Monday, April 15, 2013

Emma Bridgewater Pottery: Tradition Meets Whimsy


Among the wonderful things you can say about the British: they certainly know how to produce gorgeous pottery! And when the traditional 200 year-old methods of making fine Staffordshire earthenware blended with designer Emma Bridgewater’s warm andwhimsical vision, a new kind of pottery was born.

Emma Bridgewater’s designs combine traditional spongeware patterns and a love of antique needlework with rich, cream-colored earthenware for a full line of pottery objects that are distinctive, but compliment each other. You can collect several of your favorite designs, and everything will work beautifully together. Emma even enlisted her husband, Matthew Rice, as a designer, and his line of bird, dog and calligraphic patterns are some of the company’s most popular.

The idea for Emma Bridgewater Pottery began in 1985 when Emma was trying to find a gift for her mother. All she could find was stuffy formal bone china or rather dull earthenware. She made her own designs, decorated with cut-sponge patterns, and went to Stoke-on-Trent, home of the famous Wedgewood Staffordshire creamware, to have them produced. Today, Emma Bridgewater Ltd. pottery is made in her own facility: a 19th century factory where the pottery is manufactured much as it was in the Victorian era. And the products are so beloved that Emma and Matthew are the sixth biggest employers of potters in Staffordshire.

The Emma Bridgewater line has expanded to include textiles, accessories, tinware, glass, melamine and paper products. The much-loved patterns include birds, farmyard animals, hearts, exotic flowers, countryside and garden scenes, starry skies, and even delightful dancing mice that seem to come right out of a fairytale book. 

Emma Bridgewater Pottery is much prized for its versatility and distinction, in patterns made to cheer your entire day, right from your first morning cup of tea.

Click here for a large selection of beautiful Emma Bridgewater Pottery. 

No comments:

Post a Comment