Decorating with Biot's handmade ceramics and bubbled glass

Where to place these pieces, room by room

The table is the first spot. Mismatched tableware tied together by colour, a few bubbled glasses, an earthen pitcher, and a summer meal takes on another air. In the kitchen, ceramic bowls and dishes on an open shelf serve as much as they decorate. In the hall, a large jar on the floor marks the arrival and holds the eye. In the living room, a vase on a low table, two or three objects on a bookcase are enough. The bedroom likes small pieces, a glass candle holder, a dish for jewellery. The secret is restraint. Too many objects and the effect is lost, a few well chosen and each one breathes.

Mixing old and new without crowding

A living interior mixes eras. A jar found at a market beside a contemporary potter's piece, an old glass next to a new carafe. This mix avoids the catalogue look, where everything comes from one place and one year. We suggest starting from one or two strong pieces, often the largest, then adding smaller objects around them that answer by colour or material. The flea markets and workshops of the area give plenty to build this kind of group. The idea is not to pile up but to gather objects that seem to have always been there.

Terracotta, from garden to table

Terracotta is not limited to the jar set in a corner. It moves from garden to table with rare ease. A large pot holds an olive tree on the terrace, a smaller one takes the bread or the fruit indoors. The same material links outside and inside, which counts in a southern house open to the outdoors. Terracotta also keeps things cool, a quality people forget. A carafe or a porous earthen cooler holds water cold in summer, with no electricity. The object is fine to look at and it serves, two reasons to give it a place.

Supporting the workshops of the area

Choosing a piece made in Biot or the nearby villages also supports a trade that has held for generations. The glassblowers' and potters' workshops live on the attention paid to their work. Buying from them rather than from a big store changes the nature of the object. You know the hand that shaped it, sometimes you have watched it work. This closeness gives a value that price alone does not tell. In our projects, we gladly point towards these workshops, for a specific order or for a simple visit on a market day.

The right number of pieces in a room

One question comes up often, how many objects to set out without tipping into too much. Our marker holds in a simple rule. On a surface, one large piece, one medium and one small, at different heights, are enough to make a group that holds. Beyond that, the eye no longer knows where to rest. It is better to rotate the objects through the seasons than to put everything out at once. A shelf that changes twice a year stays alive. Storage is part of the decor, as much as the objects themselves.

Making these objects last

Handmade ceramic and glass ask for little, but a little care extends their life. A glaze can scratch, blown glass proves more fragile than an industrial piece. We suggest hand washing for the fine pieces, storage that avoids knocks, and real use rather than a display case. These objects are made to serve. A pitcher that pours water each day, a dish that comes to the table each Sunday, that is what gives them their patina. With time they mark a little and gain presence. It is the opposite of a throwaway object.

How we work

Depending on the project, we step in two ways. On a full decoration, these pieces are part of the overall choice, with the colours, the fabrics and the furniture, room by room. On a fresh-eye visit or deco coaching, we often reorganise what is already there, add a few right objects and take away those that clutter for no reason. Handmade ceramic and glass are among the simplest moves for giving a home character. They tell a story, that of a place and of the people who keep it alive.