It took Pablo Picasso ‘four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.’ And if you, like the rest of downtown Manhattan, were tapped into NYCxDESIGN this year, you may have noticed an emerging design trend for similarly unhinged imagination spilling onto ceramics.
New names like Sivim Ly and Studio J.E.D. are building surrealist side tables, bulbous lamp bases, and oddball vessels that look almost accidentally beautiful – as if they were dreamed up during an art-school all-nighter rather than meticulously planned. The proportions? Perplexing. Some pieces are slab-built; others coil outward like they’re still actively forming. Occasionally, a flash of 22k gold cuts through the chaos, bringing an unexpected sense of polish to this otherwise proudly imperfect trend.
Beyond the Big Apple, studios like L&Clay Ceramics and Musae Studio are making the look more accessible, loosening up the usual stiffness of serveware with cheeky messages, punchy color palettes, and intentionally uneven silhouettes. Suddenly, it matters much less whether you picked up the correct salad fork when there’s a striped butter dish smiling back at you across the table.
If you already happen to live with a pottery-obsessed six-year-old, congratulations: you may already be ahead of the curve. And if not, these 16 pieces bring that same playful energy into everyday life.
The Round is Homes & Gardens' collection of the must-have pieces shaping styles, trends, and ideas. It brings together thoughtfully curated products that express a single moment – offering readers inspiring ways to style their homes through seasonal themes, emerging looks, and everyday pieces.
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