A Christmas Story
Virus Lamp
Chair No. 1
DESIGNER OF THE DAY

Designer of the Day: Sean Gerstley

In Sean Gerstley’s eyes, ceramic has far more uses around the home than decorative objects and utilitarian tableware. For his first solo show at New York gallery Superhouse, the ceramic artist fashions whimsical furniture—a massive surfboard-shaped coffee table formed from candy-colored tiles in irregular shapes and geometric glazed polychrome mirrors among them—that lightens the mood and is simply satisfying to look at, almost like Tetris blocks sliding perfectly into place.

In Sean Gerstley’s eyes, ceramic has far more uses around the home than decorative objects and utilitarian tableware. For his first solo show at New York gallery Superhouse, the ceramic artist fashions whimsical furniture—a massive surfboard-shaped coffee table formed from candy-colored tiles in irregular shapes and geometric glazed polychrome mirrors among them—that lightens the mood and is simply satisfying to look at, almost like Tetris blocks sliding perfectly into place.

Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.

Age: 32

Occupation: Ceramic artist.

Instagram: @seangerstley

Hometown: Philadelphia.

Studio location: Philadelphia.

Describe what you make: I make hand-built ceramic objects, furniture, lighting, and tableware.

Tile Block Console Table
A Christmas Story

The most important thing you’ve designed to date: I’m excited about recent nesting tables I made for Superhouse.

Describe the problem your work solves: I’m always solving the architectural problems of working with hand-built clay but hopefully all those process issues fade away and in the end, my work makes you smile and brightens a space.

Describe the project you are working on now: I just completed making a body of new work for “Tile Block,” my solo presentation with Superhouse. It’s a show of new ceramic lamps, mirrors, tables, and a chair. Many of the pieces use this new modular, Tetris-like tile element I’ve been calling Tile Blocks. They bring flat smooth surfaces into the mix with my signature pinched coil-built forms. I’m also working on a large-scale outdoor ceramic bench in this Tile Block direction. It’s the largest piece I’ve made to date—a ten-foot diameter circular bench around a tree.

A new or forthcoming project we should know about: “Sean Gerstley: Tile Block” runs through Nov. 14 at Superhouse Vitrine in New York.

Nesting Tables
Virus Lamp

What you absolutely must have in your studio: Music, lip balm, caffeine, and my dog Lana.

What you do when you’re not working: Lately I’ve been loving the e-bikes around Philadelphia.

Sources of creative envy: Betty Woodman.

The distraction you want to eliminate: Instagram of course.

Surfboard Coffee Table
Chair No. 1

Concrete or marble? Marble.

High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.

Remember or forget? Remember.

Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.

Dark or light? Light.

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