Something’s Brewing

by Hannah Blyth

This summer I am spending my days as a Media and Marketing Intern at the Oxford Hub. One of my jobs has been to research merchandise for the newly opening Turl Street Kitchen including plain white teapots for potential decoration. However, I couldn’t help being attracted to some of the less traditional designs. Something about the combination of artistry and functionality (though on many occasions to the detriment of the latter) meant that my research gradually lost its focus. Rather than waste my findings (TSK loves recycling!) I have decided to share some of them here.

One of my first discoveries was the toaster teapot, a master of functionality.

The novelty teapot in shapes such as phone boxes or houses are common but this scooter pot is a bit more unusual. Designed by Gary Seymour the scooter has a spout in the front headlight, the seat is the lid and the backrest the handle.

 

 

Another one that is well disguised is this spiky teapot or below is a modern take on the traditional white teapot by William Harvey which apparently ‘shatters your expectations’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The element of a functional/artistic combination is also seen in the clock and here clock meets pot as ‘everything stops for tea’ or the cuckoo clock design from Teapottery.

On the topic of clocks, one of my favourites is the dali melting clock which hangs off the corner of a surface.

Along similar lines is this Dali/Picasso-esque teapot or the following design entitled Celestial which was exhibited at the Artful Tea exhibition (this travelled around North America in 2002-2004). The exhibit displayed a small selection of the 6,000 piece private collection of Sonny and Gloria Kamm of Pasadena, California.

Whilst this next design did not immediately catch my eye, the discovery that it is around 3ft tall won me over. Not only that, it is called Teapot Shrine.

Treepot (although sadly it is made of ceramic)

Here are two more modern takes on the traditional teapot. The first I liked because it looks a bit like headphones though I believe its selling point is the see-through, watch-your-tea-brew concept. Secondly, the doughnut is certainly sleek though I am dubious about its tea making abilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, whilst I may have dedicated a few pages to teapots and like to take photos of interesting clocks now and then, I think the name of obsession is something I must relinquish in the face of the following design, not a house teapot but a teapot house. Located in Zillah, Washington, this beats the 3ft shrine hands down with a real, liveable building in the shape of a teapot. This is true dedication to tea.