E S T A B L I S H E D 1 9 9 6
Flow
Hi, I'm Jill Fenichell, Founder and Head Designer of The Bespoke Porcelain Company. For many years as an antique dealer specializing in European ceramics, I advised clients on the best porcelain to buy whether for use or decoration. I ended up designing new porcelain to take the place of antique wares, because so few porcelain designs available had the look and personality befitting my clients. From there The Bespoke Porcelain Company grew, organically. The company was founded in 1996 and today designs porcelain for a world-wide clientele, partnering with ateliers all over: in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, South America and the United States. Over the years we have perfected a process that helps ensure a successful, satisfactory outcome.
“Everything starts from an idea.”
1. CONSIDERATION
& CONTRACT
What do you have in mind as you browse our website? What do you want your porcelain to look like? You might want to start by thinking about who you are and where you are. What do you see outside your windows? What are your favorite colors? Who is this project intended for? You, or your children? Your parents? Friends? Associates? For what season of the year is the dinnerware to be used? What kind of memories do you want the porcelain to invoke every time you use it?
Email us what your ideas and questions are. When we hear from you, we will be in touch with follow-up questions we will need to have answered before we can proceed. We will draw up a professional Work Order that outlines the goals and deliverables of the project, before commencing the creative process.
2. INTERVIEW
& INSPIRATION
Our first step is to delve deeper into your inspirations. The more visual, the better. You may share with us a photograph of a place that is important to you, the images of flowers in your garden, the pet you love, your initials entwined, or dates important to commemorate. Anything can be an inspiration. Our mailing address is 169 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, NY 11238 in case you would like to send snippets of fabric or an original artwork. When sending hard copy images, please make extra copies and keep one for yourself.
We will also guide you through deciding on the form of the vessel. Do you want a full dinnerware service? 9” or 12” dinner plates? Soup tureens? Or a coffee and dessert set? How about vases, pen trays, punch bowls, or any other shapes? We have up-to-date knowledge on what porcelain forms are available today that can help you at this stage.
3. DESIGN
& REVIEWS
Once most of these design decisions are made, we head into the studio where we refine the ideas and discuss how they should be executed. We will start exploring where to place different visual elements and how to scale the designs.
After visually placing the elements and making preliminary decisions on how the ideas need to flow across the surfaces used, this is the time we mount mock-ups of several options. We send them to you for comments. The more specific you are about what you like and don't like in what you see, the closer the porcelain version will be to what you wish to see. This comment process may take some time, but the more exacting you are, the better our work will be.
4. TRIAL
We take your comments back to the studio, make changes to the design, and send off the artwork to one of our partner ateliers to have a trial copy made. We send the trial to you for another opportunity to make changes to the design. When all looks perfect, only then do we make the porcelain for real.
5. PRODUCTION
We have a network of affiliated workshops that work with us to bring designs from paper to porcelain. Which one I choose to use depends on the kind of design, the quantity of items needed, the extent or lack of gilt work; the amount of hand-painting required and other variables. I choose the studio most appropriate for the execution of each project, and I shepherd the process, so that each client receives the items exactly to the specification they desire.
6. DELIVERY
We explain the projected timing of jobs at the start of each project and deliver to your home or any other specified address. If you desire, we will install your porcelain in situ.