Hello!

My name is Meli, and I create sustainable tableware inspired by my Mediterranean heritage. My ceramics are made for slowing down, enhancing spaces with warm tones, and being used. All of my pieces are wheel-thrown using a stoneware clay from St Agnes, Cornwall, and fired in an eco-top kiln for optimal energy efficiency. My work is grounded in extensive material research, ensuring that none of the ingredients I use have been sourced from conflict zones, travelled unnecessarily far, or are critically endangered.

Whilst striving to be a sustainable ceramicist is no easy task, I knew it was important to me from the moment I began working with ceramics in 2022 at classes with a potter friend. The disconnection between myself and the ceramic ingredients I was using troubled me - I wanted to know where they came from and to be able to share this openly with those interested in my work. That is where the concept for Mel Ceramics was born: a desire to create pieces with a full awareness of what has gone into their making, and to offer complete material transparency to anyone who values it.

I have always been drawn to objects that are both beautiful and practical, pieces that can be admired whilst also becoming part of everyday rituals. Like so many others, I quickly fell in love with the hypnotic nature of working with clay. In 2023, I began my degree in Craft and Material Practices at Arts University Plymouth, where I specialised in ceramics. Alongside my studies, I worked at the independent pottery studio ‘The Jolly Pottery’ in Exeter, where I spent three years teaching taster throwing sessions and pottery painting. All these experiences have solidified my love for clay, and the community that surrounds it. 

I spend hours planning and designing my ceramics before sitting down at the wheel to bring them into the world. Every component that makes up a ceramic object comes from the ground and the Earth’s natural resources, and it is important to me to approach those materials with respect. 

I am half Sardinian, and living in Devon often leaves me longing for the warmth and sun-soaked landscapes of the Mediterranean (just to be clear I love it here and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, but my goodness does it rain!). Bringing my Italian roots into my work helps me feel connected to that part of myself, and I am continually drawn to the warm tones associated with these lands. I often take traditional Mediterranean ceramics as a starting point, developing my own contemporary interpretations from there - creating timeless pieces designed to be treasured for years to come.

My hope is that when you pick up one of my pieces, whether to sip a coffee or enjoy a bowl of pasta, you can pause to appreciate the materials and care that have gone into making it, and feel momentarily transported to warm olive groves and salty sea air with every use.

Love,
Meli