{Clare and monogramming pro Walker}

On the trunk show:
It was so fun to visit San Francisco and see the Fillmore store. I lived in SF in my early 20s and it’s always exciting to come and visit and see what has changed in the city. I love meeting girls who are excited about the brand and come out to support us. It’s even more fun when they are getting something monogrammed and I have a chance to speak with them! Everyone looked so cute and was so friendly. It was a lot of fun. It also was not too shabby to have the event at Steven Alan and get to do a little shopping in the form of some new Daryl K boots!

What I packed:
When we arrived I had no time to check into the hotel so I did a quick outfit change out of the back of our rental car. I brought my CV travel bags, my Isabel Marant leather coat, various shoes options, and the monogram machine.

Where I ate:
The Mill was so amazing. The design, the skylights in the ceiling, the herringbone patters in the bookshelf that matched the subway tiled they have – it’s a design lover’s dream! It’s a dream that they have homemade toast and that is all I ever want to eat for breakfast so I could not have been more excited to indulge in some fresh homemade bread! I ate sesame bread with butter and honey and sea salt and it was incredible.

Many thanks to Clare! Stay tuned for details on the next Traveling Trunk Shows at our Greenwich, Tribeca, and Westport shops.

For great coffee in Los Feliz, Caffe Vita is the place to go. Their coffee is imported directly from the farm and is roasted on site. For those hot summer days, they also make an amazing iced coffee.

The Griffith Observatory is always a must see when you’re on the East Side. You get an amazing view of all of Los Angeles and it has great hiking trails.

Skylight Books, located on Vermont just around the corner from our shop, has a great selection of new and used books. If you have a hard time tracking down a book I’m sure Skylight carries it! They have a nicely curated selection of books on music, film, and theater, and Los Angeles culture and history.

For lunch, I’d recommend Best Fish Taco in Ensenada. I’ll let this video speak for itself.

I couldn’t leave the area without stopping by House of Pies and getting their famous banana cream pie.

If you’re looking to catch an early movie there is the Vista Theatre. The Vista is a historic one-screen cinema that plays current films. It’s beautiful inside and has an old school charm.

Thanks, Andrew! You can visit our Los Feliz shop at 1937 1/2 Hillhurst Ave, and read more about it here.

Our lovely hotel (El Pez) cabanas and pool. Vibrant colors are everywhere in Tulum.

Our cabana for the week

Tulum Playa

The local fishermen (and families) come out and fish in front of the hotel every morning at sunrise.

Ceviche Misto (shrimp and fish), a local favorite!

Out on the cabana lawn in our SA best! (Bette dress, short sleeve Single Needle shirt)

There were so many beautiful, chic, low-key beach bars along Tulum Playa, it was hard to choose one!

Biking along the beach road, which has the beach on one side, and the jungle on the other (in my Betty tank and packable raffia hat)

There are many gorgeous little eco boutiques along the beach to check out, all with very interesting architecture and reclaimed elements.

Hartwood Restaurant, owned and operated by Chef Eric Werner from Brooklyn. The jungle setting was incredible, and so was the food!

The Tulum Ruins (Zama) were once inhabited by around 1500 Mayans, and an important trade hub. The setting is unbelievable, right on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

A vibrant fruit stand in Tulum Pueblo

Taqueria in Tulum Pueblo. There is so much good food to be had in town!

Many thanks to Deirdra! You can check out more of our staff travels here.

{Jamey and Constance at their showroom in Marfa, Texas}

Where are you from?
Jamey: Austin, TX
Constance: San Francisco, CA

What drew you to Marfa?
We moved to Marfa in 2003 to design furniture for the renovation of the Thunderbird Hotel. I (Jamey) had been out to Marfa a few times before to see Judd’s work at the Chinati Foundation. Constance and I were living in LA prior to our move to Marfa. We had this idea that we would be in Marfa for a year or two, and then settle in Austin. But after a couple of years, we realized that Marfa was home.

Who are some of your favorite local artists and craftspeople?
There are a lot of talented people living in Marfa. Among our favorite artists are Leslie Wilkes, Meghan Gerety, Julie Speed, Valerie Arber, and Boyd Elder. We are also big fans of Marfa Brand soaps made by Ginger Griffice, Cobra Rock Boots made by Colt Miller and Logan Caldbeck, and Marfa Maid goat cheese by Melinda Beeman and Alan McLane.

How did you get the idea for the Marfa Amigos show? Do you have plans for more? We’d love to see it in New York someday.
Adam Silverman, the creative director for Heath Ceramics, was driving through Marfa in the fall of 2011. We have mutual friends in LA, so he called us up when he hit town. Constance and I had Adam over to our showroom, and when Adam got back to LA, he called to see if we would want to do a showcase of our furniture and textiles at the Heath LA store in the Spring of 2012. After a few conversations, we came up with the Marfa Amigos idea, and brought in some of our local friends. It would be great to organize another Amigos show.

There’s a Southwestern element to your aesthetic, but it’s translated through a minimal, modern design sensibility. How did these different influences come together for you?
I guess the Southwestern part is a little bit in my Texas make up. I studied art (painting) at the University of Texas, Austin, and then got an MFA in painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. I pretty much discovered my interest in furniture and architecture during my undergrad and graduate work. I grew up learning to weld and build . . . and then had this world of design open up to me. I’ve been at this for 20 years, so I guess the honest answer is that the different influences came together for me SLOWLY.

Tell us a bit about designing the furniture for the Thunderbird Hotel in Marfa and the Hotel San Jose in Austin.
I had the great fortune of working with the same team on the Hotel San Jose and the Thunderbird. My long time friend Liz Lambert led both projects, along with San Francisco based designer RL Fletcher and San Antonio based architect Bob Harris of Lake/Flato. In retrospect, the design of the furniture on each of these projects was pretty seamless, because we were all so cued in to Liz’s vision.

What are your favorite materials to work with and why?
As I mentioned earlier, I grew up learning some basic welding and metal work skills, and I still really enjoy working with metal. As our collection shows, Constance and I gravitate towards designing pieces with steel frames, and then depending on the design, mix that with wood, saddle leather or canvas.

Tell us a about your design process.
I usually start by sketching out ideas on paper. Constance and I will talk through the sketches and I’ll try to refine the drawings a little more. Ultimately, I just have to go into the shop and work it out. Then, when we have a real object to interact with, we make more notes and drawings . . . and then build it again. We repeat this process until we both agree that it’s done.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you’re especially excited about?
We’re currently working on a group of our furniture that will go into a hotel in Panama that is being designed by Commune Design (in LA). We’re also working up a new design of a canvas lounge chair and dining chair.

Who would you like to collaborate with?
I often find inspiration outside of the “genre” of furniture design. I think it would be great to work with guys outside of my field . . . guys whose work I really respect, like Lyle Lovett, or Richard Prince, or Johny Campbell . . . and see what kind of design ideas form. Amazing songwriting, kick-ass art and off-road motorcycle racing. If nothing else, I think it would make for real interesting conversations.

How should we spend a weekend in Marfa?
Typically, visitors would arrive at the El Paso airport. So, when you leave the airport, before you get on I-10 east, stop at Pho Tre Bien and pick up a Bahn Mi sandwich for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Marfa.

Make a quick stop at Prada Marfa before you hit Valentine.

When you roll into Marfa, if you’re still hungry, you can hit the Late Night Grilled Cheese Parlour off of Highway 90 (San Antonio Street) and then drop into Padres, the Lost Horse Saloon or Planet Marfa for a night cap. Then get a good night’s rest under the stars at El Cosmico or Thunderbird or Paisano Hotels. If you drove in with your own Airstream, you’ll be hooking it up at the Tumble In RV Park.

If it’s a first visit out here, you have to go to the Chinati Foundation. Guided tours start at 10 AM. If you planned ahead, you made reservations with the Judd Foundation for a tour through the Bank Building, the Cobb house, and the Safeway building (this might be a day two activity). While we’re on the subject of Foundations, the Pizza Foundation probably has the best pizza in Texas.

If you’re here on a Saturday morning, start the day with a visit to the FarmStand. Definitely check out whatever the current exhibitions are at the Ballroom and 2D Gallery. Also check out Arber and Sons Editions. Grab a book on the history of the Big Bend and Texas border history, as well as art, architecture and poetry from the Marfa Book Co. Take home a sample of our incredible geology from the Marfa Rock Shop. Spend a little more time shopping at Freda, Mirth, Tienda M, Cobra Rock, and don’t forget to stop by GARZA furniture.

More lunch time options include the Food Shark and its big sister, the Future Shark as well as Fat Lyles, Boyz to Men and Squeeze. Dinner at Maiya’s, Cochineal or Borunda’s. And a trip isn’t complete without a night drive east on Highway 90 to the Marfa Lights Viewing Center to see if you can catch the elusive Marfa Lights.

If you have time to explore outside of Marfa, there is historic Fort Davis to the North, with the McDonald Observatory. A little further north is Balmorhea for a swim in the spring fed pool. To the east is Alpine, where you can sample some beer at Big Bend Brewery; a little further east gets you into Marathon, where you can get a drink at the White Buffalo Bar, and then view the fantastic photography of James Evans. Down south is a dedicated trip of it’s own, with Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Study Butte, Terlingua, Lajitas, Presidio and Ojinaga Chihuahua, Mexico.

Many thanks to Jamey and Constance! You can find some of their work at our Home Shop at 158 Franklin Street in Tribeca.

What inspired the 2013 line?
It sounds funny but an effortless chic elder lady I saw at a ceramic flea market in Japan. She wrapped herself with beautiful cloth to let it hang on her body naturally. I was amazed how beautiful it was to see a hidden silhouette with her subtle movement under the cloth.

Black Crane is such a beautiful name. How did you come up with it?
Oh, thank you! I wanted to use the crane which symbolizes happiness in Japan and I think it is just simply elegant.

Have you always wanted to design clothes?
Actually no, I wanted to be an architect since I was little. I studied architecture and environmental design, and worked for a couple years. But naturally, as I watched how my husband [designer Alexander Yamaguchi] enjoyed creating his own clothing line, I started wanting to create for what I would relate to more in my lifestyle. And I am very happy about how I followed my heart.

Any fun summer plans?
Planning to go to Costa Rica. It would be amazing to get some inspiration for crazy, vivid natural color combinations.

Who is someone you admire?
Anyone who is doing the best for themselves and others.

A favorite quote?
The care of rivers is not a question of rivers, but of the human heart. – Tanako Shozo

Many thanks to Momoko! You can find her designs at our Tribeca, Venice, Brooklyn, Chelsea, and Boston stores and in our web shop.

Nian and Natane at Pachamama (which means Mother Earth in Quechua), Machu Picchu

Where do you live, and how often do you get to spend time together?
Natane: We both live in the beautiful West Village. We spend hours every week working on a film project or developing them and try to find a bit of time to do our favorite activity . . . antiquing and flea marketing all over the world.

What was it like working together on our Spring ’13 film?
Nian: We flowed together perfectly as we’ve worked together on short film projects for 10 years. Natane consulted with me for the CFDA Award films by bringing me concepts, directors, actors and writers as she has strong relationships in the film and entertainment business, but this was the first time I directed and Natane wrote a short film together. After working on the Steven Alan Spring ’13 film, we decided to create an official film company: Tiger and Dragon Films, as in Chinese astrology, I am a Tiger and Natane is a Dragon. I think the main reason we work so well together is that we respect what the other brings and have a zero competition factor.

Natane, what was it like growing up with your mom being a prominent figure in the fashion world?
Well, being a Taurus, of course my material side loved it! Really, it had me admire her even more for being a single mom and at the same time being Mama Buddha for the fashion world. I still don’t know how she managed it all.

Did it influence your style at all?
It did in the way that when I was a runway model and would travel to Europe, before leaving I’d pack “looks” with her  . . . here’s the look for Galliano, Demeulemeester, Versace. You’ve got to inspire the designer you’re going in for. As there were 17 castings a day, I’d have 5 looks in my car.

Nian, did you always know Natane would end up in a creative field?
I knew from the time she was three as her creative imagination was apparent. She got an unusual early break at that age, when she began modeling and had her first campaign shot by Steven Meisel, followed by a Calvin Klein kids campaign with Bruce Weber. Through her early years in the modeling world, she developed an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion with its ancillary world of directing, lighting, set design. Natane had fun with directors and with the cast. She would go to my stylist prop closet (I was a fashion stylist in the 80s) with her friends and she’d dress everyone up to play these characters in a movie or TV show, Mannequin being one year’s obsession, alongside imitating Madonna singing, “Like a Virgin,” with the full on look!

What qualities did you inherit/pass down?
Natane: I inherited her work ethic, making sure to acknowledge people, and her smile.
Nian: I passed down love of family, growing to be the best human being you can be, and an appreciation of beauty.

In which ways are you completely different?
Natane: I don’t have the patience she has and I’m a bit more unbridled.
Nian: She’s bolder than me, meaning she cuts to the chase faster and she spends more time outside the box, and I find that to be one of her greatest assets.

How do you usually celebrate Mother’s Day?
Natane: We’re blessed to have three generations to celebrate Mother’s Day: my grandmother, my mom and me. We often go to Chinatown for Dim Sum as my grandmother speaks Cantonese and can order the real deal. This is usually followed by seeing a documentary film in the movie theater as my grandmother is the original film buff in the family.

Nian, what was your favorite gift from Natane?
My favorite Mother’s Day gift from Natane is the handmade photo journal of our trip to Peru, with Machu Picchu as the highlight. She decorated it with M + J Trimmings, put a story to all the photos she took of the Peruvians with their beautiful and oh-so-colorful clothing, pieces of the maps we used, photos of the food we ate, the ancient architecture we saw. She has always put her heart and imagination into the gifts she gives me as she does with everyone.

Natane, tell us about the first time you got into trouble. What was your punishment?
My mom was macrobiotic for my entire childhood, which meant I was too. Her idea of dessert was a baked apple stuffed with granola, so you could say I was sugar-deprived.

When I was five, I had a playdate with my friend Burnett, who had a giant bowl of candy on top of his refrigerator. I came home from the playdate and my mom asked what was bulging out of the giant pockets in my pink down coat. I said, “nothing,” very sheepishly and my mom asked me to please show her. I pulled out fistfuls of Burnett’s candy and my mom said that that was stealing and that I needed to return it to him. She took me to return the candy right away.

I can’t say this was exactly punishment but I felt like a bad girl!

What do you admire most in each other?
Natane: I admire my mom’s ability to not let her ego get in the way of a profession that is filled with “looking good.” I admire her tenacious work ethic – she never cuts corners. And I admire her kindness and equality towards all she works with and her loyalty and devotion to her clients.
Nian: I admire Natane’s vision , her honesty, her depth, her diverse talents and most of all her appetite for learning about life, about herself, which translate to admiring her courage.

Many thanks to Nian and Natane! We hope you enjoy your Mother’s Day dim sum.

My husband Drew and I have a Southern travel blog, which means that we try to go on day trips and weekend trips as much as possible. We love getting out of Atlanta, but some weekends it’s just nice to stay in town, going to new-to-us spots as well as old favorites.

{Rhiannon exploring Westside Provisions in our Carla hat}

Atlanta is probably the most modern city in the South — it’s always growing and constantly changing, and it can be hard to keep up with every new restaurant and shop and Hollywood movie set that comes to town. New buildings come up and old buildings go down all the time. Most of the city’s grand avenues and historic mansions are long gone, which means that Atlanta doesn’t have the old Southern charm of Charleston or New Orleans. But there’s so much to do in town that, chances are, you won’t even really miss it.

Our favorite spots to shop and eat in Atlanta can pretty much all be found in or near the Westside Provisions District, where the new Steven Alan store is, a century-old meatpacking plant redeveloped into a mixed-use neighborhood.  West Egg is perfect for Southern-style food and innovative drinks.

The Sweet Auburn Curb Market has been operating since the 1920s in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood, Atlanta’s first African American business district as well as the childhood home of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (the MLK historic site is just down the road). The market still sells locally grown produce, just as it did in the old days, but now it’s also a great place to get a bite or just explore.

Our favorite coffee shop in town is Octane, and our favorite Octane is the one in Grant Park — lots of indoor and outdoor seating, a relaxed atmosphere, and some of the best mixed drinks in town.

You can’t make a trip to Octane Grant Park without walking across the street to see Oakland Cemetery. It’s a huge Victorian cemetery, landscaped like a park with brick walkways and terraces and flowers everywhere. And since Oakland was built on a hill, it’s a great place for viewing the Atlanta skyline.

I like Paris on Ponce for antiques-hunting; they always have interesting home goods and furniture. Across town, Kudzu is just as good, if not better. They have booths of vintage clothing and booths of old books, and it’s always hard to leave empty-handed.

If you want to catch a glimpse of the city that Atlanta once was, be sure to visit The Atlanta History Center. The complex is home to a 19th century farmhouse, a 1920s mansion straight out of The Great Gatsby, and a museum with a variety of exhibits. My favorite permanent exhibits are the ones on the Civil War. They’re impressive and moving, and all the photos and maps give you a good idea of what Atlanta used to be before it became one of the biggest cities in the South.

Many thanks to Rhiannon and Drew! You can read about their travels over at Liebemarlene.

{Satsuki, photographed by Dabito of Old Brand New}

You wear many hats (singer-songwriter, graphic designer, consultant, home and jewelry designer, among others). How did you manage to get involved in such diverse discipines?
I would have to say that many of the things I do now, I had never anticipated being involved in as one thing lead to another, but with a background in music and graphic design, I feel like it helps to broaden my exploration towards new ways of creative expression and to follow my curiosities.

We really enjoy your Pinterest boards, and could easily lose an hour or two browsing through them. Does it feel weird to have so many followers, and do you ever feel pressured to keep it up?
Thank you so much! The number of followers never felt uncomfortable, but there was a sense of needing to consistently share new pins, in the beginning. Now I partake in Pinterest just like how I did from the get-go – pin whatever I want, whenever I want, and love it like the first day I started!

{Clam Lab entree bowl}

How many different places have you called home?
I am a true Angeleno, born and raised in Los Angeles, but do dream of one day being able to experience living in Japan or Australia.

Whose home would you love to be a houseguest in?
It would have been lovely to be a houseguest at my grandmother’s home one more time before her passing. Although we were close, since she lived in Japan, I only had the opportunity to stay with her once and remember enjoying every minute of it. She was an amazing woman.

What’s the most important element to you in a home?
I definitely need a home that is bright and sunny, has a kitchen that I can comfortably cook in, and a place where I can happily create whatever comes to mind. I also enjoy having a space that I can go spend some “me” time to daydream and ponder about life.

{Dream home inspiration via Emma’s Designblogg; Photo by Patric Johansson}

Do you have a favorite room in your house?
My favorite room in the house is definitely the studio space with its large picture window that brings in amazing light, but also housed a custom desk that my father built which allows for both my husband and I to sit side by side while we work.

Having your studio in your home, how do you separate and balance your work and personal life?
I don’t think there really is a way to separate work from life as I feel creativity is a part of my being, just like being Japanese-American, or being a woman, but I try to find balance by setting boundaries, making time to relax and enjoying moments with friends, family, and our pup, Skippy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

{Via A Well Traveled Woman; photographer unknown}

What are some ways you like to make a new space your own?
By creating a space that incorporates a color palette that brings me calm (usually consisting of grays, whites, blacks, and natural wood) with sentimental tchotchkes.

What’s on your wishlist these days?
You can find most of what I’m lusting over for our home on my Pinterest board entitled “nouvelle maison,” but the top items on the list are the positive negative stripe fouta towel by Scents & Feel, a geometry set of candlestick holders by Fort Makers, the One Step Up bookcase by Francis Cayouette for Normann Copenhagen, the Misewell Tokyo II table lamp, and the white and walnut Alberta table lamp from Caravan Pacific.

{Scents & Feel Positive Negative Stripe Fouta Towel}

Many thanks to Satsuki! Check out the Pinterest board she created for us, and if you haven’t entered our Pinterest contest, you can do so here. One winner will receive a $1000 gift card to shop at stevenalan.com.

Where did you grow up, and where do you currently live?
I grew up in Seoul, Korea, and Vancouver, Canada – moved back and forth between the two cities – and now I reside in Bristol, England.

What’s on your desk right now?
My laptop, notebook, favourite pen, phone, biography of Lincoln, bottle of water and a bag of tortilla chips.

We really enjoyed your introduction in the first issue of Cereal, which explained how the magazine got its name. It made us nostalgic for all those mornings spent poring over the backs of cereal boxes during breakfast. What was your favorite cereal growing up, and what’s a typical breakfast for you these days?
My favorite cereal growing up was a two-in-one deal: I always mixed Corn Pops and Fruit Loops into one bowl. These days, a typical breakfast consists of buttered crumpets topped with sliced bananas. Washed down with very strong coffee.

We like how each story in the magazine sort of segues into the next, allowing readers to explore a subject from different angles, making each volume feel very cohesive. What influences informed the content and structure of Cereal?
We took heavy inspiration from books when creating Cereal. You can see that in the way our publication is structured in topic-specific chapters, the bibliography we provide, and even in the design of our logo – the vertical lines between each letter of Cereal is meant to evoke books on a bookshelf. We love the insight and depth of information a book can provide on a single topic, and we tried to emulate that with Cereal. This is why we select 3-5 subjects for each volume, and dedicate anywhere from 20-60 pages on one topic. For us, the goal is always to dig a little bit deeper.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of starting a magazine? The most rewarding?
The most challenging aspect for me is learning how to take on roles I’ve never had any experience with before. I am the only full time employee of Cereal so I’ve had to teach myself to do production, sales, distribution and accounts which has been quite an experience. The most rewarding thing, of course, is the positive feedback I receive from our customers. A kind email from a happy reader makes my day!

Tell us about the upcoming website and online shop.
We are going to be launching a new website at the end of May, which I’m very excited about! It will have a more refined look and feel as well as added functionality. Readers will be able to access more content – both from the print magazine as well as web exclusives – and the online shop is going to carry more than just our magazines. We are going to be selling various lifestyle merchandise that we’ve created in collaboration with other wonderful companies and we will be launching more products as the year progresses. I will leave it at that as I want it to be a surprise.

You’ve traveled quite a bit. What’s the most inspiring place you’ve been to recently, and what places do you hope to explore next?
I recently went to Iceland and completely fell in love with it. There is something incredibly magical about that place; the nature there is formidable. As for future travels, I am hoping to make my way to the Faroe Islands this summer, as well as Tel Aviv and Singapore.

What are some of your favorite neighborhood spots?
I always have tea and cake at Lahloo Pantry, which is a lovely tea shop just down the street from my flat. I also love Indian takeaway from Thali Cafe, they do them in tiffins!

Many thanks to Rosa! You can find Cereal in our Home, Chelsea, Greenwich, East Hampton, and Nolita Women’s shops.

Photos provided by Cereal. Cover photo by Jonathan Gregson. All other photos by Rich Stapleton.

UPDATE: Contest deadline has been extended to May 1st at 11:59PM EST.

Complete terms and conditions here.

A Kyoto sunset

The deer in in Nara will actually come up to visitors and bow.

The moat at Osaka Castle

Cleaning crew

A view of Osaka

Wig varieties

Cat cafe in Osaka, complete with cat hammock

Craftswomen at the Shibori museum in Arimatsu

Shibori

A canopy of umbrellas on a rainy day in Harajuku

Spotted in Shibuya!

Of course no trip to Japan at this time of year would be complete without seeing cherry blossoms. These were in Meguro.

Yoyogi Park in Harajuku

Thanks, Natasha! See more from our staff”s travels here.

{Helen and Billy}

What was it like growing up in the East Village?
I didn’t really understand how big the city was until high school, when I began venturing out on my own. As a little kid my routine was so small, walking to school, walking to the playground, and so on, so it felt like a little town. Big trips at the time were taking the subway to my grandparents’ house in Queens. I thought Queens was so far away.

You’re a photographer. How did you get into pottery, and when did you become serious about it?
Pottery had always been a hobby growing up, and in college I taught a class at my school’s pottery co-op. After graduating, I kept teaching part time as a way to support my photo projects. I got serious about it when my childhood pottery teacher asked me to cover all her classes when she went on maternity leave. Doing it full time, with free access to all the materials and being in charge of all the firings, I had total freedom to experiment and redo things when they weren’t quite right.

{Selections for our Home Shop}

How do you feel your photography background has influenced the way you think about your work?
That’s a question I’ve been thinking about a lot; photography is my total passion, but there’s a different type of satisfaction I get from making something that I can use every day. I love having a huge cup of tea every morning, and it’s my routine now to reach for that same giant mug I made each day. It’s utilitarian in a very straightforward way. In photo, no one uses the end product that way.

{Prep work for her Portfolio Review}

Can you tell us a bit about your process?
I sketch before I sit down at the wheel, to come up with the silhouette and eventual glaze pattern. But the ceramic process is very humbling, even when you think you’ve done it all right, there are so many steps where something could go wrong. So there is a lot of trial and error. I once met an artist, a designer, who said he thinks all ceramicists are masochists, because there is so much loss for each finished piece.

We’re drawn to the smooth, organic shapes and earthy tones of your tableware, and the glazes are really beautiful. What inspired the look and feel of the tabletop pieces?
I’m inspired by old dishes I see, and by what I feel is missing from my own kitchen. I remember my grandmother used to wash berries and then lay them out flat on a dinner plate in the kitchen, and you’d walk by and pick one off. So I was thinking about that with the colander. I’m also working on some new pieces inspired by old enamelware camping dishes – I like making dishes out of clay that I’ve seen made out of other materials.

{Helen’s kitchen cupboard is filled with her favorite vintage finds as well as some of her early work}

For materials, I like using a few different clay bodies: the brown clay for me is the most traditional and old school, clay that I usually associate with very natural looking and earthy glazes. So I like using the white clay glaze to try to contrast that earthiness with a more modern, clean look, while still showing the material as it is. The only colors I use are custom mixed underglaze that I hand-paint on. I like mixing small batches of color and knowing I’ll never be able to recreate it exactly because I don’t keep measurements. I also use porcelain clay because I love the feel of throwing with it on the wheel, so smooth and fine in contrast to the brown clay. My childhood teacher compared it to cream cheese.

{Kitchen shower}

We saw some photos you took in Mike Tyson’s old abandoned mansion in Ohio and have to ask – how did you come across it and what was it like?
I went to school in Ohio and heard about it when trying to find out about spooky haunted houses and places to shoot. Mike Tyson used to live there before moving to Vegas, and the Ohio house has since been repossessed. I visited it twice while it was sitting empty, involved in some sort of litigation; it was huge, gaudy, with animal print, chandeliers, indoor ice cream sundae bar, and so on. There were animal cages outside and a basketball court. One of my favorite images is the one of a family of black swans who lived in the pond in front of his house. They really fit the somber mood of all this opulence sitting in decay.

Tell us about your dog!
My favorite question! Billy is almost two. He’s a true blend of breeds, a Heinz 57 varieties. I photograph him a lot because I think he’s so handsome. He’s got a real hangdog look, which I think must be from having some hound in him. It makes his face look very expressive.

What are some of your favorite spots in the neighborhood?
I haven’t lived in this neighborhood long, so I’m still finding my key spots. I love Mogador because I used to eat at their other location in the East Village. Also Oslo because they carry my favorite muffins from Blue Sky bakery.

Many thanks to Helen and Billy for having us over! You can find her work at our Home Shop and Westport store.