everyone has a favorite coffee mug
Heath Ceramics of course! For my birthday, my mom introduced me to this delightful mid-century pottery company. She purchased this wheat colored coffee mug from their Ferry Building (San Francisco) location – from the moment I opened the sweet packaging I was in love. Begin drool worthy images now:
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Heath Ceramics has not only beautiful dinnerware, tiles, and homeware, but a rich history and environmentally sound practices. Founded by Edith Heath in the 1940s, an amazing business woman of her time, the company was built upon strong artisan skill coupled with a love for simplicity. Today, it remains a small local manufacturer full of American crafting history. Check out some images below of their kilns and creating process:
clay mixing
casting
plaster forms
smoothing
If you happen to be close to one of their locations (Sausalito, San Francisco, Los Angeles) they often have pottery classes and fun events to check out (LA locals: they are currently having an event to benefit Skid Row, see details here). For those of you not in California, you can purchase their products online at http://www.heathceramics.com/go/heath/. What better way to live green than supporting home grown manufacturers by purchasing the occasional beautiful mug?!
Are you a Heath fan? What local businesses are you loving/recommend? Let me know!
*images and info from HeathCeramics.com*
Jonathan Volk
1 year ago
Yea- their stuff is amazing. I don’t know… it’s just much nicer than normal.
Maria Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:15 am
They definitely approach each piece with a lot of skill and love
Cassandra
1 year ago
Oh Maria,
Their peices are beautiful and I think they go amazing with my Ikea ceramic collection I just purchased to match the tea set you gave me. And I love the history behind Heath Ceramics and love the pics to see the product from start to finish. Amazing! Thank you for doing a blog on them, I think I’ll need to purchase a Heath Ceramics peice to add to my dinnerware set!
Maria Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:16 am
I agree! Plus with mostly white dinnerware (like ours) a brightly colored serving bowl would be a beautiful addition
Mom
1 year ago
I really enjoy arts and crafts and I also like to know where they came from. When I heard about Heath ceramics and that their base is in Sausalito, CA, I was proud and excited. Hoorah to all artisans especially local ones. You did a wonderful piece on them, Maria!
Maria Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:16 am
Thank you!
elana
1 year ago
Very classy stuff and so pretty… I love. lol. Its true about favorite coffee cups. My favorite cup/mug right now is a huge oversized starbucks cup with the San Francisco city line on it.
Maria Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:17 am
There is nothing better than an oversized mug <3
Cafe Fashionista
1 year ago
I absolutely love this post! I find that there are very few things in life that are as comforting as a mug!!
Maria Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:17 am
Absolutely! A mug full of a delicious hot drink makes me feel ready to tackle anything