TOKYO !!

In December I had an amazing trip to Tokyo, saw lots of great stuff even saw my pots in a store !! Here's some photo's of my trip - lots of sights, food and more sights !

Dancing Elvis Look a Likes

Sunday in the park

The British Embassy

Shibuya

My Pots !!

Paul Smith Space

Ginza

My fav shop

My fav meal

Take Two launch

SEPT 2013

NEWS RELEASE

Sarah Heaton launches new interpretation of iconic 60s Midwinter pattern

Leading contemporary ceramic designer Sarah Heaton has joined forces with Eve Midwinter to launch a brand new take on the best selling mid-century pattern ‘Roselle’.

‘Take Two’ takes a fresh, new look at this blue and green classic which sold in its thousands and was a must-have style statement in the homes of every bright young thing of the swinging 60’s.

In close collaboration with Midwinter, Heaton brings ‘Roselle’ bang up to date and will launch ‘Take Two’ on a range of her own contemporary shapes. Said a very excited Sarah; “This is such a tremendous opportunity for me as I’ve admired Eve’s work for many years, and when I was approached to bring her pattern to a new market, it was a dream come true.”

Heaton’s tableware shapes are clean and contemporary; fitting in perfectly with the revival for mid-century appeal. In addition, she has worked closely with Eve Midwinter to re-interpret the Roselle pattern without losing its playful 60’s integrity.

Sarah told us; “My brief for ’Take Two’ was basically to take Eve’s original pattern and develop it for a new, younger market. Recognising the growing interest in mid-century ceramics, I wanted to create a product which was contemporary, beautiful, slightly retro in feel and of course dishwasher and microwave safe for the modern home.”

This is Heaton and Midwinter’s first collaboration, and the launch of ‘Take Two’ at Maison et Objet Paris is testament to their on-going commitment to Britain’s ceramic renaissance.

For more information please contact Sarah via the Sarah Heaton website  http://www.sarahheaton.co.uk

END

Contact: Sarah Heaton

M: 07725 362329

E:  sarah@sarahheaton.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/heatonsarah
https://twitter.com/SarahHeaton_

Written by Mac&Dean Ltd 07742  621228

Article by Charlotte Stafford

Incorporating ceramics into your lounge design

The retro look is everywhere at the moment. Sit back and take a look on TV, in magazines and in the shops, and mid-century style stares back from every direction.

Consider the hit US TV series Mad Men with its gorgeously seductive interiors, singing with 1960s sophistication – don't we all want a piece of that? Well, here is the good news, a slice of that retro-licious look in our homes is easy to achieve!

Nobody wants to live in a time warp, so the key to a successful retro look in the home is to mix and match with modern pieces. The signature themes to look out for are clean lines, bold colours, simple, organic shapes and a playful approach to pattern and texture.

Where to start with the retro re-vamp?

The lounge is the perfect place to begin experimenting with retro style. As always, if the basics are right from the beginning, the rest tends to follow naturally. Choose seating carefully as it is very much central to the room. There is the Austin Powers school of thought that encourages the long recliners in purple leather perched upon orange shag pile carpet – although this is perfectly valid, is it a look that could be tolerated on a daily basis? Far better to edge in the direction of the more restrained Skandi-retro look which draws from a more sober colour palette and an emphasis on materials such as wood, ceramics and glass. There is some really lovely furniture being manufactured today in styles that fit perfectly in a mid-century room, sofas with delicate pale wood frames built with elegance and comfort in mind.

Once the sofa has been decided upon, fun can be had developing the rest of the ideas. Think glass or ceramic topped coffee tables, kitsch retro lighting, sleek sideboards and shelving units in mellow teak and pale elm or ash. Underline all these 50s and 60s flavours with killer accessories. Highly patterned textiles inspired by Lucienne Day and Terence Conran add authenticity and placed alongside some cool retro styled ceramics, the look really begins to rock. For the ultimate nostalgic note try using classic retro shades such as avocado and mustard yellow alongside contemporary hues like teal and raspberry.

On walls these shades can sometimes sit a little flat, but are lifted fantastically with coloured ceramics. Whether gleaming and glossy or subdued and laid back, there is no doubting the power of ceramics to energise a room. Retro pieces have a distinctive style and arranged collectively against a strong contrasting colour, can look stunning. Grouping pieces by shade or shape is eye-catching; a display of decorative plates on a wall livens up a dull corner. Try placing favourite pieces in high traffic areas to ensure they get the attention they deserve. Trawl car boot sales and flea markets for interesting pieces, looking out for vintage marques such as Portmeirion, Hornsea and Poole or check out fabulous modern ceramics with a contemporary retro take. 

So yes, it is relatively easy to achieve the retro lounge look without too much hard work. Start by investing in some well crafted, period look furniture, being fearless with bold ceramics and textiles, and perhaps watching a few Mad Men DVDs for inspiration... how hard can it be?

Creative shift - guest blogger

Recently Creative shift asked me to Blog for their website, here's the interview.

IN INSPIRATION

Independents We Like: Sarah Heaton Ceramics

Posted by: Emily Jayne on Jun 12, 2013 | No Comments

At Creative Shift we feel that it is important to champion the talented people and inspiring businesses that we meet along the way.

In our latest Independents We Like feature, we talk to Sarah Heaton, of Sarah Heaton Ceramics, who recently worked with us on our Manufacturing Seminar for Coventry University, for creatives looking to get their products manufactured on a larger scale.

A champion of British Manufacturing, Sarah has exhibited in London, New York and Paris where her designs have met with critical acclaim. Her beautiful, functional products embody a deep understanding of the ceramic process and natural flair for future proof design. They show profound respect for the traditions of the past while emphasising contemporary living at its most desirable.

Tell us a bit about Sarah Heaton Ceramics, what are the aims/ethics of the business, and do you enjoy being an independent?

Having worked in the ceramic industry for nearly 20 years, I got quite angry with the overseas  re-sourcing of product that many uk ceramic
brands embarked on. Quite quickly some of our famous brands had compromised quality, ethics and turned their back on years of traditional
skills and methods of production. I felt that I had to do something that embodied the best of our heritage and supported UK pottery manufacturers, while the big guys were chasing round the world to finder cheaper production methods I was working with an old factory in Stoke to design a product that used their knowledge and embodied the best of our tradition.

I now divide my time between running my own small ceramic design label and consulting for companies who need ceramic design expertise. I have a varied and busy week/weekend this keeps me on my toes and  always challenges my pre conceived ideas on what can and can’t be done.

How did you get involved with Creative Shift?

I met Helga from Creative suite whist sipping aperitifs in the ambassadors residence in Copenhagen !!!   How cool is that ??? We got chatting and next minute I was agreeing to take part in a Creative Shift event.

What was the nature of your seminar? What challenges did you speak about?

The premis of the event was to help explain my path from having a creative design concept and turing it into a marketable product.

What are your thoughts on how the event went?

I think the seminar went really well and I now have contact with some of the attendees through Linked in and other social media, I had quite a few people with  specific ceramic needs and I think I helped them on their quest to find uk manufacturers etc. I have had lots of positive feedback
from the event and hope to get involved with other Creative Shift enterprises.

I really enjoyed the open and relaxed atmosphere, this helped everyone ask any questions and the answers they got where as open and honest as
possible. The facilitator had a great approach and the afternoon flowed freely and if anything we ran out of time !

Many thanks to Sarah for taking the time to talk about her business – you can find her beautiful ceramics on her website, follow her on twitter @sarahheaton_ or like her page on facebook.

shows on crutches

can't quite believe it's March already.  It's been a speedy start to the new year, I've done HOME 2013 , Maison Objet , Ambiente Frankfurt and visited Denmark. It's been a bit of a slog especially doing HOME and Maison on crutches......

minnie's meringues

husband

 I'm really proud of HOME thanks to big sis and husband for helping to create such a nice stand, Minnie for making her amazing meringue mushrooms and thanks to Dean, Hayley and Colin for helping out with sales !!

spot the crutches at Maison Objet !

denmark

Press release

NEWS RELEASE

Little Walton Bank Pottery relaunches as Sarah Heaton with new product line

After the global success of her Seedware and Birdware ranges, leading ceramic designer Sarah Heaton is to rebrand Little Walton Bank Pottery to reflect her role as the name behind LWB’s award winning ceramic designs.

Sarah told us, “I felt that the LWB brand was not getting across the fact that I was involved at every stage; from shape and surface design to overseeing production. My total involvement is of paramount importance to my market so, after lengthy discussions with my marketing team it was decided that I should become the brand. It was a bit scary at first but now I’m really enjoying the role.”

And so she should, with three major exhibitions lined up for spring 2013 Sarah is looking to make a big impact with her latest range of tableware.

“I launched a very limited range of my new design ‘Accent’ at Maison Paris in September but the response was so overwhelming that I am now working on extending the range to include mugs, plates jugs, bowls and egg cups. I recently received large orders from Japan, Germany and America which proves the global appeal for well designed pottery made here in England.”

To add to Sarah’s success she topped the year off by winning the GNCCF Trend Bible Award for 2012. It’s not all been good news though. Sarah broke her ankle while roller skating ... yes, roller skating at Christmas and was completely housebound for 6 weeks however she has managed to organise her spring exhibition stands for Home at Earls Court, Maison et Objet in Paris and Ambiente, Frankfurt with the same attention to detail that she applies to every product in the Sarah Heaton range.

It looks like 2013 is going to be a great year for Sarah Heaton. To find out more, buy online or to contact Sarah visit the Sarah Heaton website www.sarahheaton.co.uk

Big changes !

I think I've neglected to keep my blog up to date, very naughty but things have been changing around here and I've had quite a few other priorities....sorry.

I decided to change my business name so the business is now called Sarah Heaton, yes I thought it was time to stop hiding behind my studio address and get myself out there and visible. I've spent alot of time on the whole re-branding excersise - logo, website , copy etc.Here's the new logo.



My mate Dean Brindley has generated some great copy so you can read all about me and my background on the website.

New branding complete and it took a while , I decided to tackle some new work to add to the collection and show the new direction of the company. Of course it's all rooted in my love of mid century design. Here's the CAD renders/3D designs of the large jug.

Here  is the final piece , I think you'll agree that the modeller did a great job.

Alongside new shapes I've introduced some accent plates and mugs in toadstool and blooms. The factory is producing these pieces now so I'm hoping to satisfy all the orders I took for them at Maison and GNCCF.

Here's the new look at Maison et Objet in Paris in September. Everything worked a treat and I will soon have my products in stores as far a field as Japan !

And finally - I've just finished my last show of this Autumn in Manchester. The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Show in Spiningfields. What a brilliant event and selling direct was quite an eye opener , a great confidence booster and I even sold a jug to Coronation Street's Owen the builder !!! Big tick from the children as they love Corrie on a friday night.

Here's a snap of my stand at GNCCF as you can see I took the trusty sideboard that's been all over the place with me and to be honest we've been through such alot that no matter how much people offer for it ( and they do ! ) it isn't for sale. Oh and I guess I've got to mention the very important point, I WON AN AWARD !!!! the icing on the cake !

I think I'm now up to date with the blog, watch this space as I've got some exciting things and challenges on the horizon.

www.sarahheaton.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/heatonsarah
@sarahheaton_