The Lawnware Story
Handmade ceramics by Lize Lawn — from a small studio in Saint Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.
Lawnware is the studio practice of British ceramicist Lize Lawn, working from a small studio in Saint Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. Every piece sold under the Lawnware name is made by Lize herself — there is no factory, no outsourcing and no transferware. What you receive is the result of clay, water, fire and a pair of working hands.
From a single bowl to a small studio
Lawnware began as an evening hobby in 2019, when Lize threw her first wonky cup on a borrowed wheel in a converted Hastings garage. What started as personal practice grew into a waiting list of friends asking for mugs, then bowls, then commissions. By 2023 it had become a full studio, supplying tableware to homes, cafés and gift shops across the South Coast of England. The studio remains deliberately small: typically 30–80 pieces are made each month, fired in two kiln loads, glazed by hand, and shipped directly from East Sussex.
How a Lawnware piece is made
Each piece begins with British-sourced stoneware or porcelain clay. Stoneware is wedged on a wooden bench, then either thrown on the wheel or slip-cast into a bespoke plaster mould. After the initial form is made, pieces are left to firm up to leather-hard before being trimmed, footed and signed.
They are then bisque-fired at 980°C, glazed with a hand-mixed mineral glaze (iron oxide, wood ash, feldspar, rutile or copper), and fired a second time to 1240–1280°C in an electric kiln. The whole process — from clay to finished mug or bowl — takes around 10–14 days.
Why handmade matters
A handmade ceramic mug holds its tea or coffee identically to a mass-produced one — but it does so with a thumbprint where the handle meets the body, with a glaze that pools differently in each piece, and with a footring trimmed by a real human in real time. Each Lawnware bowl, cup or vessel is signed and numbered.
The studio's range covers everyday tableware (mugs, bowls, plates, jugs), tea and coffee accessories (cuplets, cafetières), and decorative objects (orbs, vases, table sculpture). Pieces are food-safe, lead-free, dishwasher-tolerant and microwave-safe — they are made to be used, not to sit on a shelf.
Sustainability
Lawnware sources clay from UK suppliers, uses water-based recyclable packaging, prints labels on FSC-certified paper, and runs the studio on a 100% renewable electricity tariff. Glaze trimmings and seconds are recycled into new clay batches; broken pieces are crushed into grog. Shipping is via Royal Mail Tracked using right-sized recycled boxes — no excess plastic, no polystyrene chips.
Where to find Lawnware
The full collection is available on this website with free UK shipping over £40 and tracked Royal Mail delivery. The studio is in Saint Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex (TN postcode area), and visits are by appointment.
Lize occasionally exhibits at craft fairs across Sussex and Kent — follow @lawnware on Instagram for upcoming events. For commissions or trade enquiries, email info@lawnware.uk.
— Lize Lawn, Lawnware Studio, East Sussex