An authentic design that highlights the unique qualities of the material, crafted by experienced traditional artisans in Europe—our vision for ceramic tableware is very precise. In close collaboration with the Cologne-based designers of the Onomao design label and a pottery workshop in Portugal, we’ve created mugs, bowls, and plates that turned out exactly as we envisioned them: understated, stripped down to the essentials, yet authentic in color, texture, and functionality.

Even the light sandy hue of one of the glazes is thoroughly authentic: free of added pigments, it derives from the original color of the clay used and is characteristic of the region in northern Portugal where the pottery is based. The light glaze highlights the character of the material and emphasizes it emphatically—in its very own way. We had it applied only to the interior surfaces. As a result, the fine-pored structure of the clay becomes palpable on the outside—in the truest sense of the word. With every use, with every dish and every drink you serve in this tableware, traces become visible, the material changes its appearance, and a patina develops. In comparison, the hues of the other glazes appear more uniform; applied generously, they create a matte shimmer—or perhaps a glossy sheen—of color.

Good to know, even better to use: Fired in the kiln at temperatures exceeding 1,200 °C, this tableware is dishwasher-, oven-, and microwave-safe. The mezze plate fits as a lid on both the bowl and the deep plate—and yes, indeed, the espresso cup can just as easily be used as an egg cup on the breakfast table.

Our search for a partner company capable of bringing our vision of Manufactum-worthy tableware to life led us to Onomao in the spring of 2022. This young Cologne-based label was born from the idea of combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design. When brothers Arthur and Felix Wystrychowski—one a landscape architect, the other a trained chef and graphic designer—founded their company in 2018, they were determined that resource-efficient production and fair trade would not remain mere buzzwords. Driven by a long-standing love for Atlantic waves, the land, and its people, the two passionate surfers traveled to Portugal and set out to find people who (still) understand their craft—people who work with local raw materials, sustainably sourced natural materials, and recycled materials—and with whom they could bring their design ideas to life. That’s how the brothers discovered the pottery workshop where our simple, partly matte-transparent glazed ceramic tableware is now produced. A third-generation family business, this artisanal workshop located north of Porto is dedicated to nurturing and preserving the region’s time-honored pottery tradition.

Certain manufacturing steps are carried out by hand. Slight dimensional and color deviations may therefore occur.