Richard Brendon is a London-based designer and bone china specialist who is making his name by marrying the traditional craftsmanship and artistry of bone china with contemporary design and pattern. His collaboration with leading pattern consultancy Patternity continues with this exclusive teaware range for Fortnum and Mason in the iconic emporium’s signature Eau de Nil.
Richard first created a stir with his Reflections range, which matches beautiful old bone china saucers that “have lost their other half” with new gold and platinum gilded teacups. The reflective cups mirror the intricate, traditional designs, creating the illusion that the cup is patterned too. They’re ingenious, and very beautiful, and I can vouch for Richard’s enthusiasm for preserving these wonderful china pieces that he sources from antique dealers all around the country. I was lucky enough to see his work and to chat with him a couple of years ago during London Design Week; his knowledge and passion for preserving the heritage of the china industry was evident.
But Richard’s fascination with the past – “He believes to design truly innovative work, a firm understanding of what has come before is essential” – is very much the foundation for his current work. Bold yet refined contemporary graphic patterns embellish the Richard Brendon meets Patternity china collection for Fortnum and Mason, and I was delighted to see that it includes a reflective cup and saucer, pictured above. The effect is very striking, and the curve of the cup gives the stripes a fascinating distortion.
Other pieces play with the stripes to create optical illusions, op art style, as in the plate above. Best not to look at it for too long – the stripes take on a life of their own!
And the attention to detail is delightful – the teapot pictured has stripes on the handle and spout which incorporate tiny dots too.
Not surprising for someone who rescues antique bone china saucers, longevity is very important to Richard, who believes it to be “the best form of sustainability”. To ensure that his bone china collections stand the test of time all of his products are made by master craftsmen from the best quality materials in Stoke on Trent – the home of the finest bone china.
Thanks to Richard and his passion for the craftsmanship of the past, bone china gets brought bang up to date. To see the full Richard Brendon meets Patternity teaware collection and to shop online, visit www.fortnumandmason.com.
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