Rob Shaw
After 10 years as an interior designer, Brooke Thorn threw it all in to get her hands dirty. Fast-forward two years and she can be found working full-time behind a pottery wheel, throwing complete dinner sets by hand and dip-painting her stoneware with colours that range from peach to nectarine, teal to sky blue.
What prompted the career change?
I loved [interior design] but what I loved most was being on site, working with the tradies and watching what the joiners were doing.
Why did you choose clay as your medium?
I just fell in love with it. Being able to build up the skill to create the shapes that you want. There’s an immense amount of satisfaction when you get to the stage that you can actually make what’s in your head. I use quite a fattened glaze on most of the stuff I do, it’s got this special quality where overlapping white with another colour makes it look like three colours.
How are your pieces best used?
People are drawn to certain colours. I like having little bits and pieces spread all across the table – some of the side bowls, maybe a platter, a couple of cups – but so it’s not all uniform in colour. While each piece is dipped in a similar way, they all come out with a unique personality. Creating a personal colour palette is playful but still functional.
Brooke Thorn ceramic tableware, from $25
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