Ten Years of Making: A Look Back at 2025
Myrthlings, this year marked a decade since we founded Myrth, and it's been one of transformation. From new equipment to new glazes, from expanding partnerships to celebrating alongside Martha Stewart, 2025 reminded us why we left corporate design to build something with our hands.
Starting Strong: New Tools, New Clay
We began the year by finally getting our roller jigger (a forming machine we'd been eyeing for years) fully operational. By February we had finished transitioning all of our production from hand jiggering to the roller. It was a steep learning curve, but the improvement in quality and consistency has been worth every adjustment. To make the most of this equipment, we developed a new porcelain clay recipe specifically formulated for the roller's requirements. It's one of those behind-the-scenes changes that customers might not see directly, but we feel it in every piece we make.
February also brought another kind of investment: Abby started Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program. Over the following months, she worked through coursework on growth strategy, operations, and financial planning, practical tools that have already shaped how we approach our B2B programs and trade partnerships.
New Designs, New Partnerships
In April, we re-introduced the Moon Vase, a sculptural piece that has been in our line since day one, as a fully molded vase. The new Moon has a more dynamic fluted texture and it much easier for us to make. It felt good to stretch creatively while maintaining the clean lines and hand-finished details that define Myrth.
One of the year's highlights came in May when we visited Postboy in New Buffalo, Michigan and saw our tableware in service for the first time. There's something surreal about watching diners use pieces you formed, glazed, and fired, seeing them hold up in a working kitchen exactly as you designed them to. We shipped a second order, larger than the first, to Postboy in July, cementing a partnership we're proud of.
Also in May, we graduated from 10,000 Small Businesses. The program gave us frameworks we use daily and connected us with other makers navigating similar challenges.
Recognition and Reinvention
In July, Rhode Island Monthly named us Editor's Choice for Best Custom Tableware in their Best of Rhode Island issue. It's an honor to be recognized in our home state, especially as a small studio competing against more well know businesses.
But July was also the start of something bigger: we began developing an entirely new glaze palette. The decision to change our entire color palette wasn't a small one, we've been working on this for over a year. This creative shift is the final phase of a much larger technical project: reducing our firing temperature to Cone 5.
For us ceramic designers, this means a lower target firing temperature for our pieces. This change brings several significant benefits to our process, our craft, and ultimately, our customers. These include increased production via reduced firing cycle times, less energy is consumed with each firing, reducing wear and tear on our kilns, and a new realm of color possibility.
We wanted glazes that better reflected our evolving aesthetic, colors that felt timeless, versatile, and distinctly Myrth, and this technical shift finally made that possible. The new color palette is our finest work yet!
Building the Future
September was a whirlwind. We completed our new studio kitchen, a space that not only improves our workflow but also functions as a testing ground, photography backdrop, and an vehicle for dinners and events in the studio. Almost immediately, our first samples of the new glaze colors emerged from the kilns, nerve-wracking and exhilarating in equal measure.
To launch these glazes properly, we brought in Apparition, a wildly talented photography duo who spent time shooting in both our studio kitchen and at Frank & Laurie's restaurant. Their work captured the way these pieces live: in hands, on tables, in natural light. The images became the foundation for our refreshed website and October's new glaze launch. We’re really excited to create more with Apparition in 2026.
We also traveled to Los Angeles in late September for CherryBombe Jubilee, where we connected with chefs, food writers, and fellow makers who share our values around craft and hospitality.
Closing the Year on a High Note
In late October, we attended the 10,000 Small Businesses Summit in New York—and met Martha Stewart. We shared Myrth pieces with her, and the conversation reminded us that good design transcends trends. It's about intention, durability, and beauty that lasts.
As the holidays approached, we leaned into limited editions: hand-painted mugs and our Ocean Mugs, each one a small celebration of the year's creative momentum. These pieces sold quickly, a reminder that our customers value the care we put into every detail.
What's Next
As we head into 2026, we're focused on deepening our trade partnerships, expanding our hospitality client base (hello restaurant and hotel friends reading this!), bringing on a new game-changing piece of equipment (or three!), and continuing to refine our craft. We're grateful to everyone who's supported Myrth over the past decade, whether you've ordered a single mug or outfitted an entire restaurant. We love you!
Myrthlings, here's to ten years of making, and to many more ahead.
—Abby & Eric