Blue pottery, once introduced to dining tables and kitchens by the famous Surajkund Mela held annually in Haryana, has travelled with time. From the bright blue and yellow coarse finish of cups, saucers and dinner plates, ceramic is gradually getting sleek and stylish as it fits into nooks and crannies of the modern home.

Indeed, from wash basins to planters, utensils and home d?cor items, ceramic not only makes your home look more colourful and young, it also adds a touch of class without digging too deep into your pocket. Here?s how?

Home decor

?Ceramic has evolved in the past few years in a big way and there are few things in the home d?cor and utility segments it does not address,? says ceramic artist Anu Jalan, who creates everything from statues of Buddha to the base for indoor and outdoor plant set-ups.

While vases and planting pots have been around for a while, ceramic tiles used to deck up walls of a home or fitted into windows and glass doors for effect are now hot. With this easy-to-buy and reasonably-priced product, a little imagination can go a long way in giving an all-new look to the house.

?I have used inverted ceramic glasses to act as lamp shades in my studio. Similar ideas shouldn?t be hard to hit upon,? feels Anu.

Ceramic wash basins and candle-stands can be other options. ?Ceramic goes well if combined with a little bit of metal or plain glass. So one can think of doing up a cabinet top or a particular corner of the house with a collection of ceramic and glass pieces,? feels interior designer Shiuli Bose.

To add to the effect of using ceramic, one should use focussed lighting on the pieces. ?Ceramic flower bases are also very in now and can be used to arrange dry flowers in the summer months,? feels Indira Agarwal of Ferns and Petals on Loudon Street.

Pots and pans

This is by far the biggest draw in the ceramic segment. Be it a pair of coffee mugs or an entire dinner set, ceramic utensils are doing well even in the five-star segment. From the simple round plates that come in combinations of two common colours, ink blue and lemon yellow, both the designs and the colour palette have changed.

?With colour being imported and newer hues being available even in India, the scope of getting brighter pieces with more elaborate design has gone up tremendously,? says Darshan Sanghvi of Rajniklal, the famous Park Street outlet.

?The problem earlier was that the colours contained lead in them and couldn?t be used in utensils for the fear of lead poisoning. But that isn?t true now as the colours are safer,? adds Sanghvi.

Thus from bright reds to lush greens you can expect to colour co-ordinate your dinner set with the colour of your table cloth, upholstery or even your outfit for the evening. The boring round plates have now given way to triangle and square shapes that bring with it the rather smart and minimalist feel that most young homes look for.

?These are also great gifts since the pricing is extremely reasonable,? says Sanghvi. The problem therefore is now of plenty.

At her studio, Anu has come up with a number of interesting combinations of cups and plates as well as a special plate called the Olive Ring. With a hole in the middle, the Polo mint style plate can be used to serve little snacks with a bowl of dip in the centre.

Extended plates with a notch to keep the cup on one side and the snack on the other are interesting to look at and charming to use.

Maintain

Easy on maintenance, the utmost that one might have to do with ceramic is to clean it with soap and water. Home d?cor items can be kept shining with regular dusting.

Price point

The USP of ceramic is its affordability. ?We have pieces that start as low as Rs 15 and the upper limit would rise depending on how many pieces you want in a set,? says Sanghvi.

Made to order pieces from the studios could cost more depending on the types of item ordered.

Pictures by Pabitra Das
Courtesy: Anu Jalan