Design*Sponge Guest Blog: Shelley Simpson + mud australia

I love mud australia's tableware. I love Shelley Simpson. I love Shelley's story. Usually I save such strong emotion for my little dog Crash!, but when I think about how much I really like tableware, serving dishes, having parties, having people over to eat (on nice dishes), no other tableware evokes the same reaction for me that mud australia's does. And I see a lot of products in a year!

mud's porcelain range offers almost every color you could ask for from soft pastels to vibrant red and orange (perhaps lilac/lavender is missing?) and the shapes are elegant enough for 'important' dining, but simple enough for every day. They are oven safe, dishwasher safe, and handmade (including Shelley's own two hands-- she's in the studio every day). What else could you want out of your tableware? To see the complete range, visit mud's website.

For Shelley's story, how she started mud, how she gets her products into new markets, and all sorts of other fun things, keep checking Three Layer Cake, where a full interview with her will be posted soon... (Below: Shelley in production)

Sketch something you remember from your childhood.

My Dragstar (a Christmas present when I was 10. Freedom.) …

If you could do it all over again, the one thing you wouldn't change.
Trick question? I don’t think I would/wouldn’t change anything. The whole process is what it is…

The best business advice you've been given.
In any day, do the hardest thing you have to do first.

As a mentor, the most important concept you'd want a mentee to take away from your relationship.
Work ethic and personal courage. And the knowledge that design goes nowhere without marketing, unfortunately.

In a design studio, money invested in people is always well spent...
However, work environment is really important, too. We just moved into a new space where we’ve finally merged studio, factory, office and showroom and I’m loving it!

mud production