New York, natalieweinberger.com
As much as we love tableware and vessels, we remember how excited we were when Weinberger first began making ceramic lamps back in 2017 — one of which, an all-terracotta beauty, we put on the cover of our book — and then tiled tables, with Giancarlo Valle, two years later. She’s since expanded her practice into the realm of glass, both blown by her collaborator Kenny Pieper and cast herself in the same kilns she fires her ceramics in, the latter for a series of sconces with Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery that we’re hoping to see more of in 2024.

What is American design to you, and what excites you about it?

American design at this moment feels very open and expansive. There seems to be both a market and an audience for every expression and every style, especially for designers with an emphasis on experimentation and innovation. The growing appreciation for craft has been a true joy to witness in my own past decade in this line of work, and it’s exciting to think of all the new talents that will be rising up in the coming years.

What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?

2024 is all about wrapping big projects that have been in progress for the better part of a year: a number of new tiled coffee tables, a series of new cast glass wall lighting, my biggest dinnerware commission to date, and an expansion of my glassware line made with glassblower Kenny Pieper. I’ll also be continuing my design work for CB2 dreaming up new dinnerware, barware, and stemware collections.

What inspires or informs your work in general?

Lately I’ve been inspired by the simple notion of “beautiful comfort.” Comfort can take on many forms. There’s visual comfort — that certain harmony of proportions, materials, shape, and texture that can quickly put your nerves at ease. And there’s of course physical comfort: how an object fits into your hand, your home, and your life at large — its ease of use. And lastly there’s sentimental comfort: the familiarity of a traditional shape, an object used and worn over time, or something intriguing that piques your curiosity. I’m currently traveling in Sri Lanka where I’ve been visiting various properties designed by the late architect Geoffrey Bawa, who was a clear master of incorporating comfort into his spaces at every level. That ability to put the user at ease is definitely something I’m striving for in my own work, whether it be a mug, a lamp, a coffee table, etc. At the end of the day, it’s simply about making objects that are practical, that have the power to delight you, and that make you feel good.