Jackson Design in Stockholm is a newly discovered source for great 20^thcentury Scandinavian ceramics – mind you its been around for 30 years!  The brain behind the firm, Paul Jackson, is devoted to offering the best of classic Scandinavian design.  While they carry a wide variety of pieces from furniture, to carpets, to lighting, I am enamored with their super cool ceramics.  Their inventory is largely vintage which means that they take pride in selling the objects in “as near the original condition as possible” – so don’t look for them to be tarted up!

I have to admit that I am unfamiliar with the potters who produced the beautiful pieces I have selected today, but something that is often lost on today’s buyers, is the ability to say you love something for what it is, rather than buying the “trendiest name” in the industry.  How often have you seen something and wondered “why??” only to be told that it’s the latest from the “next big thing” in art?  No, not here.  Buy what you love and you will never regret it.

Take the above stunning green bowl for example:  the form has a decisively natural and rustic appeal and the incised decoration really allows you to feel the hands of the potter in the finished product. I like that it’s just not quite perfect which means that it’s a one off and unique piece.

Contrast that to the blue bowl by Berndt Friberg that has that luscious “hare” glaze.  I’ve seen this glaze on Chinese ceramics and know firsthand how delicate the finish can be.  It has a wonderful silky luster and would look so elegant on a side table.

Vases in various shapes and sizes can always be fit into an interior to add a little drama to an otherwise staid room.  Here another series by Friberg (above) – again he uses the hare glaze in earthy colors for this grouping.  For a completely different look, the two vases (below) by Carl-Harry Stalhane have stronger lines in their wide angular mouths.  The gentle speckled glazes remind me of bird’s eggs with their wonderful patterns and shades in the spots.

I would likely mix a group of these vases so that the textures and colors play off each other while still keeping a modern vibe.   Even on their own, any one of these can be the perfect little statement piece in your home.

richard rabel
principal
richard rabel: interiors + art
interior design and art advising
new york city

image credits: Jackson Design, Stockholm and Berlin