While in the San Francisco area during our recent trip, I had one major goal (besides eat burritos, eat oysters): make a pilgrimage to my personal tableware Mecca: the Heath Ceramics factory store in Sausalito. 
I reminded Tim at regular intervals before and during our journey that we would be stopping at Heath, we would be stopping there for a long time, that he would not be allowed to interrupt me while I fondled the ceramics, and that I would be making purchases (so basically he wasn’t allowed to “stalk-shop” me, which is when he follows me around the store, right on my heels, and asks me every time I pick something up “what is that?”, “do we need that?”, “OK, you’re done.”). I’ve been waiting for years to go to Heath headquarters, where I not only got to take a tour of the work rooms (amazing) but pick out “seconds”: very slightly flawed plates and serving pieces, which are priced at a discount!
If you don’t know about Heath, it was founded by the ceramicist Edith Heath in 1948 in the same Sausalito location where the factory is today. She created the iconic midcentury modern look of her pieces, which are now used by restaurants like Chez Panisse (our dinner at Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc was also served on Heath). The colors are so natural and beautiful, the shapes classic yet chic. Food looks beautiful on it as well, from the creamy white to the deep onyx pigments used (the onyx popped up a lot at different restaurants we went to). Heath never goes out of style and the artistry behind each piece is impressive in this age of factory made everything.
I was lucky to get a private tour by the lovely manager (I had missed the regularly scheduled tour but they took pity on me). I got to see the pieces that were just finished and out of the kiln, including these seasonal items painted a summery orange coral.
I also got to see the worktable of Heath’s main designer (I love seeing the work spaces of creative people, I’d actually like to make a coffeetable book of workshops and tablescapes…don’t steal my idea!). This is where she comes up with new designs and some one-of-a-kind pieces.
Here are more pieces that are new to this season—like the above color-block platter-I am kicking myself for not getting one.
Here’s my lovely tour guide showing me a special edition platter with a spiral platter. Heath is now doing a dinnerware line called Alabama Chenin, the plates decorated with tiny and intricate circles that are each made by hand by this cool chick…
She went to art school for animation—perfect apparently for the detail-oriented skills required— but now makes beautiful plates (you can watch a video about the making of Alabama Chenin on the Heath site).
One thing I learned on the tour is that all of the pieces have the same terracotta color before they are fired in the kiln. Apparently the color of the glazes do not show until after they’ve been fired, so the only way they can tell the difference between the different pieces is to weigh them (because different glazes have different weights).
Here are platters pre-fired:
And here they are post-fired:
Everything was so inspiring and done with such care and beauty. Every table and surface was decorated so well that I was thinking of pulling a Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and spending the night.
If you are in San Francisco be sure to visit the factory, or the new store they’re opening in the Mission this summer! I think I will need to go back soon to see that…
