Meet the Brand: Robert Gordon Pottery
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Welcome to Robert Gordon Pottery, where tradition meets innovation in Australian design. With over 75 years of crafting ceramics, their Interiors Collection blends timeless elegance with sustainable practices. Read this exclusive interview to discover their latest creations, including two tabletop lamps and a new pendant light, as they continue to push the boundaries of ceramic design.
Can you give us a brief introduction to your brand?
Robert Gordon have been immersed in the world of pottery for over 75 years. Creating with clay since 1945, the family business fired by passion, knowledge, and imagination, crafts pottery with a uniquely Australian spirit.
In these days of mass-produced fixtures, it is rare to find products that bear the unmistakable signs of having passed through the hands of skilled craftspeople. The Robert Gordon Interiors collection is designed to adhere to the same philosophy and integrity as the high fired stoneware collections the pottery has been producing for over 75 years.
The Pakenham Pottery (Victoria), where the Interiors collections are designed and manufactured, is Australia’s largest remaining production pottery employing over 50 skilled craftspeople. The third-generation family business looks to the future for innovation whilst reflecting on and being influenced by its rich past, employing techniques and processes that make it unique and at the forefront of ceramic design in Australia.
The name Robert Gordon Pottery is synonymous with timeless, earth-toned ceramics and the family run business has successfully navigated the changing retail landscape over the past 70+ years.
Robert Gordon Pottery navigate a sustainable, design-led future with an uncompromising approach to quality and craftsmanship.
What differentiates your brand from other competitors in the market?
Employing the knowledge acquired over decades of developing ceramics, our locally made Interior Collections are a culmination of years of research and development. It is this unique proposition coupled with our local capabilities that differentiate us.
The Interiors Collection is led by Bobby Gordon, former architect who brings to the business a refined and informed design eye that perfectly balances function, form, and aesthetic.
Our local production capabilities ensure an unrivaled approach to design and crafting along with the ability to employ green sustainability practices. Each cast basin, light and wall hook is made from recycled scrap clay, and fired in an electric kiln, offset with solar. The collections are designed to last a lifetime and are crafted using fully vitrified, high fired stoneware.
Our talented craftspeople also add a unique element to our business, we employ a highly skilled mold maker, a 2nd generation Italian mold maker that hand carves each shape a process that can take weeks. It is this unrelenting pursuit of perfection that we are known for.
What can our visitors expect to see and experience on your stand at Design Show Australia?
Our Melbourne design and Interiors team together with Directors Bobby Gordon and Hannah Gordon will present the Australian Made Interiors Collection of basins, lighting and accessories.
Launching at Design Show will be two tabletop lamps, the first table-top designs in the collection along with a new pendant light. We will also present for the first time our newly developed glazes formulated in the Pakenham pottery with our in-house ceramic engineer along with our entire range of basins and lighting.
Are there any exciting trends that you are seeing in the world of design this year?
Whilst we appreciate looking externally for design influences, for us, we prefer to look a little closer to home. We do love that there is a continuing return to the value that local design and production can offer, and we are currently inspired by simple, refined, and contemporary designs with an artisan influence.
Could you highlight any recent collaborations or projects that have been particularly impactful for your brand?
Our Interiors Collection can be spotted in some of the most breathtaking spaces, from residential projects, commercial spaces and hospitality venues. We work closely with architects, interior designers and project specifiers, explore these HERE
Local production means the opportunity for customisation and collaboration on colours, glazes and shapes, which we often craft. Melbourne-based designers such as Kennedy Nolan have taken advantage of this collaborating on various projects with Robert Gordon Interiors.
The opportunity to share our collections wider with the help of distributors has been wonderful for our business and our partners who get to offer their customers a quality Australian made product.
We have some exciting projects in the pipeline, stay tuned!
Are there any product launches we can expect to see at Design Show Australia this June?
Yes, we will launch two table lamps and a new pendant light alongside showcasing our entire Interiors Collection. After months in the development and testing phase, these new pieces present an exciting step forward for our collection of lighting that we can’t wait to share with Design Show audiences.
What are you looking forward to the most at Design Show Australia?
Presenting our collections and connecting with customer existing and new and providing them with quality Australian made collections. Design Show presents an exciting opportunity to connect with like-minded creatives and innovators and takes us out of the pottery and amongst a group of exiting brands.
You can meet the Robert Gordon team on Stand 1002 from 13-15 June 2024 at Design Show Australia, register to attend here.