About -new-draft

Porcelain Bear is a design studio characterised by an experimental exploration of its namesake material. Traversing the worlds of furniture, lighting and object d’art, the Melbourne based studio is distinguished by its unique marriage of traditional techniques with contemporary technology.

hand-made-about

Led by the artisanship of founders Gregory Bonasera and Anthony Raymond, Porcelain Bear strives to reimagine porcelain in a decidedly contemporary manner, exploring its boundaries while inventing entirely new applications that respond to the needs of the world’s leading interior design and architecture practices.

Porcelain Bear pendants, wall lights, luminaires and bespoke furniture are found in private homes, public dining rooms and luxurious hotels across the world. Recent projects include Hyatt Centric, Voco Melbourne and Woollahara Hotel.

Gregory Bonasera
Things about Gregory
More about Gregory
Anthony Raymond
Things about Anthony
More about Anthony
Visit the Stockroom
Link to Available Now page
The Studio
In our studio all work is created by hand using the 300-year-old techniques of mould making and slip casting. Liquid clay, called slip, is poured into a porous Plaster Of Paris mould, which has a cavity in the shape of the desired object. Then the object inside the mould is cast for a period of minutes or hours, depending on the thickness required for the design. After the desired time, the residual slip is poured out and recycled. The soft object left inside the mould is allowed to firm as water continues to be absorbed by the mould, then after an appropriate length of time the relatively firm object is removed from the mould, dried and then bisque fired at around 1000°C to render it insoluble. It is then coated in a glaze solution and fired a second time at around 1300°C – the highest heat for any domestic ceramic - to change the design to porcelain. This intricate process ensures the perfect formation of each design.
Our atelier is steeped in traditions of European and Australian ceramics with a focus on cast porcelain. Our Australian made porcelain items are unique, made with the highest quality materials sourced from around the world and made by hand in Melbourne, Australia.
Link to Studio Page
Porcelain Bear Lighting
We make and sell luxurious designer lighting including pendant lighting, wall lights, hanging light fixtures, and bedside lamps. Our lights are compatible with most commercial and residential dimmers. Our lights are popular for bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, living areas and hallways, and all indoor spaces.
Some of our most popular light fittings include porcelain pendants lights and interior wall lights. Our lumieres offer a modern interpretation on classic chandeliers and create a beautiful focal point in entrances, staircases, grand halls and other large spaces.
Lins to Lighting page
Porcelain Bear Furniture
Lovingly created with hand made porcelain tiles, our furniture ranges include dining tables, side tables, hall tables, consoles, desks and our very popular bedside tables.
Link to Furniture page
Homewares
Our homewares line includes ceramic beakers, cups, plates, platters and bowls. Our ceramic vases are popular and come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours. We are currently working on a new series of ceramic plant pots for our spring showroom display.
Link to Pinch pots and other homewares
Objets d'Art
Ceramic art, porcelain art, beautiful objects for the home.
Link to Objects