Jonathan told us that people often think his products “just are” – they don’t imagine that they are all hand thrown and all start from this building. Even though I have studied pottery, I must confess, I have never really thought about it either, but it was fantastic to discover that such a successful brand is still committed to hand throwing pots and that Jonathan is still so involved. (I also admired his honesty when he checked with his team of potters that he was doing it right!)
The atmosphere in the studio was alive with creativity and personality – and it seemed those who hadn’t brought their dog to work were in the minority! Every well was plastered with inspirational images.
Apple Macs are de rigour…
I am always very interested to see what sort of reading material creative people surround themselves with and besides shelves full of books, I think they have every issue of wallpaper* ever released in this office!
Everyone we met seemed really happy to be there, and very much part of the ‘Jonathan Adler family.’ It’s so reassuring when what’s behind the scenes completely reinforces what you think you know about a brand – and adds to your knowledge and understanding of the products.
For example a little row of clay models of each of the office dogs, made for fun, has clearly gone on to inspire real products.
I would like to say a massive thank you to Jonathan and his team for being so generous with their time and their space – it was a real privilege to get such an insight to a brand I’ve admired from afar for so long – and to Will Taylor from Bright Bazaar for arranging the visit.
And I know I’ve said it on every post, but I think it’s important – I would like to say thank you to Tim and Veronika from Modenus for inviting me to come along, and to the sponsors: Jenn Air, Ethan Allen, Axor, Miele, Blanco, Rotsen Furniture, Poggenpohl, Modern-Aire, Scholtes, Du Verre, Spirit of Sports, Big Ass Fans, Samuel Heath, Vitra, Victoria and Albert Baths and Wallunica, for making the trip possible.
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- out and about :: blog tour nyc
- out and about :: tryp hotel
- out and about :: immer besser
- blogtournyc on modenus
loved the tour, so inspiring!!!!