Being from Stoke-on-Trent myself, I grew up surrounded by pottery and with it always part of the conversation. As the BCB Studio Manager, working with community groups and making bone china pieces for installation and display, I enjoyed the way ceramics (like food) has a tacit way of bringing people together. Moving to academia, I used my technical knowledge to work on saving craft skills with the help of current technology. In 2018 I successfully industrialised a digital engraving method which continues protect the last remaining brand using tissue transfer print; Burleigh. I have worked within the ceramic industry and with partners and collaborators including Ralph Lauren Home, Harrods, Fortnum & Masons, Sandringham Estate, Barnaby Gates, Craven Dunnill Jackfield to design and produce tableware for homes, restaurants and hotels all over the world. Alongside ceramic tableware design, I have also designed trade show stands, created packaging and print designs, lead brand campaigns and managed product asset generation.
My latest industry pursuit is the translation of ceramic design into other homeware materials. And why ceramics? Well, ceramics are inextricably entwined with our lives; from how we build our homes, the food prepare and serve and how we entertain ourselves. From the brick building; to the bathroom sink; the plates we eat from; and the transistors in our smartphones- ceramics are everywhere. A uniquely tactile surface, with a stunning array of rare technical properties, this material is something we all touch every day, whether we remember the encounter or not. This material has evolved with us, constantly shifting to meet technical, societal and aesthetic needs. Within our own lifetimes the way ceramics connects with us has shifted, sometimes subtly, sometimes by throwing the rulebook out of the window.
Academic qualifications
- MA Ceramic Design- Staffordshire University
- BA (Hons) 3D Design (Ceramics)- Staffordshire University
Expertise
Industrial tableware production and design Underglaze tissue transfer printing Studio manufacture of bone china/parian interior products (inc. tableware) Interpretation of ceramic design into other media.
Enterprise and commercial interests
Design & Development Manager- Burleigh
Teaching
Course Leader- MA Ceramics
Publications
Accolades
- New Years Honours Award 2023- Made in Britain- English Home Magazine- Burleigh x Barnaby Gates
- Wall Tile of the Year 2022- The Tile Association Awards- Burleigh Calico Collection
- Times Higher Education Awards 2018- Honourable Mention- Most Innovative Contribution to Business University Collaboration
- New Designers Pulse Award 2012
Exhibitions, Conferences & Trade Shows
- Top Drawer, London 2022- Burleigh- (designer, stand design & installation)
- Ambiente, Frankfurt 2020- Burleigh- (designer, stand design & installation)
- Top Drawer, London 2020 Burleigh- (stand design & installation)
- British Ceramics Biennial, Stoke 2017- Tissue Transfer Print Installation (designer)
- CAA Annual Conference 2017, New York (speaker)
- KTP Annual Conference 2016, Coventry (speaker)
- “Blood Swept the Land and the Seas with Red”- Tower of London- 2014 Paul Cummins & Tom Piper (maker)
- British Ceramics Biennial, Fresh, Stoke 2013 (designer)
- Stoke-on-Trent Transformation Garden, Chelsea Flower Show 2013- (maker)
- Pulse, Launchpad, London 2013- (designer)
- New Designers 2012- (designer)
Recent Press
- Independent ‘How to refresh your Garden for Spring’ April 17th 2023
- Country Town & House ‘The Best British Tea sets’ April 19th 2023
- Inside the Factory Series 6: Mugs BBC 2022
- Financial Times Property Listings ‘How to style a Home with Ceramics’ October 12th 2021
- Financial Times ‘Resilient Beauty of Ceramics’ September 25th 2021
- Financial Times Weekend ‘Hurley Burleigh’ March 6th 2020
- Great Pottery Throw Down- Series 3 Semi Final Judge 2020
- The Independent ‘Put on a good Spread’ 15th December 2019
- Homes & Gardens Online ‘Burleigh Pottery Launches beautiful new collection’ 8th Dec 2019
- The Independent ‘Deck the Tables’ 1st December 2019
- The Independent ‘Frost Bright’ 10th November 2019
- Daily Mail ‘A feast for the Eyes’ 11th October 2019
- House and Garden ‘Everything you need to know about Ralph Lauren x Burleigh’s collaboration, including how to style it’ June 2019