We are excited to introduce a special collaboration with ceramic artist Marjoke de Heer. Together we designed an exclusive serie 'one of a kind' lamps with a unique signature. The lamps feature a hand-turned ceramic base crafted by Marjoke and lampshades made with linen from By Mölle.
“I was immediately enthusiastic about our collaboration. It seemed beautiful and inspiring to design a series of unique lamps in a limited edition with my ceramics and By Mölle's linen fabrics. We complement each other in craftsmanship in a beautifully understated way. Both the ceramic base and the linen lampshades are entirely handmade, making each one unique.” – Marjoke de Heer
The lamps are available online and in our Hattem store. You are warmly welcome.
Marjoke de Heer
With thirty years of professional experience as a ceramicist, Marjoke de Heer is well-known in the Netherlands and internationally for her handmade minimalist ceramics. Since 1994, she has lived and worked in one of the most beautiful spots in Amsterdam North, near the Schellingwoude marina. We visited her studio and gallery in a charming dike house from 1928. Everywhere you look, you feel dedication and craftsmanship. Her work is timelessly beautiful, and each piece is unique and signed. Enthusiasts from around the world specifically seek her plates, bowls, dishes, and vases. Renowned chefs also enjoy working with Marjoke's ceramics for photoshoots and cookbooks.
go to the pop-up gallery
how would you describe your work??
"I love working with clay, close to nature. In my work, I want to see the unique, organic forms of the earth: serene or rugged, perfect, imperfect, full of freckles and speckles. I mix the clay and create my own glazes based on pure materials and inspired by ancient craftsmanship. It's always exciting when I open my oven door. It's magical because the heat and reduction in my oven give more than just a color. This is true craftsmanship. Making ceramics involves a lot of practice and acquiring knowledge about clay, raw materials, glaze, heat, and fire. I love it when you can see the earth in my work—the connection between the raw materials and the clay I use. That determines the color and the end result of what I create. I learned in a way that doesn't involve chemical formulas but understanding the fired properties of raw materials. Once you have that knowledge, you can play with it. I've been doing this for thirty years, and there are still tests. This way, you develop your own signature more and more. I compare it to someone learning to play music. You have to master the craft. You learn to play music by practicing scales, etudes, and finger exercises. Once you master that, then you can play, then it begins. That's how I see it with my own work. It starts with the craft; you have to work your way through it and cover many miles. But now I can say that I can truly play with it. Each object is unique, handmade with my ten fingers.”
how did your fascination with ceramics begin?
“It actually happened by chance. My husband André and I had cycled for a year in Southeast Asia. We were at a crossroads in life, wondering how the future would look. When we returned from that trip, we moved to Amsterdam North. Then, I happened to come across a notice at the ferry about a pottery course in Holysloot. I went there and was immediately sold. I've always been creative, and during the bike trip, I knew I wanted to create more and build less in large organizations. It's a bit in my genes. In my family tree, there are many independent individuals who did their own thing in their own place, and I wanted that too. Pottery got a bit out of hand, but I found it incredibly enjoyable. The place where I took lessons was also special. I quickly bought a second-hand pottery wheel, one of those large wooden kickwheels, and I started covering kilometers. And that hasn't stopped. It's fascinating to create something from a lump of clay. I find that interesting in all crafts, but especially the interaction with clay is delightful. You do something, and it immediately responds. It's a beautiful material; I just can't stop.”
what makes your work unique?
"I specialize in reduction-fired stoneware, fired at 1260 degrees Celsius with authentic glazes according to my own recipe. Each handmade item is unique, organically shaped, and signed. I don't have a desire to be a kind of factory; I find it becomes boring quite quickly. It's about movement and discovering unexpected beauty throughout the entire process of clay mixing, throwing, shaping, and glazing. In the kiln, I fire with a lack of oxygen. This causes the fire to draw all the oxygen from the clay and glaze, resulting in beautiful traditional reduction glazes with origins in Southeast Asia, especially China, Japan, and Korea. The special hues are always reduction-fired and developed by me. Celadon, known for its subtle, delicate green tones and crackle effects, is an ancient technique. The warm Shino glaze from Japan has a rustic, orange-brown surface with subtle crackle effects. And the special Tenmoku glaze with its deep brown/rust-orange to black color, brought to Japan by monks from China in the 13th century. So, I've been testing for thirty years, building more and more of my own signature. My approach is similar to the creativity of a master chef. Recently, I delved into the ancient world of wood ash glazes, using wood ash from trees in Drenthe, among others. What does ash from an oak tree, a pear tree, or an olive tree do? I keep track of everything in my logbook. It's a constant journey of discovery, and I'm still playing."
"I love the unique organic shapes of the earth: serene or rugged, perfect, imperfect, full of freckles and speckles. I mix the clay and create my own glazes based on pure materials, inspired by traditional craftsmanship from the past." – Marjoke de Heer
how did the collaboration with By Mölle come about?
“The collaboration with By Mölle came as a delightful surprise. When you approached me to design lamps together, the idea of merging my ceramics with By Mölle's linen fabrics immediately appealed to me. Having enjoyed sleeping under their fine linen duvets for years, I had immediate confidence in the collaboration. This confidence was further strengthened by our shared focus on crafting handmade lamps, emphasizing both quality and beauty—qualities that align with my strength as a ceramicist. Collaborating on this project was particularly enjoyable for me. Both the ceramic base and the linen lampshades are entirely handmade, rendering each piece unique. It's genuinely 'limited one of a kind,' and every lamp is different. I love that.”
what inspires you?
"Nature is a significant source of inspiration for me. I love the endless flow of tides where water and land meet and the organic forms of erosion in the landscape. On vacation, I prefer going to the coast, and in the water there, I see the most beautiful shapes that I incorporate into my work. For example, there's a beach in Brittany with many barnacles. Enlarging those, they become my serving bowls. But I also find inspiration in architecture. A beautiful building can suddenly be a cake stand. I'll be cycling, and I'll suddenly see a cake stand in a building. Or I'll cycle somewhere, and I'll mentally flip a house upside down, and then I suddenly have inspiration for the shape of a bowl.”
can you tell us more about these 'one of a kind' ceramic lamps?
"This series of unique ceramic lamps is inspired by three basic forms that immediately appealed to me. The elongated shape evokes a plant stem, the half-sphere reminiscent of a beach find, and the largest base, shaped like a robust erratic boulder, similar to those found in our dolmens, ancient and shaped by time. The beautifully finished handmade linen shade and fixture make it a unique whole, turning it into both an artistic statement and a functional object in your home."
go to the online pop-up gallery
More information:
Ceramic Atelier and Gallery Marjoke de Heer
Schellingwouderdijk 243 in Amsterdam