photo: Jérémy Bellina.
I already revealed my passion for plants the other week with my big plant guide. A side effect of it is my new-found interest in pottery, not only for its final result – beautiful ceramics – but also for the process of making it. If you hear pottery I would not blame you for not having something particularly cool in mind. But trust me, we found some really cool people in Berlin that do very unique and contemporary designs that you will love.
I also put my own crafty talents to the test and participated in a wheel throwing class at one of the studios from our guide. It was a really wonderful experience that I can warmly recommend to anyone looking for a new hobby (or a creative calling?).
But now without any further ado let me introduce you to Berlin’s coolest ceramic labels and pottery studios.
Violaine Toth
Of all the ceramic labels in our guide, the designs of Violaine Toth are the most – what I would describe as – Berghain-compatible. (Yup, sorry, I just did.) Her striking all black or all nude signature pieces have very large round handles which makes them very recognizable. As a plant nerd I of course especially enjoy her planters, but also the cups with little faces are really great. You can get some of her designs at Plant Circle or through her Etsy webshop. She also offers pottery courses in her studio.
photos: Violaine Toth Ceramics
Jérémy Bellina
This charming gentleman likes a good drippy glaze. Jérémy Bellina has a wide range of designs that include vases, bowls, cups, pitchers, teapots and even a drip coffee maker. We especially love his distorted vases and the thick runny mustard glaze he often uses on his pieces. His Instagram is certainly making pottery look cooler than ever! Some of his designs are available at Shio on Weichselstr. 59 in Neukölln.
photos: aloaevera
KM Keramik
The designs by Katrin Möschl of KM Keramik to me look like the love child of Japanese pottery and the iconic 60s fat lava ceramics. Indeed her technique comes from the traditional Japanese Raku style. Her product range focusses mainly on bowls, cups, and teapots, which are perfect for matcha tea – another nod to the Japanese culture. Some of her wonderful designs are available in her Etsy webshop.
photos: KM Keramik
Marilyne Blais
Marilyne Blais really managed to create something entirely unique with her pottery designs. Gentle gradients of joyful strong colors on geometric shapes really make for an eye-catching combination. I adore her ribbed planters and the stunning platform bowl. As I’ve learned it’s not that easy to glaze ceramics with these strong and solid colors, let alone in a gradient. And believe it or not, all these super-accurate geometric shapes are totally hand-thrown on the wheel. This lady has some serious skills! Her planters are available at The Botanical Room at Manteuffelstraße 73 in Kreuzberg.
photos: Marilyne Blais
Helka
Potter Lisa Kosak from Helka likes her designs in clean minimalistic shapes, but with elegant details in the glazing that remind me a lot of dreamy watercolors. Her pieces have a very natural look with earthy tones with dashes of ocean blue. Especially her plates and bowls splashes of blue glazing look really amazing. Famous Berlin chef Dalad Kambuh also loves her designs so much that she had the tableware of her Michelin Star-awarded restaurant Kin Dee custom-made by Lisa.
photos: rasele & pablomletts
Studio Argile
Studio Argile is the shared pottery studio of Marilyne Blais and Lisa Kosak based in Neukölln. They offer monthly pottery courses that I can warmly recommend because I participated in one.
Studio Argile, Warthestraße 68, 12051 Berlin-Wedding
photos: Studio Argile
Moss Keramik
Moss Keramik is another studio that offers a variety of course and classes to learn of aspects of pottery including wheel-throwing, hand-building and of course glazing. It’s based in Wedding. If you are already advanced you can also book the workspace for your own projects.
Moss Keramik, Wollankstraße 72, 13359 Berlin-Wedding
photos: Moss Keramik
Ceramic Kingdom
Another place to learn pottery is Ceramic Kingdom in Neukölln. They also offer a diverse program of workshops for different levels and different techniques. You can also book studio time there if you wanna work alone or even book private classes for some Ghost-style one-on-one sessions.
Ceramic Kingdom, Reuterstraße 20, 12043 Berlin-Neukölln
photos: Ceramic Kingdom
If none of these studios are close to where you live you can find a lot of other small local studios all over town offering workshops, firing services or studio time. If you are about to get deeper into it you should check out the amazing Börkey Keratech store in Wilmersdorf that has everything from clay to glazes, tools to wheels. Happy crafting!
