førs studio

Is your morning cup of coffee poetic? If you’re sipping it from a førs cup, it most likely is.

førs studio’s tagline, “our intent is essentially poetic,” is a philosophy that the brand’s co-founders, Muriel Solomon and Vanessa Eckstein, have brought to life in a collection of remarkable tableware.

My friend Beth filled me in on their cool wares – I now have one of their cups and a carafe, which is the prettiest way to serve water (and it also doubles as a sweet vase). I fell for the shapes even before I knew about the line’s impressive inspiration and backstory.

“Our design is extremely thoughtful and emphasizes sensual lines, nesting shapes and tactility,” says Vanessa. “Our intent is to create objects that bring joy and poetry to daily rituals.”

The ephemeral experience førs conjures is not without a very solid background. Vanessa, who was born in Argentina, spent most of her childhood drawing, so her mother convinced a well-known surrealist artist named Miguel Caride to take her on as his youngest student. She was 11. “The commute alone took us four hours there and back,” she says. “It instilled in me, early on, a strong sense of commitment and passion.” Vanessa went on to study architecture at the University of Buenos Aires, earn a Masters in Intercultural Design at the Art Center in Pasadena, California, and become founder and creative director of Toronto’s Blok Design.

Muriel’s CV is just as impressive. She graduated high school in math and sciences in Paris, went to business school in Bordeaux and landed her first summer job at the Louvre. “I was responsible for helping to plan the opening cultural calendar for the [then] new Pyramid’s multi-disciplinary complex,” she says. After graduating from business school, she moved to Toronto where she led big-brand marketing campaigns and was COO for one of the country’s leading restaurant groups. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for Destination Toronto and is involved with The Stop, an innovator which fights hunger and promotes social justice in the city.

Before førs, Vanessa had dabbled in starting a ceramics collection on her own in 2005 but, wanting to do it seriously this time, she reached out to her friend Muriel. “I’ve always had a passion for design and food,” says Muriel. “When Vanessa called me, I had just returned from a trip to Copenhagen, where I was mesmerized by all the ceramics. She asked me if I’d join her in launching a tableware line and I instantly jumped in.”

Each førs piece is feel-good, literally: the organic shapes are beautiful to the touch and the provenance is superlative. Muriel says, “We work with family-run businesses who are committed to the well-being of their employees and to sustainable practices, like the local sourcing of clay, the recycling of clays and glazes, the sustainable sourcing of wood, the use of 100% recycled cardboard for shipping and vendors who are certified through ethical practice audits.”

My coral carafe and mug (love the carafe’s wooden stopper).

The 51-piece collection includes plates, bowls, cups, teapots and carafes in four lovely colours. The white has a creamy undertone that feels warm; the grey is kind of moody and dusty; the rose imparts a pretty vintage quality; and the coral adds zing (which is why I chose it for my desk). Each piece is a little hand-glazed work of art that is also hardworking – these beauties are dishwasher, microwave, oven and freezer safe.

And then there are the fab wooden nesting trays. They’re handcrafted from solid exotic bullet wood, which is prized for its strength and durability, and is sourced from self-sustaining forests. I love the trays’ soft, rounded edges.

førs approach to upgraded tableware is especially resonant now, given how much time we’re spending at home. “It’s a wonderful excuse to celebrate and honour everyday moments in life,” says Vanessa.

While any and all of these make inspired holiday gifts, I take great pleasure in them as a little personal treat, items that imbue everyday tasks with beautiful form… possibly even poetry.