What it is

Half a century before it became a design-blog darling, Heath Ceramics was a mom-and-pop op, selling tableware and tiles made by artisan Edith Heath. In 2003, business-minded husband and wife Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey (left) bought and oh-so-gently updated the firm. Newlyweds who registered for the simple, modern cups and dishes 40 years ago are still smitten with the goods, and now there’s a new wave of lovers and collectors, including Anthropologie-obsessed young women; design geeks; tastemakers such as Tom Ford; decorators Roman & Williams, who included it in their gorgeous new redesign of Brasserie 44 at the Royalton Hotel; and Alice Waters, who partnered with Heath to create the Chez Panisse line used at that legendary Berkeley, California, restaurant.

What it’s like

Modern (but retro) and of-the-moment (yet classic), Heath Ceramics isn’t just one of the midcentury’s last remaining ceramics firms; it’s a living tribute to Edith herself. All the dishes and tiles are made with techniques that she perfected and at the same Sausalito factory she founded in 1959. The best-selling Coupe line has been in constant production since the company’s inception, and its design is just as compelling today—and just as durable, thanks to a low-temp firing technique that Edith pioneered. The simple shapes, sophisticated colors and lustrous finishes create a sense of refinement that make the collections more closely resemble thoughtful sculpture than the assembly-line slop so prevalent on the market.

Why we like it

Those of us who rhapsodize about Heath see beyond the dishes; the colors conjure a perfect sun-drenched afternoon in the country, where a rustic wood table is laid with a hearty lunch. It’s the good and simple life—wrapped up in clay and glazed to perfection. “Most people who visit the factory just get what’s really great about it,” says co-owner Bailey. “You don’t even need to say anything.” There’s plenty to wax poetic about because not only are the designs downright honest, so is the business. Bailey and Petravic say that a $25 mug reflects the true cost of turning out products in a responsible manner. That means local manufacturing, fair wages and generous benefits for employees, and socially and environmentally sound values that even leave room for recycling. “To younger people that’s refreshing, and to the older generation it’s nostalgic, because that’s just the way things were done.”

Heath Ceramics products are sold on its website, heathceramics.com, and at Moss (150 Greene St between Prince and W Houston Sts, 212-204-7100).