By the pricking of my thumbs....

"By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes."

Okay, technically I don't think one would call it 'wicked', per se. Unless one were speaking in Bostonian slang (and when one opens the floodgates of slang usage, one might even find oneself unexpectedly using words like 'hella' or 'hecksa'), but we figure using slang is at the very least balanced by quoting Shakespeare. Anyway, nothing evinces a feeling of importance and impending change like serious literary quotation, so in the interest of making it sound even more portentous, we're also quoting Andy Warhol, who said; "They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." And that's exactly what we're doing. Change is on the horizon for egg mercantile, so prepare yourselves for something hecksa new!

Alexa Lixfeld - Metamorphose

My parents were true believers in the theory that hard work builds character and integrity. At least that's what they said... but often I wondered if it was just an easy way for them to to say; "We had to work, so you do, too". Childhood grudges aside, every summer I was sent to work with my father laying concrete foundations (I had switched from Captain Caveman to a G.I.Joe thermos for lunch, while he had the incomparable Stanley vacuum bottle), hauling concrete forms and generally 'helping out' - which I later realized meant 'not getting paid'. (Oh, sorry, grudges aside.) While I can't speak as to whether or not 'helping out' assisted my parents with the monumental task of instilling any staunch moral fiber or tireless work ethic in me, there were other things that I took from those dusty, dirty, drawn-out summer days. One of them was an appreciation for the unsung beauty of concrete. Back then concrete was for driveways and basements, to be utilized only as a foundation, not an aesthetic. Nowadays it's all around us, and there are a multitude of designers and architects who have embraced industrial chic. Pottery pioneer Alexa Lixfield is one of these, and has captured the essence of this aesthetic in her Metamorphose collection, a series of colored porcelain vessels that artfully combine the roughness of concrete with the sophistication of modern form and color.


The interesting seam-work and play between the matte exterior and glazed interior highlight this contrast, transforming a simple shape into a textural triumph that is just as satisfying to hold and feel as it is to gaze upon. And unlike my formative years, appreciating this concrete-inspired crockery won't require any back-breaking labor on your part. See available models in the webshop.