This week we are excited to be chatting with the king of colour himself, ceramist and designer Jonathan Adler who was in town to open his new store at 91 Pelham Street, London, SW7. Sadly, time and tech being what they are, we were only able to interview him over Zoom rather than in person but, over the “aggressive” clinking of teacups as his husband, Simon Doonan, brewed tea in the background, we discussed Jonathan’s rampant Anglophilia and design philosophy, which boils down to “if your heirs won’t fight over it we won’t make it”, which then segued into conversations about which of his siblings has which thing that he wants.
He started making pots at the age of 12 at summer camp and years later when he told his pottery teacher he wanted to pursue a career in it he was told: “You have no talent be a lawyer”, which he did for a while until the lure of the clay become too much and he switched careers. Now, in addition to pots, there are sofas, chairs, tables and artworks as he has built a global brand.
It was such a thrill to chat to him and I hope you will enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it. And if nothing else remember that you CAN switch careers if you want – passion will take you a long way.
