Sailor and Siren Ceramic Salt and Pepper Shakers by Jonathan Adler
About the Item
- Creator:Jonathan Adler (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 4 in (10.16 cm)Width: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2000s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:
Jonathan Adler
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Postmodern Wood Lacquer Salt & Pepper ShakersLocated in San Diego, CAWhimsical salt & Pepper shakers with a flairs of 1980's Memphis era look signed at the bottom.Category
20th Century American Post-Modern Tableware
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Vintage Las Vegas "Royal Flush" Ceramic Salt and Pepper ShakersLocated in San Diego, CAA stylish pair of vintage Las Vegas "Royal Flush" ceramic salt and pepper shakers, circa 1970s. The set is in very good condition with no chips or c...Category
Mid-20th Century Taiwanese Tableware
MaterialsCeramic
- Vintage Wood Sculpted Round Salt and Pepper Shaker SetLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful and unique set of salt and pepper shakers. This pair is handmade in polished finished wood that shows beautiful grain. Each piece has fine details such as the "S" and "P" p...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsWood
- Pair of MCM Mixed Woods Salt and Pepper ShakersLocated in San Diego, CAA very nice pair of MCM mixed woods salt and pepper shakers, circa 1970s. The set is constructed of ash, beech, walnut and teak wood to make a ver...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsAsh, Beech, Teak, Walnut
- Post-Modern Memphis Style Salt and Pepper Shakers by Olde ThompsonLocated in San Diego, CAA very nice pair of post-modern Memphis style salt and pepper shakers by Olde Thompson, circa 1980s. The set is constructed of hard wood with colorful high lacquered paint. The pair ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Post-Modern Tableware
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Petite Mexican Brass & Alpaca Salt and Pepper ShakersBy DirilyteLocated in San Diego, CAPair of petite Mexican brass & alpaca salt and pepper shakers, circa 1970s. The set is in good vintage condition with removable lids; the tray measures 3.5"W x 2"D and the shakers ar...Category
20th Century American Art Deco Tableware
MaterialsBronze
- Brass Salt and Pepper ShakerLocated in Paonia, COThe (wh)ORE HAüS STUDIOS small goods collection was made for those that wanted to experience the (wh)ORE HAüS brand without committing to our larger pieces. Our Brass Salt and Pepper...Category
2010s American Modern Bottles
MaterialsBrass
- Horn Salt and Pepper ShakersLocated in North Hollywood, CAVintage Set of two salt and pepper shakers showcasing the natural beauty of water buffalo horn. Using sustainable and traditional practices, handcrafted by skilled artisans in India. These natural horn Salt and Pepper...Category
Late 20th Century Organic Modern Tableware
MaterialsHorn
- Ceramic Black and White Dog Salt and Pepper Shakers, a PairBy StaffordshireLocated in Oklahoma City, OKGet your table company ready with this pair of ceramic dog salt and pepper shakers. Each shaker depicts a black and white shaggy puppy laying down, with his pink tongue out. Each has...Category
20th Century Japanese Chinoiserie Tableware
MaterialsCeramic, Paint
- Danish Teak Salt and Pepper ShakersLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLPair of vintage mushroom shaped Danish Modern salt and pepper shakers in solid teak wood. Origin: Denmark Year: 1960s Style: Mi...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
MaterialsTeak
- Rosewood and Steel Obelisk Salt and Pepper ShakersBy Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd PowellLocated in Miami, FLVintage Danish obelisk shaped salt and pepper shakers. Rosewood with brushed steel accents, in the style of Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsSteel
- Aksel Sigvald Nielsen for Aksini, Denmark, Ceramic Salt and Pepper ShakersLocated in Copenhagen, DKAksel Sigvald Nielsen for Aksini, Denmark. Danish hard stoneware. Ceramic salt and pepper shakers. 1970s. In excellent condition. Marked. ...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
MaterialsCeramic
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Video Tour: Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan Sheltering at Home on Shelter Island
In our "On Location" series on YouTube and Instagram, top designers share their personal spaces while on lockdown. Here, Jonathan Adler and his husband, fashion commentator Simon Doonan, show us their bold beach house on New York's Shelter Island.
Confessions of a (Semi-Retired) Window Dresser
Even though he's been a writer for two decades, Simon Doonan can’t escape from decorating windows.