MONTECITO
Presented by Susan Burns Cover story on page 2
July 23 - July 29, 2011
| PAGE 6
a
from INSIDE OUT
Conversations on Interior Design
Color Them Classic
THE ENDLESS CHARM OF CALIFORNIA CERAMICS By Adele Cygelman | www.domain-la.com
Ceramics have a long, proud history in California. Ernest Batchelder established a tile studio in Pasadena in 1909, and many Craftsman bungalows built in the 1910s and 20s still boast distinctive Batchelder fireplace mantels. Malibu and Catalina Potteries tapped into the romantic Spanish Colonial style of the 1930s and ’40s. Gladding McBean targeted a more mainstream audience with their popular Franciscan Ware dinnerware. While many factories went out of business in the 1960s, their techniques and molds have been revived by a new generation who continue the tradition of handmade California tile and pottery. Bauer’s vividly colored yet simple dinnerware and stoneware flourished after the Depression. The vintage pieces that sold for a few dollars are now highly collectible and command prices in the hundreds. Bauer has a new lease on life thanks to collector Janek Boniecki, who in 1998 resurrected the brand and started producing pieces called Bauer 2000 based on original molds from the 1930s and ’40s as well as reissues of Russel Wright’s American Modern dinnerware. With new products such as the New Home by Sunset line of vases and planters in association with Sunset magazine, and popular monthly sales of seconds and its annual holiday sale, the Atwater Village showroom has gained a loyal following. Heath Ceramics, an elegant, streamlined line of dinner and tableware established in 1948 by Edith Heath, gained new fans with the revival of all things mid-century modern. Husband and wife team Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey bought the Sausalito factory in 1999 and continue to produce Heath’s classic lines and have added new names to the design stable. In 2008 they opened a design studio and showroom on Beverly Blvd. under the direction of potter Adam Silverman. But it’s the distinctive and colorful Spanish tile, found on everything from staircases to fountains to murals to bathrooms and kitchens, that are still associated with California ceramics. Originally produced at Malibu Potteries (and still on display in all their glory at the Adamson house in Malibu) and Catalina Potteries, these gorgeous, intricate tiles are being faithfully reproduced at a handful of Southern California factories and design studios. California Pottery & Tile Works was started in 1994 to continue the tradition of Malibu and Catalina Potteries. The custom studio can make and customize any historical designs as well as allow clients to create their own custom colors online. Authentic reproductions of Malibu Potteries’ 1920s tile hand-painted in California are the basis of the Malibu Revival Collection by Classic Tile & Mosaic, which has showrooms around Southern California and offers custom tile, murals and fountains. Malibu Ceramic Works and Catalina Classic Tile Company started in 1979 as part of California’s revival of craftsmanship. Their handmade tiles have been used in numerous high-profile residential and hospitality projects, such as the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, and homes featured in Casa California and California Romantica.
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Bauer Pottery, 3051 Rosslyn St., 888.213.0800 | www.bauerla.com
Malibu Ceramic Works, 310.455.2485 | www.malibuceramicworks.com
Heath LA, 7525 Beverly Blvd., 323.965.0800 | www.heathceramics.com/go/heath
Catalina Classic Tile Company, 888.837.7286 | www.catalinaclassics.com
California Pottery & Tile Works, 859 E. 60th St., 323.235.4151 | www.calpot.com
Gladding, McBean, 800.776.1133 | www.gladdingmcbean.com
Classic Tile & Mosaic, 3221 S. La Cienega, 310.559.9500 | www.ctandm.com