JUST EMMA’S CUP OF TEA

Ceramicist EMMA BRIDGEWATER’s Oxfordshire home bears all the hallmarks of the informal, country-kitchen style that made her a household name

Ceramicist Emma Bridgewater’s home bears all the hallmarks of her brand’s country-kitchen style

Growing up, my father lived in the country outside Cambridge and my mother in the centre of Oxford so I am equally at home with grass or paving stones under foot. Nowadays, I mostly spend my time between Stoke-on-Trent, where our ceramics factory is based, and at home in Oxfordshire.

I fell into pottery-making quite by chance. In 1985 I remember looking for a really special cup and saucer for my mum’s birthday, but everything was either too formal or too clunky. My mother

was a free-spirited woman who embraced the informal and unfussy: no two items in our kitchen ever matched. It was then that I had my ‘eureka’ moment and realised that there was a gap in the market for pottery that was both beautiful and practical; pottery that reflected the relaxed, colourful, mismatched home I’d grown up in.

After leaving university I started working in the traditional pottery industry. It was terrifying as I didn’t have any formal training in design, ceramics or business. I started making samples of work on a kiln from my London flat and selling them at the Jubilee Market in Covent Garden. They sold like hot cakes and that was when I knew I had touched on something that people responded positively to.

My house resembles a fantastic jumble sale. When I think back to my childhood home, I remember it being more entertaining than other people’s – more welcoming, more generous – and I have always wanted to reproduce that in my life. Our house is fairly messy and informal, with dogs, cats, chickens and, of course, tons of pottery strewn about. It’s difficult to find a free space between the jugs and teapots.

There is beauty in imperfection. Parts of the house date back to 1320 and there is still a lot that needs to be done, including filling in some holes in the roof and putting electricity and running water into the top floor. But on the whole it looks the same now as it did when we moved in, just

with more love. We use one part of the barn as a house for our motley crew of geese and ducks, and the other as a converted studio and living space in which to brainstorm together.

Matthew and I tend to draw our designs with direct reference to our garden and home life. In summer we are particularly devoted to producing buckets of different varieties of tomatoes in the greenhouse and polytunnel. These have inspired our lush vegetable garden range. A lot of my energy for designing comes from observing the environment and travelling.

Our factory in Stoke-on-Trent is a converted Victorian building that we brought back to life in 1996. We now employ more than 300 people there, a mixture of experienced workers and those honing their skills. Supporting and preserving traditional techniques is extremely important to me. With such fast-paced consumer lifestyles it is important to embrace and recognise traditional craft.

For further information on Emma’s work and upcoming collections, visit emmabridgewater.co.uk

FAR LEFT ‘We use the barn throughout the year, but it is at its best during the autumn when it isn’t too cold and we light a cosy fire. We often have dinners outside to enjoy the countryside views.’ The tableware is from Emma’s range

ABOVE Emma bought the chaise longue in her bedroom from France many years ago. For similar try, The French Bedroom Company (frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk)

LEFT The feather range is a new pattern for Emma’s autumn collection. The large rooster motif is applied by hand with intricately cut sponges

ABOVE ‘We are constantly trying to find new places to hide the butter or the milk where the cat won’t be able to reach it,’ says Emma. ‘The current favourite is on top of the fridge’

ABOVE ‘Otter normally accompanies Matthew on the morning rounds of feeding the ducks and geese,’ says Emma. ‘Matthew wakes up at 5.30 every morning, even on Sundays! I usually meet them at the end of the walk with a cup of tea’

Everything from mould-making to hand-painting patterns takes place in the factory in Stoke-on-Trent. The bunting was added by the decorators when it first opened and Emma has kept it up ever since. ‘I’m just as proud as they are that our pottery is...

LEFT The factory dates from 1883 and was built for pottery-makers the Meakin brothers. Emma and Matthew took it over in 1996. Around 25,000 pieces of hand-decorated pottery are produced there a week

ABOVE One of Emma’s bestselling designs, the heart-print, was inspired by confetti she saw on the ground at a wedding