Samsurium is a story about finding the beauty in meaningful chaos. Familiar shapes and patterns, put together in new and surprising ways, create small works of art each with their own personality. The collection is one of the clearest expressions of Dottir's design universe. Here, the organic meets the geometric, the sharp meets the soft, the simple meets the detailed. Shapes, colours, reliefs and glazes are allowed to play together – and sometimes challenge each other. At first glance, it may look like a jumble. But nothing is random.
Samsurium takes its starting point in shapes and patterns we already know: a flower's organic curves, classic fluted surfaces, graphic lines and shapes drawn from traditional porcelain and ceramics. The elements are taken out of their original context and put together in new ways. The familiar becomes surprising, and something new emerges where the different expressions meet.
It is precisely the contrasts that give Samsurium its special character. Soft shapes meet bold reliefs. Delicate colours stand alongside deeper tones. Glossy glazes highlight the shapes of the porcelain and let the light change the expression throughout the day.
Samsurium is not made for the perfectly coordinated home. The collection is made for the personal home – where new meets old, design meets memories, and different things are allowed to stand together and create their own story.
Samsurium exists in the space between function and decoration. These are small everyday works of art. The collection includes bowls, plates, mugs, vases and candlesticks that are made to be used, yet at the same time have a sculptural quality that makes them decorative in their own right.
A bowl doesn't have to be just a bowl. A candlestick can be a small design object, even when the candle isn't lit. Shapes and colours can be combined in all sorts of ways, so the expression changes depending on place, occasion and personal style. These are everyday objects you'll want to leave out on display.
Behind Samsurium's playful expression lies an uncompromising approach to porcelain quality and craftsmanship. The detailed shapes and reliefs place great demands on production. The moulds are made with great precision, the porcelain is cast, and each piece is worked and polished by hand. Several of the collection's designs consist of different porcelain parts that are assembled manually before being glazed and fired at very high temperatures.
The glaze is an important part of Samsurium's expression. The thickness of the glaze, the temperature of the kiln and the product's placement during firing all influence the final result and give the colours their particular depth and life. When porcelain is created and finished by human hands, two products are never entirely alike. Small variations in surface, shape and glaze are therefore not flaws, but a natural part of the craftsmanship. They help give each design in Samsurium its own character.
Samsurium is made to grow over time. You can start with a single object and later let new shapes and colours move in. The pieces can stand alone or be combined across the range, and it is precisely the meeting between the different expressions that is part of the collection's idea.
There is no single right way to put together Samsurium. A personal home is not created according to a fixed recipe. It grows out of the things we choose, use and love.
Samsurium celebrates the beauty of meaningful chaos – and the joy of creating your very own order within it.
