Salad Days Ceramics – Handcrafted Ceramics Salad Days Ceramics - Handcrafted Ceramics

Lucy Coote is the creator and ceramist behind Salad Days. Originally a Shakespearian idiom, the term Salad Days refers to the nostalgia of youth and reminiscing on the golden periods of one’s life. In the shed in her garden, Lucy throws and shapes pieces carrying a focus on function and tactility, creating timeless items that can be used and enjoyed every day.

As we enter the garage where Lucy keeps her kiln, a large array of unglazed pieces catch our eyes. Lined up like a small battalion, the powerful shapes cast clean shadows.

Interview “Where minimalistic beauty meets practicality”

A slightly freckled-faced Lucy Coote peeks through the opening garage shutters. Wearing blue overalls and a t-shirt, she smiles and welcomes us into her garage studio. In front of a large kiln rests dried and unglazed pieces of ceramics, neatly lined up in an army of smooth, circular lines.

“The little ones are taking a nap so we might be better off here in the studio where I throw my pieces,” Lucy says and points to the quaint shed, hidden behind a green-painted wooden door.

Yearning for a creative outlet, Lucy took up a ceramics night class while working full-time. It didn’t take long before she was hooked on ceramics and obtained a membership where she was practising. In the following years, she spent some time living in Hong Kong and Australia. Although still working, she continuously practised with different teachers, submerging herself more and more into the realm of ceramics. Having numerous teachers during the years made her constantly try new styles and techniques, broadening her skills.

“My friend asked me if I could sell some of my pieces to them, and so I made a catalog. Presenting that catalog to my first stockist, Precinct 35, is where everything took lift re-ally,” she reflects.

After moving to Sydney with her husband in 2013, Lucy found herself looking for a new job. While job-hunting, practising ceramics at home became a big part of her everyday life, eventually making her take the leap to turn her craft-making into a business – ‘Salad Days’. Over time, her language of form developed organically, resulting in her distinct clean, minimalistic but intimate style today.

Her routine consists of throwing most of her pieces at the beginning of a week, letting them dry for one to two days and then trimming them. Later in the same week, the pieces are finished and she uses the remaining time to answer emails and look over orders. With the aim of elevating everyday rituals, she sees herself as a craftsman rather than an artist.

“I want my pieces to be used every day. To be functional but still beautiful,” says Lucy, who goes on to explain how thinking about the purpose of a piece usually becomes the starting point of creation. If there is an order from a restaurant asking for a piece to be made specifically for a dish, she would reflect on how the customer would eat from that piece while taking the plating of the chef into consideration as well. The foundation of Lucy’s work lies in finding balance between functionality and beauty.

As the name ‘Salad Days’ originates from an old English idiomatic expression of reminiscing one’s good days, Salad Days Ceramics celebrates those mundane yet wonderful everyday moments through ceramics, however small.

Lucy Coote started Salad Days Ceramics in 2016 after taking up pottery night classes in search of a creative outlet while working full-time. Focusing on functionality and tactility, Lucy creates handmade pieces to be used and enjoyed in everyday life.

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