Object(s) of Desire: Ethereal Porcelain Lighting from a Remodelista Favorite
by Annie Quigley
OG readers—particularly those in the Pacific Northwest—might remember our Portland, Oregon market way, way, way back. Notary Ceramics, then a fledgling project that potter Sarah Van Raden started in her basement, was one of the makers who joined us and quickly became a favorite. We’ve been admirers of Notary ever since (see: Sarah’s farmhouse, Sarah’s tips for an elegant table, and Sarah’s appearance in 14 Women Ceramicists with Cult Followings).
Sarah emailed recently to say hello; Notary, she told us, marks a decade this summer. What started, in her words, as “solo therapeutic hobby” working with the “unrefined, grounding nature of clay” has grown into a brick and mortar storefront and production studio helmed by a team of women (and even featured on the Magnolia Network’s Storefront Stories).
To celebrate 10 years, Sarah recently launched a new collection of porcelain lighting and vessels. Notary first ventured into lighting during the pandemic, “a time when people were staying home and focusing deeply on curating comforting, beautiful living spaces,” but this is the first in porcelain, which intrigues Sarah for its duality: It’s simultaneously delicate and strong, translucent yet resilient.
Take a first look at the collection, “photographed inside a childhood friend’s rustic cow barn—juxtaposing the country life Sarah grew up with against the refined, luminous elegance of the porcelain.”
Photography by Kris LeBoeuf, courtesy of Notary Ceramics.
Above: “Porcelain is famously challenging and finicky to work with on the pottery wheel due to its delicate nature,” Sarah writes. “But the firing process transforms it into an incredibly resilient, dense, and strong ceramic.” Therein the duality: ethereal yet strong. Shown is the Lamp #9, ; $1,200.
Above: “Paired with solid brass hardware, these pieces are designed to cast a warm, intentional glow,” writes Sarah. Shown: Lamp #5, $1,500.
Above: The Angel’s Trumpet Vase, also in porcelain, is “is hand thrown in our smooth porcelain clay and left unglazed”; $160.
Above: Though Notary has grown from its early days as a one-woman operation, “Sarah still throws each of these pieces by hand, signing and stamping each one.” Shown is Lamp #10, $950.
Above: Each lampshade is “made just thin enough to allow soft light to glow through, perfect for any bedside table or reading nook.” The Pendant #1 is $550.
Above: The perfect bedside light. The Lamp #7 is $1,200.
Above: Arrangement by Sarah.
To browse the full porcelain collection head here.
And for more ceramics we love, see:
Kitchen(s) of the Week: 16 Favorite Indoor/Outdoor Spaces from the Remodelista Archives
by Annie Quigley
Consider it an upgrade from the window above the sink: kitchens that open fully to the outdoors, letting in summer breezes while you cook and encouraging dinners that spill onto the lawn in good weather (and back inside when the evening gets chilly). Here are 16 favorites.
Above: Sliding glass doors, set on a corner and with hidden drains, connect outdoor dining space to kitchen in A Modern Farmhouse Kitchen in SF designed by Malcolm Davis.
Above: In a tiny indoor/outdoor kitchen, sliding doors open onto the water. See The Ultimate Houseboat in NYC.
Above: A series of outdoor courtyards leads directly into the kitchen, no door included, in An Architect’s Indoor/Outdoor Dreamscape in Mallorca, Spain.
Above: An architect-designed kitchen in a Sydney suburb features one long counter that stretches into a back patio. For more, see Kitchen of the Week: Indoor-Outdoor Cooking in Sydney.
Above: We like this open-air kitchen with plenty of all-purpose shelving at the now dearly departed March in San Francisco. Get the look via Steal This Look: The Deconstructed Outdoor Kitchen on Gardenista.
Above: At An LA Ranch Rehab by Barbara Bestor and DISC Interiors, the entire living space, kitchen included, extends into an outdoor living and dining area.
Above: In a townhouse in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, Elizabeth Roberts installed floor-to-ceiling doors to open the kitchen and dining area to the backyard. The greenery that will eventually grow up the interior walls will also bring a sense of the outdoors in. For more, see Indoor/Outdoor Living, Brooklyn-Style.
Above: In “the sparest version of what a weekend house can be,” the emphasis is on the outdoors: Even the industrial-style kitchen is situated in a screened porch. See our post In California Wine Country, A Family Campground (Plus Lap Pool).
Above: Another rustic arrangement: A no-frills kitchen at the Fforest camp in Wales faces the outdoors and includes a selection of cast-iron pans. See Glamping Roundup: 12 Favorite Design-Worthy Camps, Tented Edition.
Above: Over on Gardenista: Oversize sliding doors connect wild gardens to a kept kitchen in the U.K. See On the Market: A Modern Walled Garden (Moat Included) for $2.6M in Devon.
Above: An unused garage becomes an indoor/outdoor kitchen with galvanized steel workspaces. See Paradise Found: A Garage Transformed into a Garden Pavilion on Gardenista.
Above: Another way of extending the kitchen into the out-of-doors: using the same flooring in the kitchen and on the deck, as seen in Gardenista’s Architect Visit: A Puget Sound Cabin That Rests Lightly on the Land.
Above: In an indoor/outdoor Hawaiian house, double doors open from kitchen to gravel courtyard. For more, see Architect Visit: Re-creating Old Hawaii on Kakapa Bay on Gardenista.
Above: In good weather, French doors open from the kitchen and dining room onto the backyard in An Antiquarian Farmhouse in Upstate New York, Transformed.
Above: A full wall of steel-framed skyscraper windows provides a view onto a waterfall from the kitchen sink. See The Country Rental: A Floating Farmhouse in Upstate New York.
Above: A kitchen in a new extension on a North London House is bordered on two sides by glass for easy access to the yard. Photograph courtesy of Stephen Kavanagh Architects.
More of our all-time favorite kitchens:
- 13 Favorite Cost-Conscious Kitchen Remodels from the Remodelista Archives
- Greatest Hits: 16 Fantastique French Kitchens from Our Archives
- 13 Italian Kitchens, Dolce Vita Edition
N.B.: This story originally ran on August 14, 2017 and has been updated.
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