“Beautiful things make people happy.” – Eva Zeisel
Eva Zeisel was one of the twentieth century’s most influential ceramicists and designers of modern homewares, and is one of my design heroes. I use a brief quote from her on our “About” page – “the magical language of things” – which to my mind neatly sums up why design matters so much. All objects speak to us, talking of many things past, present and future, and in turn we are in a constant, unconscious dialogue with them, whether we realise it or not. Which is why it’s so important to surround ourselves with things that we find pleasing, harmonious and beautiful.
If we’re in an environment that feels discordant, and not aligned with our tastes and aesthetic, it’s like we’re being constantly shouted and jabbered at by what is around us, instead of being at the centre of a gently stimulating, nurturing conversation. So far, so philosophical! and all this is by way of an introduction to the Eva Tea Set – “a tribute to the great Eva Zeisel” – by designer and ceramicist Maia Ming who I had the pleasure of meeting very briefly at a show recently. I spotted the teapot and was instantly smiling – it just has that kind of shape – elegant, beautiful, and yet at the same time a lot of fun too. Impossible not to want to reach out and stroke its curves.
Very much like Eva Zeisel’s playful and organic forms, Hawaiian-born Maia describes her ceramic designs as “modern classics, with a tactile and whimsical flair”. Now living and working in Barcelona, she graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Product Design Engineering and subsequently worked for many years as an art director and design consultant for consumer fashion products. Working too on her own ceramic designs, demand grew for Maia’s tableware products, leading her to start producing them in larger numbers, with her designs very much reflecting her background as her website explains:
East meets West tableware ceramics with a tactile and sensual whimsy — Maia Ming Designs is aesthetically and symbolically re-defining products from one culture into another.
The Eva Tea Set is available in either matte black with white lid and white-rimmed cups or pure glossy white with a silver plated ring to the teapot lid. I think I’d go for the silky sheen of the black, and I also particularly like the shapes of the cups which are kind of half teacup, half mug and make a very pleasing, unfussy set.
See more of Maia’s tactile and whimsical designs at maiamingdesigns.com, where she also has an online shop.
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