Coral Set for EYWA — Porcelain Shaped by the Sea
This project was a new challenge I embraced with genuine joy — creating a bespoke tableware set for a client in UAE, inspired by the intricate beauty of the underwater world. What emerged was a collection of pure porcelain pieces enriched with coral-like textures, vibrant oceanic hues, and a tactile surface that invites both touch and contemplation.
Yet behind this visual richness lay a complex technical journey.
Porcelain, while refined and luminous, is notoriously unforgiving — and it does not appreciate being pushed too far. One of the greatest challenges was the heavy texturing itself. The clay simply did not enjoy being worked so intensely, and as a result, the breakage rate for the larger plates was devastatingly high (60%). But this is the unspoken reality of design development: clay is, after all, just mud until it has survived the fire. You may shape it beautifully, but there is never a guarantee it will endure.
As we say in Latvia: "Count your chicks in autumn" — a reminder that success can only be measured once the process has fully unfolded. Every kiln opening carried tension, anticipation, and sometimes heartbreak.
The delicate balance we had to find was particularly tricky: porcelain resists being shaped when overly wet, yet achieving these organic, coral-like textures required a wetter, more malleable state. We navigated this contradiction through patience, intuition, and countless tests — carefully adjusting moisture levels, timing, and handling techniques until we found a method that respected the material while still allowing expression.
Adding to this complexity was the development of an entirely new glaze palette. Capturing the depth and luminosity of the sea was not something that happened overnight. Months of glaze testing followed — layering, refining, firing again and again — until the colours finally spoke the language of reefs, shells, and tidal shimmer. These glazes now form a distinct visual identity for the set, echoing both movement and stillness.
The Coral Set is not merely tableware — it is a reflection of collaboration between material, vision, and persistence. Each piece carries the memory of the tensions it survived and the care that shaped it. This is where beauty and uncertainty meet, where craftsmanship is revealed not only in the final form, but in the courage to keep going when the clay challenges you back.
To me, this collection represents everything I love about ceramics: risk, refinement, dialogue with the material, and the quiet magic that happens once the kiln cools and the porcelain, against all odds, remains whole.
