Tazón de Laura

RachaelPots is a small ceramic company based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, owned and operated by native New Yorker Rachael Scharf since 2013. After studying ceramics in Italy, Rachael set up her studio to create a small scale production line of beautifully made, highly functional pieces, all created on the potters wheel.

The RachaelPots Kitchen line includes citrus juicers, berry bowls, garlic scrapers, spoon rests, mugs, bowls, and oil cruets. All RachaelPots ceramics are handmade and thrown on the potters wheel using a mid-range (cone 6) speckled stoneware clay and food safe cone 6 glazes fired in an electric kiln.

“Form versus function is a dichotomy much discussed in the realm of pottery. Where should the emphasis be placed? If function wins out, is a piece still considered art?  At what point does form take over function? I approach my work as a studio potter with a function-first frame of mind—form is a result of its objects function. This does not cancel out consideration of form or shape. Rather, I find that a pot is most truly beautiful when it has achieved its utmost functionality. A mug that feels good in the hand is, by extension, a mug that is pleasing to look at. I use simple undecorated forms to achieve this in my work.” - Rachael