Edith Heath, the Visionary Lady of Ceramics

Edith Heath (1911–2005) founded Heath Ceramics in 1948 after her solo pottery show at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor. She was a talented ceramicist with a great respect for craft and material, and a strong point of view on the product that her company would make — simple, good things for good people.

Edith's passion for ceramics led to advances in clay and glaze development, which secured Heath its unique place in ceramics history. Her pieces were designed to enjoy a single kiln firing, at a lower than normal temperature, thus saving energy, while remarkably producing a durable and non-porous product. This Great Depression mentality motivated her to design and produced long-lasting products with integrity, natural quality and responsibility.

Edith also developed a line of ceramics for architectural wall surfaces. Her unique tiles are considered today as classics of the mid-century design. Oval, Diamond, Bowtie, Triangle and Crease are part of the Collection of Dimensional tile that was unearthed and brought back to life in 2003, after 50 years of lying dormant in the Heath factory. The sculptural, 3-dimensional surface has a distinct, clean, modern-era feel, making the Dimensional collection a stunning and unique art piece as much as a functional tile installation. 

Today, over sixty years later, Heath Ceramics is considered among the most enduring examples of mid-century design. Found in restaurants, homes and museums worldwide, Heath's name is synonymous of simple, functional and thoughtfully designed tableware and tile. As well, many of Edith’s original pieces live in the permanent collections of museums such as the MOMA and LACMA. Heath's iconic tableware and tile are still made in small runs on the premises of our Sausalito, California factory, just as they have been since 1948. Take a tour at heathceramics.com and watch a video about the Heath tradition in the Sausalito's studio today.

"House Industries at Heath Ceramics" was an eclectic exhibition shown in 2010 where carefully-curated House Industries alphanumeric installations were combined with Heath's fresh clay aesthetic. Letters, numbers, ceramics and craftsmanship collided in a month-long House Industries exhibition at the Heath Los Angeles studio and store. House transformed the legendary tile and tableware maker’s airy Beverly Boulevard space into an unprecedented emulsion of clay, metal, ink, cotton, wood, lacquer, lithography and letterforms.




HEATH in LA
7525 Beverly Boulevard (between Sierra Bonita & Gardner)
Los Angeles, CA 90036 Phone  323 965 0800