There’s something elemental in the tradition of ceramics—forged by hand and heat, coaxed and cooled with intention. In a contemporary context, those ties to process and history lend a sense of depth and humanity to even the most minimal designs. Andrew Molleur’s collection feels uniquely situated at that intersection, composed of modern vessels made by hand and moved by both his reverence for and innovation in this ancient craft.
We spoke to Andrew back in 2018 when we first featured his work, but we’re excited to
share some of his newer serveware and planters with you and explore the many ways in which these pieces bring us ever-closer to ourselves and the spaces we inhabit.
From Architect to Artist
Andrew felt a connection to the form as soon as his hands touched clay. He followed that spark from rural Eastern Connecticut to The Rhode Island School of Design, where he studied architectural and industrial design alongside ceramics. He took his BFA to an architecture firm in Manhattan, but soon missed the hands-on creative work he’d grown fond of. Eventually, Andrew made his way upstate to pursue something more generative. Today, he lives and works in Kingston, NY, creating fine art and functional pieces out of his 1,600-square-foot studio.
The Hudson River Valley’s abundance of natural beauty, rich history, and proximity to New York City has made it an ideal setting and source of inspiration for creative people over the years. These days, Kingston in particular is home to a vibrant and growing community of artists. It’s been fertile ground for imagination, experimentation, and collaboration with other designers and craftspeople. And that’s all played an important role in shaping what has become Andrew’s distinct aesthetic.
Handmade Porcelain Planters
Andrew’s Oblique Planters are a clear representation of his background and the principles that guide his work—the way he makes harmony of art and utility, structure and space. These handmade ceramic planters were designed to seamlessly integrate the container itself and the water tray beneath. The result is a charming update to what you typically find on the market, made to protect your plants from overwatering and your surfaces from damage. In addition to the White, Black, and Brick Oblique Planters we already carry, we’re happy to introduce a brand new color, Electric Blue.
Beyond his unique perspective, which seems to emerge in equal parts out of a cross-disciplinary mindset and those deep ties to nature that come from growing up and creating in the midst of a beautiful landscape, Andrew’s aesthetic has a lot to do with process. For all of his pieces featured here at Unison, he employs a ceramics technique called slip-casting, in which a mold is used to make multiples of shapes that aren’t easy to produce on a pottery wheel.
In his studio, Andrew works out his ideas with several iterations of sketching and testing before landing on a final design. A mold is then crafted in plaster by some combination of lathe, 3-D printer, and hand—each a work of art in its own rite. When the mold is complete and ready for production, the process remains incredibly intimate and hands-on. Each piece is individually poured and dried to his exact specifications before its final firing—every cast an echo of that original, one-of-a-kind creation.
In the case of the Oblique Planters, Andrew brought his designs to life by turning his plaster mold on a specially designed lathe. The result is what he refers to as an “undulating texture.” The soft, geometric edges feel unequivocally tied to the process by which it was created and in constant dialogue with both the plant inside and the environment that surrounds it.
It’s that same interplay of structure and space that makes the new Ribbed Planters such a lovely complement to the Oblique Planters. You can feel his architectural roots in this form, born of practicality and patterned to evoke a simultaneous sense of grounding and flux. These handmade ceramic planters hold space for that kind of duality and invite us to find comfort in the presence of those very natural thresholds.
Contemporary and classic. Intentional and intuitive. Artful and approachable. Every piece is an exercise in balance, a thoughtful venture through those lush and human in-betweens. Bringing one of these handmade ceramic planters into your space not only adds depth and texture to any room, but gives your greenery a home that’s just as tactile and alive as the plant itself. You can find these handmade ceramic planters in the same four colors as their Oblique counterparts and enjoy the matte finish and clean lines in a simple White, classic Black, earthy Brick, or a deep Electric Blue.
Art Meets Function
Then consider his tableware. Andrew’s Zig Zag Low Bowl delivers on that same line between art and function, lovely and still longing to be used. Stretched out in endless conversation with its setting, these sculptural vessels feel welcome in any part of the home, and equally relevant as the accent or subject of a scene. Find these slip-cast bowls in both White and Brick. They’re handmade in porcelain, food-safe, and are constructed with locally-sourced materials.
In Kingston, Andrew has the benefit of living and working very near a large ceramics supplier, which means materials are always within reach. And his workshop is organized in the spirit of experimentation, allowing him to push the boundaries of this age-old craft without constraint, and explore the kinds of versatility and fluidity that guide his work. By the time these pieces end up in our hands and homes, the sense of the place, tradition, and imagination from which they came feels almost palpable. And that depth of story resonates in the simple refinement of his designs. When we invite Andrew Molleur’s work into our spaces, we’re bringing art into the everyday. Honoring function with a lovely form. And investing in objects designed to endure.
Shop his work at Unison here, and learn more about what Andrew Molleur is up to on his website.