A Day Well Spent with Skye Corewijn
Words Darcie Imbert
Photography Elliot Sheppard
Production Harry Cave
Whatever the commission – whether she’s creating for friends, Michelin-starred restaurants or coffee shops – the common thread that runs through Skye’s work is good form and tactility: she creates pots to live with, not just look at. “I like my work to be super nice to use. For me, the joy people get out of using my pieces is of most importance,” she says while tracing a thumb across the surface of her own perfectly formed coffee cup.
“Pottery is a little unassuming: thoughtful objects that don’t necessarily have to be useful”
Since leaving her native Cape Town nearly a decade ago, Skye has become a big part of London’s thriving pottery community, which puts collaboration at its core. “It’s cool to be able to call a friend down the road to troubleshoot; we’ve all crossed paths via studios, sharing equipment and helping each other out.” Her glasshouse-like shop on Hackney Road is the perfect example of pottery’s collaborative culture: at Klei you’ll find work by Skye and her friends, as well as an exhibition wall showcasing a rotating roster of ceramicists exploring their chosen theme.
Approaching Skye’s studio, on an industrial estate mostly filled with MOT garages, there are little clues to the serene space foundinside: shelves holding stoneware and ceramic pots run the length of the space and reach up to double-height ceilings, framing a large beaten workbench that looks out on to scrapped cars. Despite its positioning, there’s nothing industrial about Skye’s work. Every piece is thought-up in her light-filled Stepney Green home, which she shares with partner Mitshel Ibrahim (the chef behind Ombra and Forno), and brought to life in a meditative blur from the studio: headphones in, African Jazz playing.
Can you tell us about your morning routines and rituals?
I wake up to my alarm around 7.30am, then snooze for a while. I’ll eventually pull myself out of bed and make a coffee. I’m a full-on moka drinker: strong and short. Mitshel recently brought home a huge bag of Allpress beans from Forno, which are great. I also have an Achilles heel for pastries and the ones at Forno are so good, but I try not to overdo it. After a coffee, sometimes I’ll go for a run.
Are you part of the running club that takes over Forno on a Saturday morning?
Absolutely not, running means alone time for me. After my run, I’ll shower and make myself breakfast. My home is most beautiful in the mornings: it gets amazing light that floods through the entire house. This is the first summer we’ve been there since renovating, so I’m enjoying spending time at home.
What changes did you make to support your life and work?
We really wanted an open space to hang out and host friends in. We opened the house up and knocked down all the internal walls. The thing about English homes is that they make the kitchen so teeny tiny; Mitshel loves cooking but he was like a bull in a china shop in our former galley kitchen. We lived in a narrow boat for four years, which we sold for a deposit to buy. Renovating the house was pretty hectic – it was probably the biggest project we’ve done together.
“My home is most beautiful in the mornings: it gets amazing light that floods through the entire house”
It sounds like the perfect union: Mitshel cooks the food, you craft the ceramics. What makes a good dining experience for you?
I love an unpretentious place that feels easy and enjoyable to spend some time in, with mellow service but with enough effort. I like to be taken care of in a restaurant.
Any local recommendations?
We haven’t been eating out much since we renovated, but I obviously love to go to Ombra for a treat. We also count Lahore Kebab House and Smoking Goat among our favourites. We also love Esters, which is further from home but worth the trip.
You’ve worked with some of the best restaurants. How did that start, grow and evolve?
I started in the industry by working as front of house on and off for a couple of years. And, through Mitshel, I became part of a really supportive restaurant community in London. As soon as someone hears you make plates for one restaurant, others ask if you can make pieces for them too. I also used to do a few ceramics markets, which is where a lot of people first came across my work. Now it’s all word of mouth, through my social platforms, or people stumble on something at Klei.
How do you balance beauty with practicality, and work with restaurants to create pieces that are representative of your aesthetic, while meeting their needs?
A client normally comes to the studio to have a chat, or I’ll go to their restaurant to show them what I have been making recently. There’s a certain colour palette, variety of clays and glazes I work with. If they don’t know exactly what they want, it’s nice for them to see what I’ve been creating – they might like the shape but want to play with the size or tweak the depth. I’ve worked with restaurants for so long now and I’ve learned so many lessons along the way, most of them centring around preparing chefs who may not have worked with handmade pieces before.
Can you share some of your wisdom?
When you throw really thin pieces, you can create something beautiful to drink out of but the edges chip easily. It’s impossible to stop chipping but glazing helps, as do rounded edges, which I use for restaurants. Firing high can strengthen pots: low-fired terracotta will chip more than high-fired stoneware, and grittier clays tend to chip more than smooth ones. Chefs can be great to work with, especially if they’ve worked with handmade stuff before, but I don’t just create pieces for restaurants. Assembly once sent their coffee team here – they wanted to create cups that emphasised taste, mouthfeel and aromas, so I made them some funny-shaped cups for a competition. Another time, a family bought a dinner set as a wedding gift and I worked with the couple to create their vision.
Can you describe your studio?
I share it with Andrea Roman, an amazing artist who makes colourful stained ceramics. It’s just the two of us: we have the space we need but we share the cost of expensive equipment. When I arrive after breakfast, I either throw or trim until lunch. Lunchtime at the studio is the best. There’s nothing really around, which means we’re forced to make our own lunch. It can get really hot here because of the kiln, so we like to make food that’s fresh and simple.
What does the afternoon look like there?
We carry on working until late. I have so much energy in the evenings – and I’m a snoozer in the mornings. I’m trying to get into earlier mornings because it’s a beautiful time of day in London, especially in our new flat, which is why I take them slow.
Where and when do you feel most inspired?
In the mornings at home when I’m alone. I find it so comforting and peaceful there, with all the things we’ve collected over the years. My parents passed away recently and I brought a few bits of theirs back from Cape Town, such as my grandma’s cutlery set and my dad’s paintings. It’s so special to be surrounded by their stuff. The studio is an inspiring place too, but I tend to do all my planning beforehand so I can turn up and go for it. I love being at my wheel, zoned out. I listen to a lot of music, which allows my thoughts to wander, or I mix it up and get lost in an audiobook.
Let’s talk about your shop and gallery space, Klei…
Even though I’ve stocked my work alongside some others for a few years, our offering is always changing. Andrea has just made me an amazing set of one-off ceramic goblets, for instance. The exhibition space showcases new makers, which is a cool way to see how their clients interact with the work. I love giving artists free rein and just creating a place dedicated to pottery.
What falls under the term “pottery”?
Pottery is a little unassuming: thoughtful objects that don’t necessarily have to be useful, it can just be an object. It’s not mass-produced or factory-made. I don’t know exactly where the line is between art and craft, but to me, pottery is craft. I see myself as a craftsman, not an artist. I love making pots that bring joy to daily rituals, that become part of someone’s every day.
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