Hasta La Ideas

“Silversmith” sounds like a stodgy profession steeped in history and the old way of doing things, but UK-based Charlotte Tollyfield has made a career out of breathing new life into the craft. Tollyfield—whose official job title is “Designer Silversmith”—pushes silver to its limits, using traditional techniques of press-forming and spinning to create modern forms intended more for utility than decoration. As she writes:

My current work is designed for the interactive environment of the dining table where the silver is not just on display but also something to be actively used. The work has both a visual and tactile appeal, causing the viewer to look with their hands as well as their eyes. To me an object is not complete until it has fulfilled its role so a sugar bowl is not a sugar bowl until it has had sugar dispensed from it.

Pictured up top are her Square Pot Pourri Bowl and Tri-Bowl #2; below, her Interchangeable Octagonal Napkin Rings/Tealight Holders and Whiskey Tumblers; and bottom-most is her Square Teapot, a newer creation for which she recently won the Best New Merchandise Award at the prestigious Goldsmiths’ Fair in London.

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