Heath Ceramics Summer Collection |

Tray and tumbler set. Photo credit Jeffery Cross.

It’s beginning to warm up here in the New York City area, and people can get a little carried away that winter is finally over. Once the temperature hits 60 degrees Fahrenheit, suddenly every other person on the street is walking around half-dressed. I think some men buy special calendars that announce it’s the Official First Shirtless Day of the year because, as if all at once, all you see is chest hair and bad tattoos.

Launching in April in limited quantities, Heath Ceramic‘s new collection of tabletop pieces is also eager for the summer to arrive. Along with a fresh color palette including California Poppy, Grapefruit, and Birch, the collection revisits the company’s previous experiments with exposing the natural clay body texture of their designs. Like those fancy bakery cookies that have their ends dipped in chocolate, these luscious glazes are tempting enough to bite into. Clay is exposed at defined points on many pieces, either towards the neck of a vase or base of a bowl. In the collection, matte glazes also continue over the edge or rim of many pieces, lifting the eye with a burst of saturated color. A new desk accessory set that includes containers with screen-printed cork stoppers helps you continue your summer indulgences while at work, even once winter arrives again. Just try to keep your shirt on, okay? Prices range from $25 (bud vase) to $300 (salad bowl and table runner set).