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“Ortolan. It is a deep fried songbird. You eat it whole. This is like a rare privilege. And it’s also kind of illegal. [The napkin] is for the head. The exact purpose is debated. Some say it is to mask the shame. Others to heighten the pleasure.” -HBO’s Succession ORA I SCULPTURAL TABLE LIGHT Our first foray into lighting. Each hand-carved light in this collection is a nod to cultivating quiet moments of reflection. ​ Natural elements are melded together to create a sculptural piece that is both an artifact and an everyday fixture. ​ The ORA collection consists of four different sculptural lights. They are created in small batches from white gypsum cement, muslin, and brass. ​ Handmade in San Francisco ​ Tear Sheet ​ Inquire ORA II SCULPTURAL TABLE LIGHT ORA SCULPTURAL LIGHTS ORA III SCULPTURAL TABLE LIGHT ORA IV SCULPTURAL LIGHT INSTALLATION

GALA CHANDELIER Specialty paper and brass L 48 in x W 32 in x H 50 in Handmade in San Francisco GALA is a family of light installations inspired by the fluid forms and dream-like juxtapositions of the surrealists. One-of-a-kind cast brass connections, fabricated by a lost wax technique, gently suspend glowing paper shells in mid-air. ​ ​ ​ Tear Sheet and Specs Inquire "...and each time Gala made the landscape of my imagination seem reasonable." - Salvador Dalí ​ Handmade in San Francisco, GALA Chandelier was commissioned by Chroma and developed for the SF Decorator Showcase 2023. GALA is White Dirt’s first collaboration between founding designer Dana Harel and accomplished architect and longtime friend, Frank Merritt. ​ Photography by Chroma SF, Nikki Gerdes, and Tim Lenz.

SUITES is the first White Dirt collection, consisting of six different porcelain vessels. Surface details on each vessel suggest a compressed, geological layering of anthropomorphic forms and architectural ruins . Each piece is timeless in its design for everyday tabletop use as a pitcher or vase. ​ TEAR SHEET SLIP-CAST PORCELAIN MATTE EXTERIOR GLAZED INTERIOR FOOD SAFE LIMITED EDITION OF 20 MADE IN SAN FRANCISCO ​ INQUIRE SUITE I SUITE II SUITE III SUITE IV SUITE V SUITE VI

An extension of our first lighting collection, ORA V consists of six yards of fabric that envelope light and brass. Anchored by a bespoke hydrocal sculpture, our floor light illuminates with a gentle glow. ​ ​ ​ ORA V White gypsum cement, canvas, cotton rope, and brass brooch and hardware dimensions 78h x 18⌀ inches Handmade in San Francisco ​ ​ ​ See ORA V and more of our bespoke objects this month at the 2024 SF Decorator Showcase in the Fortuna Lounge by Chroma . ​ Open from April 27th to May 27th. Tickets available here . ​ ​

Click on an image to read the entire post. On White Dirt Issue 1 February 2023 By Dana Harel Six years ago, while traveling through the Carolinas, I came across kaolin clay, colloquially known as “white dirt.” I became fascinated with its diverse uses. Believed to provide essential minerals...

BENE, our collection of stoneware bowls, is inspired by natural pools and water wells. Hand-carved exteriors complement smooth interior surfaces glazed with deep green hues, reminiscent of geological formations. ​ Available in two sizes and colors, clear and forest green. ​ BENE is handcrafted to elevate everyday rituals. ​ TEAR SHEET SLIP-CAST STONEWARE MATTE EXTERIOR GLAZED INTERIOR FOOD SAFE UNLIMITED EDITION MADE IN SAN FRANCISCO INQUIRE BENE I BENE II

Drafts in WHITE Luminous Dreams Issue 2 May 2023 By Dana Harel This year, White Dirt was invited to join Chroma to collaborate on a lighting element for the San Francisco Decorator Showcase. We are honored by the invitation and excited to create a light based on their theme: Surrealism. “Lifting the skin of the ocean…” a painting by Salvador Dalí, inspired us to construct an imaginative chandelier, a centerpiece for Chroma’s Apollonia Dining Room. The surrealists, with their fluid forms and dream-like juxtapositions, moved us to create glowing paper shells suspended in mid-air by jewel-like cast brass knots. Collaboration seems to be the direction of the studio this season. We are thrilled to have Frank Merritt, a longtime friend and accomplished architect, design this project with White Dirt. GALA is a true collaboration from concept to production. GALA debuted in Chroma's Apollonia Dining Room at the 44th San Francisco Decorator Showcase. Join us on Instagram to continue the story. Photography by Nikki Gerdes . Image of Dalí Illustrated Book (Abrams 1968) from Dana’s personal library.

Drafts in WHITE Inner Space Revisited Issue 5 February 2024 ​ My process of mold-making often reminds me of the Pantheon with its prominent oculus opening at the center of its high ceiling. Whenever I visit Rome, I return multiple times a day to experience the space. With each visit, the atmosphere shifts, but the building – a centuries-old place of worship – still holds my attention. Pilgrims pray, tourists shuffle about, and even the natural elements, like rain, are free to fall from above. Meditating on the visual similarities between this grand interior and the molds in our studio, I am once again reminded of my roots in architecture. However, while buildings are planned with rigorous care, my initial process of mold-making is spontaneous and haphazard in nature. And although my process is inherently unsystematic and careless during formation, the outcomes require an almost ceremonial excavation to carefully reveal the resultant inner forms. Originally, my sculptures were meant to be experienced visually. Once hollowed out, they became pitchers and vases and were repurposed to be used in everyday rituals around the table, offering moments for intimate human connection. When pulled apart, our molds’ interiors reveal fossilized expressions that range from architectural geometry to organic remnants of the human form. This sequence continues to fascinate me. Each time we tie a mold together and subsequently peel it apart, we play peek-a-boo with the seen and unseen — a moment I eagerly revisit again and again. Drafts in WHITE are bimonthly notes from our studio – inspirations, illuminations, and cultural explorations. ​ Images: Sectional of Pantheon via Smarthistory; White Dirt photography by Jessica Eve Rattner; sketches by Dana Harel.

BENE, our collection of stoneware bowls, is inspired by natural pools and water wells. Hand-carved exteriors complement smooth interior surfaces glazed with deep green hues, reminiscent of geological formations. ​ Available in two sizes and colors, clear and forest green. ​ BENE is handcrafted to elevate everyday rituals. ​ TEAR SHEET SLIP-CAST STONEWARE MATTE EXTERIOR GLAZED INTERIOR FOOD SAFE UNLIMITED EDITION MADE IN SAN FRANCISCO INQUIRE BENE I BENE II

Drafts in WHITE The House of the Ear Issue 3 August 2023 By Dana Harel Casa Sola-Busca, nicknamed “The House of the Ear,” sits on a quiet street in Milan. I stumbled upon it during one of my early trips to Italy. It is the poetic manifestation of an edifice listening to you and its city. Instantly inspired by this playfulness of scale between architecture and the human form, I began imagining a new collection of White Dirt vessels in a similar vein. To the astute explorers that find this site, the bronze ear may seem like just an eccentric work of art. However, the piece once functioned as the building’s intercom for visitors to call upon residents. This larger-than-life ear creates an exceptional moment - a lyrical point of entry to the building. The human form has always been used as a point of reference in architecture— scale, measurements, and proportions all tend to reflect the body as a whole. Rendered out of scale and place, this ear breaks away from the traditional relationship between body and building. Back home from my travels and alone with my thoughts, I started developing ATRIO. Through the years, my fascination with anthropomorphism has always been present and very often influences my work. With this new collection, I combined construction materials and inverted heads as the foundation for new architecturally inspired forms. Unlike the house of the ear, the body parts are more obscured and subtle, embedded within the porcelain surface, becoming visible only to the highly attentive observer. Back home from my travels and alone with my thoughts, I started developing ATRIO. Through the years, my fascination with anthropomorphism has always been present and very often influences my work. With this new collection, I combined construction materials and inverted heads as the foundation for new architecturally inspired forms. Unlike the house of the ear, the body parts are more obscured and subtle, embedded within the porcelain surface, becoming visible only to the highly attentive observer. Explore our collection inspired by Casa Sola-Busca - ATRIO . Images: Casa Sola-Busca from Dana’s library; Le Corbusier’s “Modulor Man” photo by Cemal Emden; White Dirt photography by Nikki Gerdes .

HERMA (n) - a sculpture or vertical support that is typically a square or rectangular pillar and features a carved head or bust. HERMA I Our sculptural furniture collection takes inspiration from classical forms to create a multi-functional piece. HERMA II HERMA III