Britain's Forgotten Market Towns Inspire Design Revival

LONDON, October 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Forget Paris, New York or London. UK market towns, like Evesham, are now inspiring a new generation of British design. This historic Worcestershire town has become the inspiration for a newly released ceramic kitchenware collection from designer, Geraldine Mattis.

"When people think of design excellence, they tend to think of major cities in Europe and America. I mean to change all that, using my work to highlight the special qualities of towns like Evesham," said Geraldine.

Known as the Evesham Worcestershire Strawberry Collection, the hand-crafted range was inspired by Geraldine's happy childhood memories spent picking strawberries in the Vale of Evesham.

Many of the pieces have been created in Geraldine's own kitchen at her North London home, using her distinctive sponge-painting technique. This signature collection consists of a cake stand, a milk jug, a breakfast cup and saucer, as well as, of course, a quintessentially British tea plate and teapot.

Visitors to Britain can take home an eye-catching reminder of rural England, and as a bonus they will be investing in a collector's item.

Even though her design company is based in London, Geraldine has strong connections with many of these idyllic market towns, some of which can be found in or close to the capital -places such as St Mary Cray and Kingston upon Thames.  

But if you're on the strawberry trail, then why not head out of London, turn left towards the Cotswolds and pop into Evesham? You'll be able to soak up the flavour of a town which inspired this stylish ceramic kitchenware - five lovingly-crafted pieces, designed to showcase that unique British institution, the cream tea.

"My mission is to put some of our forgotten market towns back on the design map and in the process allow us all to celebrate Britishness at its finest," said Geraldine.

Notes to Editors:

Geraldine Mattis Design was set up in 2009 by British entrepreneur Geraldine Mattis. The independent British company specialises in designing and micro-manufacturing original ceramic products in the UK.

Designing all her creations from scratch, Geraldine hand-makes them from her North London Flat, Craft Central and V22 Ceramic studios in South London.  She has capitalised upon her natural painterly flair to integrate her original kitchenware designs into the commercial homeware market.  

Geraldine's kitchenware designs draw inspiration from the natural beauty of Britain's contemporary landscape, as well as its celebrated heritage and traditional food produce.

She attended two Art Schools and successfully headed the Art & Design departments of several schools, before turning her hand to business. She began experimenting with clear cast resin, developing 'crystal paintings'. This method of creation was exhibited in Spirit and Destiny and Prediction magazines, both of which boast an impeccable list of clients.

In 2010, Geraldine Mattis met a gallery owner who was working in collaboration with Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, for the 2010 art show 'Color Fields', featuring Frank Stella and Mark Rothko. Geraldine was invited to create a collection for the exhibition, working under the title "Art on a Plate" and her pieces were exhibited as commercial products among works by many other major artists. Geraldine's products have since had several press features in the British Library, Elle Decoration, Essential Kitchens and Bathrooms, Living etc, Tableware International magazine and The Telegraph.

Her company, Geraldine Mattis Design, was awarded Creative Industry Finance Investment by the Arts Council in 2013 to expand their product range.

• Arts Council of England - Creative Industry Finance Pilot Scheme.  Creative industry finance offers business development support and access to finance for creative industry enterprises. The initial one-year pilot of the scheme is taking place in London and the Yorkshire and Humber regions, with a total investment of £300,000. The programme provides practical advice and support for creative entrepreneurs wishing to develop their business. In addition to the business support package, a limited number of business development loans of £5,000 to £25,000 are available for successful applicants, repayable over a maximum of three years. Whether you are an artist, writer, performer, designer, producer, promoter, publisher or innovator, if creative content is at the heart of your business, this programme may be able to help.
• Property Rich list from Zoopla 2013
• Join us at the Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair from 30 October - 3 November 2013 to soak up the magic of the festive season. Enjoy a great day's shopping and leave with a hoard of heavenly gifts. Geraldine Mattis Design will be at Stand f43a
• The Fair brings together hundreds of exhibitors from all over the UK in a festive extravaganza of quality and craftsmanship. Visiting is your chance to get inspiration for the festive season ahead. Read more at: http://www.countrylivingfair.com/xmas/#GyUa1fF0eom7ez42.99
• Geraldine Mattis Design's Evesham Worcestershire Strawberry Collection is featured in Good Housekeeping Good Ideas Dec 2013 with a print run of 150,000. A 300,000 digital edition sampling drive will also be made available for free download on Apple Newsstand.