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About Ordering

Let's talk! I am pleased to offer Design Services, either in-person or virtually, to help you choose your dinnerware. I enjoy and am adept at discussing colors, shapes, sizes, and how to mix and match.  As part of the service, you are welcome to borrow a few samples of my work. You can borrow a couple plates in the Plate Sampler or borrow a selection of several items in the Collection Sampler.

Feel free to contact me before or after ordering samples so that I can help you narrow down your choices. We can customize a sample package if you would like to see particular items.

Absolutely. There's no substitute to seeing actual pieces in your own home where you can compare them with others you already have, and see how my colors look in your environment. Let's talk so I can send you a few pieces in a customized sample package.  You can also use my website to choose a couple plates in the Plate Sampler or a selection of several items in the Collection Sampler. When borrowing samples, you’ll pay for the shipment of the samples to your home, but return shipping is free.

Yes, definitely. Most glaze colors complement each other well. I always suggest using white (i.e. the transparent clear glaze) to bring out the vibrancy of the other colors. Warmer colors, like fig, sage, and ginger mix well.  Cooler colors like sea, kiwi, and mango also mix well. Clear and ginger look great with both palettes.

I also suggest keeping each item the same color when combining multiple colors in a set.  For example, consider ordering all of your dinner plates in one color and all of your dessert plates in another.  Others prefer a confetti approach, a more random mixing of colors.

Yes, many of the styles go very well together. Bevel and Enso mix the most seamlessly. Jasmine and Kaolin are great together. If you’d like to mix pieces from many collections, I suggest sticking to one or two styles within the place setting and perhaps adding serving pieces from other styles as accents. For example, if you've chosen Bevel and Enso pieces for your place settings, consider Wet Grass serving bowls and platters.

Smaller custom orders usually ship within 4-8 weeks. Large dinner service orders typically take 2-4 months to complete. If I anticipate an unusually long turnaround time, I will email you with an approximate timeframe at the time you place an order. If you need pieces sooner, order from the In Stock inventory. Items In Stock typically ship within 2-3 business days.

Dinner, luncheon and salad are the most popular sized plates ordered. As for bowls, soup/cereal, pasta, and big meal-in-a-bowl shapes are where most people start.

The number of shapes, sizes and colors I offer can be overwhelming, I know. For ideas, you can scroll through images in the Gallery. Think about what you eat daily and how you like to entertain. When you're ready, I really enjoy helping people figure out what make sense for them. Contact me and let’s talk!

 

I am not a big fan of the 5-piece place setting which is usually a dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl, cup and saucer.  

I highly encourage customers to take advantage of the many shapes and sizes I offer that are well suited to modern multi-cultural home cooking. Additionally, you do not have to order the same number of each piece.  If you’d like 6 dinner plates, 12 luncheon plates, 6 pasta bowls, and no cups - no problem. To see some sample dinnerware sets, check out the Registry page.

My work is primarily for sale through this website, at select craft shows (see home page for upcoming shows) or at my studio by appointment.  Consultations are highly recommended for those considering a dinner service or more complex order. I occasionally partner with galleries/stores to offer limited edition items which are highlighted in my newsletter. Click here to opt in to my newsletter.

If you have purchased in the past and would like to order replacement or additional dinnerware, I will do my best to match your existing pieces. Sending me sample pieces will help me match shape, color, etc. You may also be able to find replacement pieces from items that I have In Stock. Please note that because items In Stock have all been made at different times, there will be greater variations in size and shape than pieces made for a single dinner service.

Quite possibly.  Product development takes many months, but if the project fits my personal interests, I’m more than happy to discuss.

Not at this time.

GIFT REGISTRIES

I'm happy to help you create an online registry -- from finding the right mix of items and colors for a new dinner service, to getting your registry live online. Just contact me!  Once your registry is live, your friends and family will be able to purchase items directly from this site.

It's easiest for me to manage your registry. (You'll have enough other things to do!)  To add or remove items, email me and I'll take care of the details. As purchases occur, I'll send updates on a regular basis.

Historically, almost all registries have sold out. But no worries, before I start making your dinner service, usually around the time of the big event, I'll contact you first to officially close and reconcile the registry. If not everything has been purchased, funds can be reallocated to make sure you get exactly what you want. A courtesy discount is offered to you, the registrants, if you'd like to purchase the remainder of the registry.

A link to the webpage dedicated to your registry can be shared with friends and family. It can also be linked to registry aggregator sites such as The Knot and Zola.

SHIPPING & RETURNS

Most orders over $350 qualify for free shipping within the continental US. A flat fee of $15 (per address, per box) will be added to orders under $350, shipments to the west coast, and shipments of "seconds". Large orders requiring several boxes for shipment may also incur additional shipping fees.

I ship via UPS Ground or US Postal Service.  Please choose a secure shipping address, or opt for delivery with signature release if packages may otherwise be delivered to unattended locations vulnerable to theft such as a stoop or porch.  If you have a carrier preference please let me know in the Order Notes section of your shopping cart.

In the rare case of breakage during shipping, replacements will be sent, free of charge, as soon as possible.

When borrowing samples, you’ll pay for the shipment of the samples to your home, but return shipping is free of charge.

If you are not happy with your order, you can return any items for a refund, exchange, or credit.  Please keep all original packing materials for return shipment. Contact me within two weeks of your items’ arrival and return-ship within 30 days.  A return-shipping label and packing instructions will be provided.

If you receive damaged or incorrect items, return shipping is free of charge. Any replacements sent to you will also be shipped free of charge.  Otherwise, shipping costs are not refundable and any return shipping costs will be deducted from your refund or the value of your exchange or credit.

In the rare case of breakage during shipping, replacements will be sent, free of charge, as soon as possible.

To place an order for shipping outside of the United States, please contact me first to obtain a shipping quote.

I do not offer gift-wrap, but I do have a limited number of boxes that can be used for gift packaging.  For an additional fee, I can dress up the sturdy white corrugated cardboard boxes in an informal, gift-appropriate manner.  Small boxes, which will fit one cup, are $2 each, or $7 if dressed up.  Larger boxes, appropriate for 3-4 cups or small bowls are $5 each, or $15 if dressed up.

ABOUT TECHNIQUE

Yes, I personally hand throw and trim every item on my potter's wheel. Every piece bears my (regrettably illegible) signature.

I use a modified porcelain that is fine-particled, vitreous, durable, and resistant to chipping. It is formulated to mature at a lower temperature than traditional porcelain, which means significant energy savings. The clay is white, but not a stark cool white. Final firing is in oxidation within electric kilns to approximately 2230° F (soft Cone 8).

Over the years, the studio has changed clay bodies twice. Each clay body has a slightly different qualities, including color, which changes the appearance of the glaze on top.

I have no idea. Potters say, “I throw at the wheel” or describe their work as “hand thrown.” Yes, the first step is to throw a ball of clay onto the wheelhead, but that single motion hardly characterizes the throwing process. Another explanation -- there's an Old English world, "thrawan", that means to twist or turn.

ABOUT COLORS

Yes, definitely.  Most colors complement each other well. I always suggests using white (i.e. the transparent clearwater glaze) to bring out the vibrancy of the other colors.  Warmer colors, like fig, sage, and ginger mix well.  The cooler palette of sea, kiwi, and pumpkin also mix well.  Clearwater and ginger look great with both palettes.

When combining colors, I usually suggests keeping each item a consistent color, i.e. all the dinner plates one color, all the salad plates another.  Others prefer a confetti approach to table settings, mixing all the colors up. That works, too!

 

Colors are hard to portray digitally and all monitors are different. However, between the renderings and photo images, you should have a good sense of the color palette.  Keep in mind that actual glaze colors will vary slightly from one firing to the next.

Yes, I can send you color chips, but please sent them back. (They take a long time to make!)  Better yet, I prefer to send small plates because they are better representatives of the colors/work. Click here to order plate samples.

Yes, it’s definitely possible.  But glaze development is a long and arduous process.  A significant custom glaze lab fee will be charged.

 

ABOUT THE WARE

Yes. Both! The Jasmine and Kaolin lines are delicate, however.  When it comes to machine dishwashing, I suggest giving the thin rims plenty of room so they don't bump against each other during the wash cycle (or if the rack accidentally slams to the back of the machine.)

Yes and no.  You can safely warm your plates or keep plated food warm in an oven heated below 250° F.  However, I do not recommend using the ware for baking, broiling, or for other high heat situations.  Porcelain does not tolerate extreme thermal shock well. 

No, not really.  It is meant for daily use and made of porcelain, which is a very strong, durable and chip-resistant clay. With few exceptions, customers use their dinner services for many years with very little breakage or chipping. The Jasmine and Kaolin collections, however, features thin rims and are the most delicate of all the collections.  The edges of the Bevel, Enso and Wet Grass pieces have thicker rims, which makes them particularly durable.  

Granite countertops are particularly hard and unfriendly to breakable ware. The most common way a piece of my ware is broken is by hitting a rim on a countertop's edge while loading a dishwasher.