HANDMADE PRODUCTS: VIRTUES AND VICES

“Small imperfections are not attributed to a manufacturing flaw but to the uniqueness and quality of the product, entirely handmade.”

WHAT DOES BUYING A HANDMADE PRODUCT MEAN?

Buying handmade products must be a conscious act: it means to choose products made by hand processes, which aren’t industrial or mass-produced. It means to buy items that are going to be unique. Uniqueness, originality and attention to detail make every product different from others, no two are exactly the same.

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Some Easy Life collections (Abitare, Artesanal, Design Art, Interiors, Colour Splash) incorporate both hands and machinery during their crafting. That’s why you will not find the same two products. You should also know that handmade products may feature imperfections, such as:

Tiny black holes, surface imperfections or different colors for similar products part of the same collection made with reactive glaze. Different weights, different sizes, irregular backs on the goods, tiny irregularities of contact parts, color concentration in natural deposit, signs of connections between different elements are all intrinsic characteristics that represent the uniqueness of each article. 

You can also find differences of color in items made with wood or with decal decorations: stickers decorations placed on the surface will never perfectly line up.

These are all signs proving that the products aren’t mass produced and imperfections are all characteristics of handmade products.

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MIRRORED product has intentional gaps between the cut corners, this is to accommodate the natural expansion and contraction of the wooden body that occurs during fluctuating temperatures. Avoid exposing your furniture to excessive heat e.g. by placing it in front of a radiator, as this can cause cracking. Glass or mirrored panels should be cleaned using a non-solvent based glass cleaner and a soft cloth, carefully avoiding contact with wooden or painted sections.

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GLASS items will be similar, but never identical. Slight imperfections in the form of air bubbles, hand tool marks, pattern and color irregularities reveal that a skilled human hand produced the glassware rather than a mass producing machine. Shapes, sizes and colors may vary from piece to piece as this is the nature of the product.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IN FRONT OF HANDMANDE PRODUCT?

It will be easy to find a set of plates with items different one from others: you may find a plate with cracks, another one in a lighter shade of blue or one with an irregular shape.

How to behave? Everyone should better analyze the situation trying to understand if the items have a real flaw or if it is part of artisanal features.

Here some questions to ask to yourself, before complainments (but also before placing the orders):

Do I like handmade products?

Do I know the meaning?

Do I want a handmade product even if it is not perfect? Even if the set I will receive is composed of items different one from the others?

Do I know that the idea of perfection is exactly the opposite of craftsmanship?

Do I still want perfection at all costs? If the answer is yes, maybe I’m not the right customer for craftsmanship items.