An interview with Steph Liddle Ceramics
Steph of Steph Liddle Ceramics
Business Owner
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stephliddle.com
@steph.liddle
Tell us about your business. Please describe your craft/products. What does your business do? Do you target a purpose or specific person?
I’m a Ceramics Designer/Maker based in Dundee who makes playful and thoughtful handmade ceramics. With an eye for colour and pattern, I draw on my background in Illustration to create contemporary, graphic ceramic homewares that help make everyday moments something to be savoured.
Each piece is made by hand in my studio - first the forms are slipcast in either white stoneware or parian porcelain using bespoke moulds, then the patterns are individually painted on by hand. Every piece is imperfectly unique, with subtle differences worth celebrating.
What inspires you when you are working or creating new work?
Thinking about the experience people will have when they use the objects is a big inspiration - how will the texture and the shape of an item feel when they use it, and how will that make them feel?
My work is known for being playful, yet refined. Minimal in shape, yet boldly patterned. It embraces and embodies contrast through varying textures, finishes, and colour palettes to create functional ceramics that delight the senses.
What are the core values in your business?
The main core values in my business are: playfulness, thoughtfulness, and sustainability.
I try to make by business as sustainable as possible by:
Recycling and reusing as much clay as possible. All the clay scraps from my casting are collected, recycled, and turned back into useable casting slip. I’ve found that mixing the recycled clay with fresh clay in a 50/50 ratio works well for the forms that I’m casting. As clay is a finite material, it’s really important to me to be able to reduce the amount of waste that is produced and re-use as much clay as possible. I also recycle any work that is made that isn’t quite right - casts that are too thick or too thin, or just a bit too wonky to be functional.
Designing products which can serve more than one purpose, or shift function, throughout their lifespan. I.e. my Moment Cups (travel cups) are designed so that if they develop a hairline crack, or are no longer getting used as a cup, they can live a second life as a plant pot.
Using paper packing materials when posting out orders to customers and stockists, and any plastic bubble wrap that comes into the studio is reused for transporting work to markets and events. I even re-use the cellophane sleeves that my cup lids come in as document wallets for international orders to reduce waste!
What is your biggest dream/goal for your business or have you already achieved it/them?
I’d love to collaborate with a furniture maker like SCP to create a range of furniture with my patterns and colours on them!
What is your favourite product you make and why?
This is such a difficult question! I think it definitely has to be the functional dinnerware products I make, I use them every day in my own home. Each morning I have my coffee in one of my Handless Wave Mugs, with toast on one of the Small Wave Plates and it’s such a treat. They’re so nice to use, and they make mornings a little bit easier. The Wave Noodle Bowls are also a regularly used item, and I love how versatile they are! I have one in my studio that I use for a big bowl of soup at lunch time most days, and in the evenings we usually use them for dinner. They’re great for noodles, but I also use them for pasta, stews, big grain bowls, etc. If it fits in a bowl, I’m eating it from one of them basically.
What two things in your life can't you live without? (one life related and one business related)
My kiln. And coffee.
Please come up with one question that we can ask in our next interview. This could be as random or quirky as you want it to be.
What’s the favourite thing about where you work?
Question form a previous interview for you:
What's your go to breakfast on a Sunday?
Sausage sandwich.
Quick fire questions:
Sweet or savoury? Savoury
Morning or night? Night
Radio1, Radio4 or 6music? 6music
Holiday in the UK or abroad? Abroad
Bright colours or neutral colours? Black, with a pop of colour
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