Ceramics that say hello
Charming tableware from a pair of young potters
POTTERS Kamolrat “Mew” Ingkatanuvat and Thanchanok “Fong” Manpiriya are setting out to bring cheer to the home with their latest collection of hand-painted ceramic tableware and home-decor accessories that will look good in any room.
The pair, who graduated in ceramic design from Silpakorn University, started what is now a thriving business from a booth at the Art & Craft Fair. The welcome their products received, especially from young shoppers, motivated them to open their online shop Ce Halo on Facebook in 2013.
The name combines ceramic and halo and is pronounced as “Say Hello” while the designs play with imaginary animals, nature and cartoons. Kamolrat has transformed a building owned by her mother on Sukhumvit Soi 81 into a studio and equipped it with an electronic kiln and all the tools the pair need.
“We had a chance to showcase our thesis works at Siam Center and then our friends invited us to sell our works at the Art & Craft Fair. For that event I created a collection of ceramic dolls based on imaginary animals and Mew made a line of lovely cuckoo clocks. They sold out and inspired us to set up our shop,” Thanchanok says.
“We learned about industrial design at university and use that knowledge to ensure our products not only look attractive but are also functional. We start with paper sketches then turned them into a 3D format. Our stoneware is microwave-safe and fired at 1,200 degrees Celsius to provide durability. And as we want to cheer people up, our designs reflect positive thinking.”
Last year the two joined a workshop for startups organised by Department of International Trade Promotion and their creations were selected for the Talent Thai & Designer Room showcase of the Bangkok International Gift and Houseware Fairs.
The latest collection includes mugs, plates, small bowls, spoons, saucers, vases and magnets in twisted forms and pastel colours. Made with quality compound clay, the finished products are hand-painted with cartoons before being fired and treated with a coloured slip technique to make the motifs brighter. There are more than 100 designs from which to choose. Among the best sellers are plates of several shapes and sizes, painted with motifs of girls with different hairstyles or with meaningful messages about life. There’s also an interesting line of elephant mugs and vases inspired by fat and skinny robbers.
“Our products are made by hand, so each one looks slightly different. They have twisted forms so customers can adapt them to match their lifestyle too. For example, an oversize spoon can double as a butter plate.” Kamolrat says.
“We also accept customised orders that allow customers to write their name and a message on our tableware.”
Ce Halo’s collections are available at Happening Shop in the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, multi-brand store ODS at Siam Center, Think Space and recently opened community mall Zeen Space in Hua Hin. Find out more on the "Ce Halo" page on Facebook.
