Could you tell us a little bit more about yourself and what made you start the business? 

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At our little studio, we have family members Sharron, Matt, Peter and close friend Viola. We started DOR & TAN with a desire to break away from the disposability of modern life, to create objects with a more personal connection. We feel that making things to last is a notion that is being forgotten. We all live in a throwaway culture where objects we use every day hold no value or soul of their own.

 

In Japan & Korea, there is a deep running culture of craftsmanship. Items are created by hand with the utmost love, care, and attention to detail. They are treasured and used, bringing softness and character that can't be made in a factory. We intend to make purposeful, everyday use items with this same ethos in our quiet little corner of Cornwall.

 

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What inspires your work? 

 

All of us are avid nature explorers. Cornwall has a way of drawing the wanderer out in everyone, you can't help but be sucked into its rugged beauty. We have a special soft spot for the coastline around St. Ives and St. Agnes. Both are full of wildlife, lichens, and rock forms. These natural elements give us an absolute knickerbocker glory of stimulating textures, colours and forms to draw inspiration from.

 

What is the most important thing for you in your business?

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Sticking to your ideology. It’s much easier to take the quick approach to a problem than to do the one that feels right to you. We do everything we can to make our studio as sustainable as possible. Which isn’t always easy, but immensely rewarding.

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A little story or an anecdote you would like to share?

 

When we first started up we had a tiny studio in the back garden of our home in St Ives. One weekend a couple turned up to see the pottery studio only to catch us all in our pyjamas checking the kilns. It was probably this exact moment we all decided to get a bigger studio away from the house.

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Based In: Hayle, England, United Kingdom

Product Range: Handmade pottery 

Website: dorandtan.com

Instagram: @dorandtan