Garden Trading
This British company was established in 1994 by its founder Jon Holloway as a garden focused business.
He worked as a product designer and developer for companies such as Habitat, Conran and John Lewis to name but a few.
The company is based in Oxfordshire where they have a showroom. They source their products from across the globe but most of the products that I sell are sourced from Europe.
The products are simple and well made. The pots are made from pottery, concrete or are woven baskets.
Haws Watering Cans and Misters
Haws Watering Cans is the oldest watering can company in the world. They have been manufacturing high quality gardening equipment in Britain for five generations.
John Haws founded the company in 1886 when he patented a watering can that was easier to carry, and tip, than any watering device before it. This new design was awarded the National Chrysanthemum Society Gold Medal in 1894, and to this day their cans hold true to that same iconic shape.
After 130 years Haws is still a family owned business. They make their products in Smethwick West Midlands.
Studionilli 3d Printed Pots
Studionilli designs are all 3D printed using a bioplastic.
Bioplastic is plastic that is not made from fossil fuels but natural materials like corn starch or sugar cane. The original material for the pots is corn starch, which is fermented to produce Lactic Acid (the same stuff that gives you cramp in your muscles). This is then polymerised – or chemically chained together – to produce poly lactic acid or PLA, which is the plastic used.
The plastic is supplied to me in a wire form, wrapped around a spool. During printing, it is pushed through a nozzle that is heated to around 200 degrees to melt the plastic, and is spiralled around on itself to form the shape that is desired. It works like a glue gun, just with solid plastic, a few fans to cool it and motors to control where is travels. Go onto Studionilli Instagram to see a few time-lapses of the process – it’s very cool!
The pots are biodegradable, but will last for more than 500 years before degrading. They can be biodegraded within a week if they are put into an industrial composter, which biodegrades with enzymes, water and heat. The main pro of the bioplastic is that it is non-toxic and renewable. If it ends up in landfill or incinerated, nothing toxic is released – but hopefully people will hang onto them!
I’m afraid that the pots cannot be cleaned in a dishwasher or have hot drinks inside them, as they would deform around 60-70°C!
LSA International Glassware
The origins of LSA International are found in fashionable swinging sixties London, when Janusz Lubkowski and his wife Ewa were inspired to approach Terence Conran at Habitat with traditional brightly coloured enamelware from their native Poland.
Having established the company with co-founder Tony Saunders, the success of these enamelled coffee pots, mugs, kettles and colanders led Janusz to explore other avenues of Polish production.
Porcelain clay was made into plain white and patterned tableware, popular amongst consumers who sought practical and contemporary designs. Leather bags, satchels and holdalls made from tanned cowhide were sourced from small production workshops. Wooden accessories from Polish cooperatives specialising in the folk traditions of woodwork completed the early collections.
But it was mouthblown glass that offered the greatest potential for transformation. Whilst an archetypal tumbler and jug reflected Janusz’s affinity for the practical, the versatility of the material spurred experimentation with shape, colour and decoration thereby extending the range for the fashion-conscious consumer.
Monika Lubkowska-Jonas continues her fathers passion. She joined the company in 1985 and worked closely with her father, gaining a deep understanding of skilled craft production and developing her unique instincts for quality and style.
This insight into artisan dexterity and the potential of the raw materials encouraged Monika’s creativity, leading her to experiment with different techniques and push the boundaries of hand production – particularly in mouthblown glass, which quickly became her principal focus. She began designing unique collections which demonstrated the complexity of glassmaking, blowing refined or complicated shapes and using lustred paint or richly coloured glass, as well as simple yet functional pieces which reflected her love of entertaining and demonstrated an intuitive understanding of the way people live.
Today Monika shapes and refines LSA International’s identity, continuing her father’s passion for contemporary design and traditional craft, guided by the creativity and innovation around which the company was originally built. As a result, the products celebrate Monika’s aesthetic, her continued inspiration from artisan processes and the original 5 materials – glass, porcelain, leather, wood and enamelled steel.
Centred around the concept of hydration and propagation, Canopy is a collection of sustainably manufactured products launched in collaboration with the Eden Project. Each planter, vase or drinkware item is handmade from 100% recycled glass and is boxed in recycled, recyclable packaging printed with organic vegetable inks to further minimise the impact on the environment. This eco-conscious collection has won a prestigious iF Design Award 2019.
Amber B Pottery
Having recently graduated from Bath Spa University in Contemporary Art, specialised in ceramics, I have spent the last year setting up my own home studio on the border of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, in the beautiful countryside.
A variety of primary sources have informed my work, including textures from my environment, a sense of place, personal experience and the materiality of clay itself. My early work draws on the Japanese notions of Wabi Sabi, it explores acceptance of the imperfect and the beauty in simplicity, through form, mark making, colour and texture. These works investigate the connection between the materials, the sense of place and expressive movement.
In addition to this, in my most recent work, I have been exploring domestic ware, all hand thrown, fired in my electric kiln and finished with a variety of new glazes. Continuing to draw on the idea of simplicity and practicality but also alongside beauty. Functional pottery has been an interesting, new and exciting area to explore for me, and I believe it will be a constant ongoing journey as we will always be confronted with the world of mass production. Seeing my work in peoples homes across the country is something I will forever be humbled by, creating that joy for a person is the backbone to why I continue to make my work. Along with it bringing myself satisfaction, happiness and content of course!
Annie Brown Felt Pots
Originally from the Kent coast, I gained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from the Kent Institute of Art and Design in Canterbury. I relocated to Cambridgeshire in the early 2000’s where I trained as an Art and Design Teacher at secondary level.
After teaching for a few years, I decided it was time to turn my passion for art into a career as an artist, whilst continuing to teach others through workshops.
I discovered Needle Felting when researching a therapeutic activity to teach at one of my art workshops for Cambridge Women’s Aid. With my painting background, I was curious as to whether wool could be used to paint with. I was astounded by the beautiful results of my experiments, and as I perfected my wool blending technique my pieces began to look like paintings.
With increasing requests to buy the samples I’d made to take to my workshops, I started Annie Brown Needle Felting. As well as exhibiting and travelling to shows up and down the country, I run needle felting workshops for individuals, groups and organisations, teaching others to enjoy this wonderful craft.
Smith & Goat Concrete Pots
SMITH & GOAT was created from pure curiosity and has evolved into an independent family-run business.
After a career as a landscape gardener, and a love of concrete and its versatility, it was only a matter of time before the creative boundaries merged – discovering what else concrete had to offer beyond its traditional uses. This is where the experimenting started for me and small concrete vessels were made for my collection of indoor plants. The rectangular planter was the first success story and after making a small range of planters for friends and family, bigger and more unusual concrete creations were the next step, and SMITH & GOAT was born.
The first shop was opened at Crate Loughton in June 2017, selling concrete vessels and homewares alongside a huge variety of indoor plants, cacti and succulents. Since opening the shop, curiosity has escalated and I have spent many hours in my workshop creating and experimenting with concrete. Everything is made by hand.
mind the cork
Considered craftsmanship, innovation and sustainable design are at the heart of what the founder, Jenny Espirito Santo does at mind the cork. Her aim is to make the most of one of the world’s most underrated materials to create eco friendly contemporary products.
“Cork is a brilliant material. Its harvest doesn’t require the trees to be cut down. As a result, it helps maintain wildlife diversity and promotes reforestation. It is also biodegradable, renewable and recyclable – I think that’s pretty fantastic!”
Loop by Lisa Jones
Screen printed by hand on natural linen and cotton fabrics from original hand drawn designs. Range includes purses, planter bags and cushions, made in my studio in Herne Bay.
I love to make products from beautiful natural materials that are a joy to use.
Studio No 16
Studio No 16 is a small studio run by Joe & Suzanna. We are based in South East London and specialise in 3D printed pieces made from biodegradable PLA.
We started Studio No 16 as a creative outlet and a way to find homes for our growing houseplant collection. Being young, eco-conscious people, we use printable materials that are derived from plant based components to create our plant pots. The PLA filament we use is non-toxic and biodegradable, making it great choice for customers looking to make a more eco-friendly purchase. The material is lightweight, scratch resistant and can be hand washed easily. A must for those wanting to invest in something that is both fab to look at and environmentally friendly. The inspiration for our designs play on those of a traditional clay or ceramic plant pot, but with the precision, texture and definition that you can only get from a 3D printer.
Anther and Moss
Anther + Moss was born out of a frustration that so many plant pots just don’t have proper drainage, ie. no holes!
We believe that buying a nice plant pot and having to drill a hole in it – or worse, putting a plastic pot inside ? – is not good enough.
Lack of drainage can lead to a whole host of plant problems – it’s one of the biggest reasons people struggle to keep their house plants alive. (Pots without holes are very unforgiving if you’re a little heavy-handed with the watering can one day.) It’s for this reason that every Anther + Moss plant pot has a drainage hole and comes with a matching saucer — so you can be assured your plant’s always in a good home.
Anther and Moss pots are modern, stylish and have a very unique look that is functional too. The pots are made of concrete making them strong and resilient. The pots come round or square, lined or unlined. The lined ones come in 3 colours, charcoal, ash and brick. The unlined ones have no waterproof sealant so are naturally porous (like terracotta pots) which allows the pot to absorb water out of the soil and then let it evaporate which is great for plants that like to dry a little between waterings. The unlined pots will naturally change colour with age and moisture especially if you choose to plant your houseplant directly into the pot.