Robert Young X Brickett Davda

“EVERGREEN & SHADOW”

A collaborative collection of tableware 

Created in collaboration with established ceramicist Jo Davda, under the Robert Young Studio label.

Commissions included full-scale stylised mural landscapes, typically birds-eye views depicting real, or imaginary estates, or house portraits within stylised landscapes, frequently including animals, lakes, or rivers, with boats and invariably trees. By the end of the 1980s he had also created a portfolio of motifs, which he composed into repeating patterns for wall decoration. Unique grids and layouts were scaled and spaced for each commission. All individually hand painted, sponged, and stippled, usually onto a limewash or distemper ground, so the decoration took on the feeling similar to historic fresco. Most of these designs and motifs were “launched” as backdrops to Robert Young Antiques’ stands at selected art and antique fairs, where they won multiple “Best Stand” awards, and were frequently commissioned by private clients. In 1988 he created a simple geometric pattern incorporating four stylised silhouette trees, which he selected to decorate a space at the 1990 British Interior Design Exhibition in Chelsea, which went on to become one of his most popular designs and has been used in the window of the Battersea Gallery, in various iterations, for nearly 30 years. 

Robert considered offers from two leading fabric / wallpaper companies at that time to create a collection of designs but felt that in a printed medium on fabric or paper, they would lose their immediacy and somehow betray the qualities of the originals. So, after deciding not to pursue that avenue, it was only when reorganising their design studio a couple of years ago, that several of the original sketches and designs re-emerged, and inspired both a little nostalgia and rekindled a creative energy, but no specific ideas or plans… Then a chance conversation on a South Coast beach, between Florence Grant (RYA Gallery Director) and Jo Davda (founder of Brickett Davda, the respected specialist ceramics studio in Brighton), created a spark and inspired a journey. The chemistry was natural and immediate. Robert and Josyane had long admired and enjoyed the subtle quality and feel of the functional Brickett Davda pottery and likewise Jo knew of RYA and was entirely sensitive to, and attracted by, the RYA aesthetic. 

The initial conversation led to exciting and enthusiastic exploratory chats at the Gallery, followed by a studio visit to Brighton and the development of designs and samples, all of which Robert says, “got his fingers twitching and re-kindled his creative instincts”. He also said “It was the studio itself that got to me; the light, the calm energy, the processes, the work surfaces, the racks of blanks, the smells, the materials and that indescribable feeling of making things well” that inspired him and on the drive back to London he realised he had “a curios attachment to the simple motifs and patterns” he had designed years ago, and felt he had finally found the right place and medium to take them forward. The unglazed body of the wares has a similar porous texture to the chalky distemper and limewashes that Robert originally worked on, and the slightly uneven surfaces created by the Brickett Davda hand modelling technique are “such a natural fit for our designs”. 

A purity of form and unique surface quality define the Brickett Davda tableware collections. Jo Davda says she seeks to create pieces that are” beautiful and handmade but functional” and has “always been inspired by the way food brings people together”. So since launching her studio in 1992 she developed a signature range of stylish and practical pieces for the kitchen and dining room. Each piece is touched by hand, painted by hand, and finished by hand, which feels synonymous with the Robert Young aesthetic. 

The collaborative creative journey has resulted in a collection of limited-edition tableware consisting of individually hand painted pieces including trays, serving dishes, bowls and beakers. 

There is something about this range that makes you feel you have always known it…but have only just discovered. 

The “Evergreen” and “Shadow” ranges have a timeless simplicity and a unique handmade quality, which reflect the ethos and brand value.

Photo Credit:Paul James