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How did the zebra get its stripes? By standing half in the sun and half under the ‘slippery- slidey shadows of the trees’ of course, at least according to Rudyard Kipling. The fanciful account offers a similar story of happy accident to the origin of Henry Holland’s stripy ceramics. It is part of his philosophy of ‘embracing the wobble’.
‘Imperfection is perfection,' Henry Holland muses. 'There are so many different process that go into each of the ceramics at various stages. Things warp and wobble. That's the nature of the things we create.' Demonstrating a deeper, philosophic engagement with his work, it also reveals his commitment to the hand made.
Now he is collaborating with Paul Smith, someone who has turned the stripe into a bona fide signature. With typical dry wit, riffing on the pairs shared design history, donning various hats throughout their careers, the collection is entitled ‘Nobody Cares How Good You Used To Be'. Comprising, lamps, vases, vessels, and tableware, the signature stripes suffuse all manner of ceramics.
By layering seven coloured clays, from blue to terracotta, using the Japanese nerikomi technique, Henry Holland has fused his pots with the punchy Paul Smith stripe. The pieces were displayed in the latter’s Mayfair showroom to coincide with London Craft Week this year, a testament to two designers whose work together feels just so.
Visit henryhollandstudio.com or paulsmith.com
A version of this article appears in the June 2023 issue of The World of Interiors. Learn about our subscription offers
