Aligned in Craft: Heath Ceramics x Madda Studio
We value collaborating with brands that share our design ethos and commitment to quality and sustainability, making our partnership with Heath Ceramics a natural fit. Much like our natural dyes, Heath’s glazes embrace the beauty of variation and imperfection, reflecting a shared spirit of experimentation with color and craft.
In celebration of Heath Ceramics’ Seeds of Summer Collection - featuring our Compound Weave pillows and tea towels - we sat down with Megan Wernetti, President of Creative at Heath, to discuss our collaboration and the creative parallels between our two brands.
How do you incorporate Edith's visions into designing timeless pieces for the modern home?
My understanding of Edith is that she was an incredible visionary, so far ahead of her time. While Heath today is often associated with a pared down and streamlined aesthetic, I think the most important part of her vision and life's work can't be boiled down to form. Rather, it’s the persistence with which she explored, tried new things, and yearned to know the materials she worked with so deeply. She pushed boundaries - in material, in technique, in production, in business - and never settled. There was always something new to continue learning about, in her very hands-on way. And that’s what we strive to honor in her legacy, and what forms the backbone of so much of Heath’s spirit to this day.
At Madda Studio, we talk about functional fine art. Where does Heath pinpoint the intersection between ceramics as art and functional objects?
Our version of that internal dialogue is about craft, which I think can be similarly tough to pinpoint in a definitive way. Does craft refer to a skill that can only be developed over a long period of time? Is it about the care and intention that goes into making something? Is it all about technique, something that is honed through practice? Does it require the hand in particular? Can technology contribute to craft? And so on...
My answer is that I believe art is anything that speaks to you, that elicits an emotion, and through that emotion, allows you to form some kind of a personal connection with it. That “it” might be experiential, or an object, or a building, or music, and so on). Ceramics, as with many traditional handcrafts, are able to be both: functional art.
Our tea towels - made in collaboration with El Camino de los Altos - for Heath’s Summer 2026 Collection. Captured by Nicola Parisi.
What makes your creative and production process unique?
In some ways, I’d say nothing! It’s an incredibly simple approach to making something, one that I think many people would stumble upon if they set out to dream up a ceramics business. However, as with so many things, it takes great care and attention, and often complexity, to make things appear "simple".
Heath truly prioritizes creativity. Within the design team, this looks like research and experimentation, developing new glazes and glaze techniques and working closely with our production team to bring them into the predictability of a production process. The value of being colleagues, working under one roof, can’t be overstated! Prioritizing creativity, and building the business around the belief that original, fresh products and projects - like opening a Newsstand or hosting a Vintage Market in our tile factory - are what will keep Heath relevant for the long run. This means we don’t always optimize for the production process. Rather, we often ask our production processes to evolve and grow to meet the business, and we have an incredible production team that does just that.
If you were to run Heath by just looking at it on paper - not taking into consideration the connection that people have with the company and the ways that we respect, cultivate, and build on those relationships - you would never position creativity and production in that way, and that's the precious tension that makes Heath so one-of-a-kind.
How do you think Heath’s local manufacturing approach benefits the community?
By creating stable, dependable jobs that cover a wide variety of disciplines and skills. We have also carved out studio space in our San Francisco and LA buildings where we’re able to work with other artists and help enable them to focus on their craft, rather than on where they can afford to practice. And we intentionally design our showrooms to include some form of making, positioning them in places with a lot of traffic and exposure. One of our goals is to make manufacturing more prominent, because the more we understand how the objects we fill our lives with come into being, the more connected we each are within our community.
Our Rosalba and Taproot tea towels for the Heath Seeds of Summer Collection.
You have been with Heath for over 13 years. What does the brand represent at its core, and how has it evolved during your tenure?
An undying love for design and creative pursuit. Not because it's a good way to sell pots or the trendy fad that resonates with people. Rather a genuine, deeply personal interest in creating beautiful things - whether products or experiences - and solving problems in ways that take into account something bigger than the bottom line.
In my time I’ve come to much more deeply understand and appreciate that. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I didn't get it at first. Heath's incredible sense of design is what took my breath away when I first stepped through the doors of the Sausalito factory for my interview back in 2012, and what made me say no to a different job offer, even before Heath made me an offer! I knew it was special and wanted to be part of it. Now, with 13 years of experience, and in particular my time learning from Cathy and Robin, my comprehension feels so much more layered.
I feel a deep sense of accountability to ensure we don’t lose the passion for creativity, originality, and design in our creative team and in the way we run our business. Over my tenure, I think Heath, at its core, has stayed the same, while our understanding of the world and the position Heath holds within a larger context continues to evolve.
Our Compound Weave pillow in Oceano for Heath Ceramics’ Winter 2025 Catching Light Collection.
How does a partnership with Madda Studio align with Heath’s mission?
Heath's purpose is "to keep artisanal craft alive by creating products and experiences rooted in designing and making". Working with Madda Studio is such a perfectly aligned way to celebrate traditional craft, modern design, and the beauty that comes when designing and making is interwoven.
What do you like about collaborating with Madda Studio?
Everyone at Madda Studio is so open, curious, and passionate. It’s not easy running businesses like these and yet we do it because if we don’t, who will? We share a belief that there is something to hold onto, to both preserve but also make relevant to a modern customer. Getting to work with a partner who is on the same page, navigating the challenges of running a business in 2026, is always so affirming.
Where do you see opportunities for future collaboration?
I was struck by some of the similarities between the dyeing and weaving processes and our made to order tile program. It’s a stretch, but I wonder if there’s something to explore between those mediums.
