Get acquainted with the people behind Maia Ming Designs / Big Arrow Ceramics and the other companies offering stylish products that will appear at the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show in Discover Design.
Based in Barcelona, Spain, designer Maia Ming Fong returns to the International Home + Housewares Show to present her latest elegant tableware that appeal to hands, eyes and heart to bring small moments of joy.
Maia, where do you find inspiration when designing new products?
I’m fascinated with texture and tactile sensations, so whenever I see beautiful patterns in nature or elsewhere, I think about how they might integrate into my designs.
Are there any specific designers, places or eras that influence you?
Eva Ziesel immediately jumps to mind. I named the EVA tea set in tribute to her because she designed some very beautiful and elegant teaware. I try to embody her philosophies into my ceramic work. My favorite Ziesel quote is, “My designs are meant to attract the hand as well as the eye” and I really believe this is essential for functional ceramics.
How do you choose which idea to take to the next step — to product development?
I prototype my designs by hand at first so that I can test them out myself. If it’s a product that I want to use, then I think it will appeal to other people with similar design, food and lifestyle interests. Sometimes the product development cycle is very short between a concept and a realized design, and other times the design evolves and meanders considerably through a series of prototypes. I’m fortunate to be partnering now with Big Arrow Ceramics—and some products evolved because of the testing, while our ideas and understanding of consumer needs changed as well.
How do you identify the key user audience for your products?
Our products appeal to individuals, particularly women, who appreciate design, food and lifestyle products for the home.
Is there an approach or look that joins the functionality, form or emotional appeal of your product line?
Yes, our products are meant for daily use and enhancing simple pleasures in the home. Making tea and cooking are rituals during which we pause our busy lives and re-connect to our senses and ourselves.
How do new technologies influence your product design? Do you use 3-D printing, Kickstarter or other platforms to develop or launch products?
I have started using 3D printing on more complex shapes and designs—things that would be hard to hand-prototype (like our new vase collection). 3D printing is a great resource but the touch, weight and feel of a ceramic piece can never be duplicated with a piece of printed plastic. I know there are ways to 3D print ceramic, but I have not yet tried them.
How do you use social media?
I post a new photo, usually a lifestyle photo with an interesting quote, on my social media daily. Maia Ming Designs also has a blog where I post a lot of my favorite and new recipes. We’re on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Where are your products manufactured?
We have two collections: the Maia Ming Designs collection, produced in smaller series is manufactured in Spain, Portugal and China. The Big Arrow-Maia Ming collection is done in collaboration with my Chinese manufacturer in Chaozhou. Big Arrow is family-run factory with great quality which also manufactures OEM for companies all around the world. The Big Arrow-Maia Ming Collection of lifestyle ceramics for the home allows me to create a larger collection of products than I would be able to order on my own, and gives Big Arrow a lifestyle brand to promote in addition to its OEM production. The collection is intended for larger customers who will order in volume from China, though we have selected a small number of products that Maia Ming Designs is distributing from the U.S.
How do you see design’s importance in our industry as it moves forward?
I think that consumers are much more design-savvy than they were in the past and that products of all price points and functions are now held to a much higher standard.
Can you give us a preview of what you will be showing in your booth in Discover Design?
Sure, we have these cute and whimsical new pig eggcups called Bacon n’ Eggs that add a bit of fun to the breakfast table.
We also have the new green Bulb tea set that coincidentally is a pretty close match to Pantone’s new color of the Year, Greenery.
There are other exciting new products we’ll be showing in the U.S. for the first time at IH+HS 2017: a set of textured vases and a collection of textured storage canisters. These are so new, that we didn’t even have time to send them for the Discover Design exhibit, so come by and see them at our booth N8410.
Tell us about your previous experience with Discover Design and how our Show helped build your relationships with buyers and media.
I first came to IH+HS in 2014 with a little space in Design Debut and a suitcase of my products. At this first Show one of my products was featured in the New York Times coverage and I met my future partner Big Arrow, and made my first U.S. sales!
Visit Maia Ming Designs in booth N8410. Learn more about their products at www.maiamingdesigns.com
Discover Design is the premier destination at the International Home + Housewares Show for trend spotters who make design their priority. Nearly 200 design leaders will present their products in all Show categories to delight retailers looking for the unique at the Discover Design Expo located at the front of the North Building.
Anchored by renowned brands such as Alessi, Nambe and Joseph Joseph, Discover Design welcomes new exhibitors, such as 3 Sprouts, Stelton, Sophistiplate and Victoria Lekach, and introduces 10 emerging companies at the Design Debut incubator. Additional fresh offerings from veteran design-focused exhibitors such as Dreamfarm, Koziol and Three by Three will also inspire your choices for the coming year.
Learn more about Discover Design exhibitors online.
