Lokal Creators / Nathalie Lautenbacher

Nathalie Lautenbacher is a Franco-Finnish ceramist, whose extraordinary products and art pieces have been sold at Lokal since its founding year. She has contributed to Lokal Kollektion as well as several exhibitions and fairs. We visited her studio to take a closer look at her refined processes.

Lokal Creators / Nathalie Lautenbacher

Nathalie Lautenbacher is a Franco-Finnish ceramist, whose extraordinary products and art pieces have been sold at Lokal since its founding year. She has contributed to Lokal Kollektion as well as several exhibitions and fairs. We visited her studio to take a closer look at her refined processes.

In recent years, Lautenbacher has not only created ceramics to be put on tables, but also on walls and floors. Besides functional items, she creates large pots, wall art and ceramic installations in collaboration with the designer Naoto Niidome. Ceramic is combined with other carefully selected materials, such as textile, aluminium, wood, or plaster.

She has designed functional homeware for Arabia and Iittala and has also worked for the Japanese ceramics industry. Her designs can be seen in several restaurants across the world, as well as in private and museum collections. Lautenbacher works as a lecturer at Aalto University in Helsinki, teaching the next generation of designers. She has travelled the world lecturing about Finnish ceramics, and she is the editor of the book Kantava maa, a collection of essays and photographs that focus on contemporary ceramics, published in autumn 2020 by Aalto ARTS Books.

Lautenbacher graduated from the Department of Ceramics and Glass at the University of Art and Design, Helsinki in 1999. Since then, she has received several prizes, such as the 2002 Design Plus award in Frankfurt Germany, and the Bronze Award from Mino Competition in Japan in 2005 and 2014. In 2008, she won the Young Designer of the Year prize in Finland. Her work can be seen in several collections, including the The Röhsska Museum in Sweden.

”There’s something very satisfying and addictive about working with clay. The slowness of it makes time stop, but you still feel as if you’re keeping up with life. It’s a material that gives you a firm hold of the world.

“Tableware is much more than just platters or containers for food. I think it adds comfort to everyday life. An archetypal bowl or cup, even if it’s an age-old functional item, tells a story of something bigger — about sharing or stowing. That’s why making one remains interesting from one year to another.”

Lautenbacher has been creating tableware collections renowned for their delicate colour, subtle form and strong personal touch since 1999. We here at Lokal have been lucky to have KAHVI series in the Lokal Kollektion since 2014. KAHVI series and Lautenbacher’s other ceramic tableware serie LINUM are staples in the Lokal selection, and represent the core of Lokal;  timeless, locally handcrafted, small-scale produced pieces, manufactured by the designer.

Shop: Nathalie Lautenbacher’s Work

Explore: Lokal Creators

Lokal Creators / Minna Arponen

Minna Arponen is a jewellery designer and maker from Helsinki. Recently, she’s been fascinated by the tiny glass beads that she used to play with in her childhood. We visited her studio where most of her pieces take form, if not in her lap on tram rides through the city.

Lokal Creators / Pan Jianfeng

Pan Jianfeng is a conceptual artist working predominately with paper and ink. His background and techniques are rooted in tradition, but his works are strong and contemporary. We visited his home studio one early spring afternoon to learn more about his works in our Year of the Rabbit exhibition.

Lokal Creators / Aimo Katajamäki

Aimo Katajamäki is an artist, illustrator, and graphic designer. His superhero wood sculptures depict human nature in a subtle and delicate way. We visited his studio just a few blocks from Lokal as he was carving his new pieces for the Year of the Rabbit exhibition.

Lokal Creators / Milla Vaahtera

Milla Vaahtera is a designer and artist best known for her unique pieces combining bold glass parts with delicate brass.On a winter’s day earlier this year we visited her studio in an old elementary school building in Helsinki, where she assembles her pieces.

Join our Lokal family and receive all our latest news and invitations.

Sign up for our newsletter:

Liity Lokal perheeseen ja saa kaikki meidän uusimmat uutiset sekä kutsut

Tilaa uutiskirje: