Designed for Royal Doulton by British design practice Barber Osgerby, Olio is a celebration of miscellany. As its name – meaning ‘an assorted collection of things’ – implies, the range is purposefully varied: diverse shapes and the casual use of both glazed and unglazed stoneware give each piece its own character. This eclecticism, balanced by a subdued and earthy colour palette, makes for a product intended to sit comfortably within a user’s existing collection of mixed kitchen-cupboard objects.
GTF commissioned still-life artist Jos van Riswick to paint the Olio collection in casual stacks and groupings. Although modest, the final images wrap simple square-edged, fluted-board boxes, making informal crops as they turn each corner to create a more complex and playful collection of fragments. The reductive Olio mark acts as a steady counterpoint to the richly textured brushwork.
