Potter-turned-home-design guru Jonathan Adler is a man with a peripatetic mind, inspired in equal parts, it seems, by classic modern design, Surrealism and pop culture.
Although his namesake company has expanded into a mini empire touching just about every aspect of modern living — chairs and ice buckets, wallpaper and menorahs, chandeliers and rugs — made in myriad materials, Adler still creates almost every object in clay first. His guiding principle is a simple one: “I make the stuff I want to surround myself with, and I surround myself with it.”
Adler grew up in a New Jersey farm town. His grandfather became a local judge, and his father returned home after graduating from the University of Chicago. “My pop was a brilliantly talented artist. At one point, he had to decide whether to become an artist or a —,” he pauses, searching for the right word, “person.” His father became a lawyer but spent all his free time in his studio, “making art, unencumbered by the need to make money from it. It was a totally pure pursuit.” Adler’s mother, who had worked at Vogue and moved to the rural town reluctantly, was also creative, and both parents encouraged their three children’s creativity.
When he was 12, Adler went to sleepaway camp, where he threw his first pot. “And it was on,” he says. His parents bought him a pottery wheel, and he spent the remainder of his adolescence elbow-deep in clay. Even while majoring in semiotics and art history at Brown University, he hung out at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design, making pots.
Adler moved to New York City, worked briefly in entertainment, and in 1993 returned to his true love, throwing pots (in exchange for teaching classes) at a Manhattan studio called Mud Sweat & Tears. One day, at Balducci’s food market, he ran into Bill Sofield, an old friend who had recently cofounded, with Thomas O’Brien, the now-legendary Aero Studios, a design firm and shop. Sofield paid a studio visit and promptly gave him an order. Then, another friend introduced Adler to a buyer at Barneys New York, who also wrote an order.
For about three years after Adler began devoting himself to ceramics full-time. Despite the street cred of both Aero and Barneys, he also wasn’t really making enough money to live on. Then, in 1997, he teamed with Aid to Artisans, a nonprofit aimed at creating economic opportunity for skilled artisans in developing countries, and traveled to Peru to hire potters who could follow his designs, thus increasing production.
Adler’s first store opened in 1998, in the Soho shopping mecca in Manhattan. He now operates about two dozen shops, as far-flung as London and Bangkok. During Adler’s trip to Peru, he connected not only with potters but also with several talented weavers and decided to branch out into textiles. Other categories followed, leading him to travel the world in search of artisans who could execute his endless supply of ideas. In India, Adler found a man who’s expert at beadwork; he has his limed furniture made in Indonesia, his honey-colored wood pieces in Vietnam.
After a friend asked him to decorate her house, Adler expanded to interior design, taking on hotels as well as private residences — projects for which he remains “agnostic,” using pieces by other designers. “I really try to get to know my clients and then make them seem more glamorous and more eccentric than they think,” he says. “I see myself as a slimming mirror for them.”
Find Jonathan Adler seating, case pieces, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Set of 6 Melamine Plates by Jonathan Adler 2 Sets Available
By Jonathan Adler
Located in San Diego, CA
Nice set of 6 melamine dinner plates by Jonathan Adler, beautiful design great for outdoor parties, 2 sets of 6 available. Buyer has the choice to buy one or two sets.
Plastic
Set of Six Wedgwood Yellow Plates
By Wedgwood
Located in New York, NY
Set of six Wedgwood yellow plates. Six vintage creamware shallow bowls/plates in "Cane" yellow with impressed and stamped marks for Wedgwood. England...
Creamware
Jonathan Adler Couture Ceramic Vase
By Jonathan Adler
Located in Westport, CT
Jonathan Adler Couture ceramic vase handmade for a friend. One of four pieces form the early 1980s rare.
Ceramic
Wedgwood Black Basalt Plates, Set of 6
By Wedgwood
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful set of six (6) English black basalt plates by Wedgwood, circa early to mid-20th century, England. Plates could be used a myriad of ways ...
Pottery, Stoneware
Set of Oyster Plates, France, 1950s
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Charming set of four French ceramic oyster plates dating from the 1950s, featuring a colorful hand-painted floral decoration. Each circular plate is molded with six individual oyster compartments arranged around a raised central well, traditionally intended for lemon, sauce or condiments. The cream-colored ground is decorated with stylized red and green floral motifs, accented by dotted cobalt-blue outlines and a blue-speckled rim. Both functional and highly decorative, these plates embody the playful character of mid-century French tableware. Their sculptural molded form and vibrant decoration make them equally appealing for serving seafood or as decorative wall pieces. Style : Mid-Century Modern French Provincial Folk Art Key Features : France, 1950s Set of four oyster plates Glazed ceramic construction Six oyster compartments per plate Raised central condiment well Cream-colored ground Red and green floral decoration Cobalt-blue dotted details Blue-speckled borders Molded scalloped form Vintage French tableware Decorative and functional design Keywords : French oyster plates, vintage oyster plates, ceramic oyster plates, set of four oyster plates, 1950s French ceramics...
Ceramic
Zodiaco Dessert Plates Set of 4
By Laboratorio Paravicini
Located in Milan, IT
Inspired by the zodiac signs and introduced at the Salone del Mobile 2017 in Milan, this set comprises four dessert plates whose exquisite craftsmanship and vivid colors will be a pr...
Ceramic
Zodiaco Dinner Set of 12 Plates
By Laboratorio Paravicini
Located in Milan, IT
A full dinner set from the Zodiac collection, inspired by the blue sky and its stars that light it up at night. It consists of 12 plates each one with ...
Ceramic
$150 / item
H 1.19 in W 8.27 in D 8.27 in
Porcelain Costantinople 6 Set of 2 Dessert Plates by Les Ottomans
By Les Ottomans
Located in Milan, IT
This magnificent set of two dessert plates will be a precious addition to any home. The pieces are part of the Costantinopoli collection, comprising porcelain plates decorated with a...
Porcelain
Set of 12 Plates by Casa Alfarera
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 12 Plates by Casa Alfarera Dimensions: Dinner plates 25 cm in diameter Salad/dessert plates 20 cm in diameter Bowls 15 in diameter Materials: stoneware Hand-thrown Dominican ...
Stoneware
$989Sale Price|20% Off
H 1.46 in Dm 12.21 in
Colapesce plates - Set of 6 entirely hand-painted ceramic plates.
By Crisodora
Located in Capri Leone, IT
Entirely hand-painted in Sicily, this set of 6 decorative red glazed clay plates takes inspiration from the Sicilian legend of "Colapesce," a half-man, half-fish creature who chose t...
Ceramic
Set of Twelve Wedgwood Lunch Plates
By Wedgwood
Located in Essex, MA
Retailed by Ovington Brothers. Circular with fruit and floral border and powder blue interior. Gold edge.
Porcelain
Set of 29 Gold Glass Plates
Located in New York, NY
This glamorous set of 17 dinner and 12 side plates were made of gold-glass, rather than the usual gilded porcelain. They belonged to Jan Cowles, the wife of Gardner Cowles, the newsp...
Glass
$150 / item
H 1.19 in W 8.27 in D 8.27 in
Porcelain Costantinople 1 Set of 2 Dessert Plates by Les Ottomans
By Les Ottomans
Located in Milan, IT
Part of the Constantinopoli collection, inspired by the exotic life in the capital of the Roman/Byzantine Empire, this set of two dessert plates is one of 12 designs made of porcelai...
Porcelain
Set of 9 Lamberton China Service Plates
By Lamberton China
Located in Lambertville, NJ
A set of nine floral service plates 10.25 inches in diameter, with gilt banding. The broad floral ban with birds and gold bands with a central floral medallion. The backstamp is from...
Porcelain
Set of Three British Porcelain Plates with Flowers by Copeland
By Copeland
Located in London, GB
Set of three British porcelain plates with flowers by Copeland British, c. 1880 Height 2cm, diameter 24cm Crafted by Copeland, this charming set of three plates...
Porcelain
$150 / item
H 1.19 in W 8.27 in D 8.27 in
Porcelain Costantinople 2 Set of 2 Dessert Plates by Les Ottomans
By Les Ottomans
Located in Milan, IT
The sense of gracious movement and delicate color combination of this stunning set will enliven any home, bringing to the table a refined and dream-like ambiance. The set comprises t...
Porcelain