsible Sourcing
Ceramika Artystyczna
Ceramika Artystyczna is a co-operative ceramic producer base in Boleslawiec, Poland with a rich 126 year history of innovation and creativity.
The purpose driving Ceramika Artsytyczna’s thriving ceramics business has always been the conservation and the evolution of traditional artisan hand-skills in ceramic form and pattern making. The beauty, endurance and tactile quality of its ceramic kitchenwares are a testament to the success of their mission.
All Ceramika Artystyczna’s stoneware is made from the vitrified white clay found regionally, whose unusually high kaolin content makes it uniquely suitable for finest porcelain and exceptionally strong stoneware.
The pattern is created using the traditional Boleslawiec sponge-printing technique in which individual sponge stamps are hand-cut by the designers and then used to apply the glazes to the form freehand.
The ceramic forms are fired in ceramic kilns at a temperature of 1250° degrees, using lead and cadmium free food-safe glazes.
The ecologically friendly production process results in exceptionally high quality stoneware that is resistant to chips, cracks and colour-fading and is oven, microwave and dishwasher safe.
Ceramika Artystyczna’s stoneware is now sold in over 27 countries worldwide, and the company were commissioned by the Vatican to produce a dinner service for Pope John Paul II.
Artisan Homeware is an official Ceramika Artystyczna trading partner, and has become a much-loved shopping destination for collectors of Boleslawiec Stoneware from all over the world, due to our extensive range of patterns and forms, many of which cannot be found elsewhere.
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Anna-Lisa Smith
Anna-Lisa Smith is a UK Textile Designer who lives and works in the hills of West Yorkshire. Her studio is based around the key concepts of simplicity, quality, colour and heritage.
Her designs are simple yet striking, and she has an absolute commitment to the look, feel and intrinsic quality of the cloth itself. She uses only the finest merino lambswool yarns from sustainable, non-mulesed sources.
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Her cloth is woven within fifty miles of her studio on traditional jacquard looms, making use of the high quality heritage wool mills which still operate in this part of the world. The feel of her blankets is extraordinary, and is the result of years of work refining the crucial finishing process by which the cloth, stiff and dusty from the loom, is washed and stretched by hand to create the wonderful suppleness and softness of the final pieces.
Her simple clean lines and pure colours are strongly reminiscent of the best of Mid-Century Modern design, and have a similar timelessness. Her work is designed for longevity, to be purchased as investment pieces that will impart warmth, comfort and contemporary style to the home for many years to come.
She was recently chosen to create a capsule collection for the prestigious Tate Edit series and has had previous collections featured by Liberty's and independent interiors boutiques all over the world.
The Alex Collection for 2020 is available exclusively at Artisan Homeware.
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Ceramika Arkadia
Ceramika Arkadia was founded in 2016 by Ewa Labecka, a ceramic artist from Boleslawiec, Poland.
Prior to founding Ceramika Arkadia, Ewa spent ten years working as a pattern artist in some of Boleslawiec’s oldest and most respected potteries.
The pottery manufactured in the town of Boleslawiec is known for its emphasis on traditional hand-decoration methods and the remarkable skills of its ceramic artists.
Motivated by a desire to develop her own pattern designs, in 2016 she took the step of setting up on her own - and the Ceramika Arkadia company was born.
Arkadia’s patterns stand out from the crowd thanks to Ewa’s instinctive feel for colour - she mixes rich shades to create a vibrant colour harmony and is able to balance the deep blues traditional to Polish Pottery with delicate floral tones with a deftness that makes her work instantly recognisable.
Every mug, jug or plate with the Ceramika Arkadia stamp has been decorated by hand by Ewa herself.
Although Arkadia is still a relatively new company, Ewa has put in the work to ensure her creations meet the exacting standards required by the Boleslawiec Potters Guild: only members of the guild can officially be classed as producers of ‘Boleslawiec Stoneware’.
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Ceramika Arkadia’s joyful, vibrant patterns have sold to customers in USA, Taiwan, Japan, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Germany, Canada and Ukraine, however this is the first time Ewa’s work has been available in the UK, and her designs are available exclusively via Artisan Homeware.
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East End Press
East End Press is a printmaking studio based in Glasgow, producing colourful hand-drawn garlands and hanging decorations
Alongside their own screen-printing, they work with artisans producing traditional crafts all over the world, and from the outset have been motivated by a desire to create a working relationship with people that was ethical and fair, where everyone in the supply chain was respected and paid a fair wage.
All factories East End Press works with are independently audited and belong to SEDEX, an international organisation that is dedicated to driving improvements in ethical and responsible business practices in global supply chains.
They also have a clear policy on sustainable materials and minimal waste. All paper used in their products and packaging is made from recycled materials; only FSC (Forest Steward Council) and PEFC (Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification) certified wood is used for their products.
All ink is water based non toxic ink, and all orders leaving the East End Press studio are sent in boxes made from recycled card or paper stuffed jiffy bags.
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