The things we do on a daily basis, the individual routines we go through every day, are often governed by our own quirks and needs, but there is something to be said for cultural influences too. The everyday culture of use is something that ceramic designer Natalie J Wood uses as a starting point for her work, and is the backbone of her inspiration as an emerging designer. Her stripped back, minimal aesthetic focuses purely on how functional objects play into our lives, removing the need for unnecessary detailing, and where form and function sit comfortably together.
Natalie’s first collection, entitled Detsu is a perfect example of this. The simple forms, inspired by “the construction of pattern through primitive shapes” combine traditional craft with new technologies like 3D printing and laser cutting. This is a common approach among new designers, seen in the work Charles Dedman and Catherine MacGruer for example, but what defined Natalie’s work is the personality of each piece.
She doesn’t want to create a mass-produced collection of identical pieces and instead has made a conscious decision to hand-finish each element, and focus on small-batch production methods. Natalie is also interested in the balance of physical and digital elements when considering the part that contemporary craft plays in her work, but regardless of how she incorporates modern technology into her work, the process always starts and ends with an individually crafted piece.
What’s lovely about Natalie’s work is that through exploring the idea of everyday culture, whether modern or traditional, simplistic or futuristic, she has created a collection of dishes and vessels that transcend individual quirks, and can be used in a multitude of ways regardless of how or where you live. It could be summed up as minimalism for mass-appeal, but it somehow seems more than this. She has made a conscious decision to focus on creating a body of work that can sit alongside any style. Using a soft muted palette of blush, mint, light grey and off-white, the Detsu collection composes a carafe, a low pourer, and a cup, all complimented by a series of more angular dishes.
Always busy with exhibitions and events, Natalie sees the importance of getting her work in front of the buying public as often as possible, sharing the honesty and tactility of each piece with her audience and gaining first hand insight into her craft. Visually simplistic, yet deeply thought through, Natalie’s approach showcases a sensibility to her work, an understanding of everyday objects, and how form plays its role while perfectly balancing itself with functionality.
A selection of pieces by Natalie J Wood will be available soon from Look Like Love.
