Robynn Storgaard is a Copenhagen based maker and creative working in the world of ceramics. If you’ve spent any amount of time feeding your interior design needs on Instagram or Pinterest, you’ve likely come across her work. Her curiously delicate mugs and vases have been popping up on the tables and shelves of beautiful scandi inspired homes everywhere, and for obvious reasons too! When you visit Robynn’s profile on Instagram, the first thing she tells you about her craft is that it’s “For the Sake of Keeping” – a description that I so deeply appreciate, especially in a time when we all too often over populate our homes with mass produced items that are anything but “keepsake” worthy.
During my visit to Copenhagen for 3DaysofDesign, I stopped by Robynn’s studio to meet the artisan herself and explore her beautifully textural universe of ceramics. Robynn met me outside her working space which is nestled into a cozy side-street in Frederiksberg. She shares the studio with a few other local ceramic markers, each with a distinguishable style that somehow works harmoniously together.
The space is modest and calming, with a fresh but earthy aesthetic. Jungleous plants occupy the corners of the room. The mostly-white interior is warmed by small breaks of natural stone and large oak shelves that cover the walls. These shelves house everything from raw martials to air-dried pieces waiting to join the next kiln firing.
While Robynn bounced around the space, unloading the most recently fired kiln and organizing shipments for upcoming orders, I drifted through the room, examining everything with equal curiosity – from perfectly finished bowls and vases to odd boxes filled with experimental glaze samples. Afterwards, we sat down together over a freshly brewed French press and she told me more about her journey into the world of ceramics and how she gathers inspiration for her work.
Robynn has an interesting and diverse background which earns her many titles in addition to small business owner and artisan. She and her husband have three young children which gives her the wonderful title of mother. Originally from Canada and having lived in cites around the world such as Los Angeles, Osaka, and now Copenhagen, Robynn and I share the same title of North-American expat. Her professional relationship to the three dimensional world began through her career as an architectural designer, another inspiring title to add to her list.
While working in architecture, Robynn had a strong focus in material science and studied large scale building ceramics. I find it totally fascinating that she’s now honed her focused to creating pieces in the same medium but on such a personal and delicate scale. You can see how she brings this understanding and curiosity into her current work, and she explained to me how she’s always experimenting with new clay combinations. Robynn is constantly looking for ways to introduce new texture and structure into her clay by mixing in different materials such as tiny granulars of metal or small bits of fractured porcine. Some additions she produces herself, and some she upcycles from local fabricators.
This addition of texture gives her work a distinguishable feeling sculpted by its raw and beautiful simplicity. She explained to me that her simple aesthetic is built around her goal for timelessness. Previously, she explored decorative glaze techniques and created different marbled and splattered patterns, but after some consideration she’s made the conscious decision to avoid trendy ornamentation. The intrigue in her work is defined by it’s lack of complication, allowing the materials and simple silhouettes to speak for themselves.
All of her pieces are wheel-turned and after they have taken form, Robynn often adds an extra layer of interest to the design through a carved or fluted linearly pattern. These hand-applied details have have become iconic to her craft. Even the corduroy jumpsuit that she wears while working shares a similar texture, and I can see where some of her inspiration comes from. In fact, many of her designs have the same textural qualities found in simple textiles like her own working garb or raw linen. She also told me about how she often finds inspiration for her pieces in old artwork. Instead of examining still-life however, she likes to look in the background of portraiture – sourcing creativity from the less-in focus but equality as beautiful elements in the background.
In the coming months, Robynn plans to move her studio to a stand alone space, right in her back yard. With much enthusiasm, she told me about the airy outbuilding in her garden that she’s in the process of converting into her personal ceramics studio. She’s also currently building her online webshop where you’ll be able to directly purchase her beautiful pieces for your own personal collection. Be sure to keep up with Robynn on Instagram from the link below.
Follow Robynn Storgaard on Instagram
Follow Robynn Storgaard on Instagram
The photos above were taken on May 22nd in Copenhagen Denmark, and this post was written in collaboration with Robynn Storgaard.
