Our regular roundup of indie businesses and products

Feat of Clay

Sarah Newson’s earliest memories of reading are the fairytales her mother passed down to her: “The imagery is fantastic and sometimes unnerving, from the dress made from a feather from each bird in the world, to tending three heads in a well.”

Decades later, the pictures they left in fine artist Sarah’s head have become the driving force between Princes Like Quinces, her collection of enchanting ceramics, glass paintings, brooches and half-penny coin badges. Her individually hand-painted pieces are all unique one-offs, with imagery recalling her fellow Londoners, Williams Blake and Morris.

We love her Blue King & Queen mugs, Gather Ye Rosebuds plates and wall plaques featuring mermaids, elves and goddesses.

“I’ve always loved the decorative arts and illustration: Medieval art, historic costume, folk tales, folk art and folk songs all inspire me,” she says. “I think of my work as stories that happen to be made out of clay.”

All her works are made with painstaking attention to detail “and a lot of love”.

“Hannah & Emmaline The Mermaids” wall plate, £70
princeslikequinces.com
Instagram @princeslikequinces

Here Comes the Sunne

Let the summer in with this Sunne wallpaper from Carys Briggs, director of Stoff Studios and all-round interiors visionary.

Carys produces her wallpapers by hand from her riverside studio in Woolwich, using traditional methods to create collections that go together thematically.

With an emphasis on the tactile nature of her pieces, she also makes cushions stuffed with wool – which need no plumping! – bolsters, framed prints, gift cards and wallpaper borders. Inspiration comes from nature: seashells, bananas, strutting bantams and apples all feature.

Sunne wallpaper, one 10m roll, £165
stoffstudios.com

The Bird Is the Word

Garden birds, dogs, cats and mice abound on Manchester ceramicist Lee Page Hanson’s tiles, boxes and vases.

Lee’s inspirations come from his interactions with his environment: “Cycling through Manchester city centre every day, watching the construction of the skyline with the angles of the buildings juxtaposed with multi-coloured cranes. Walking in the Yorkshire Dales – the undulating hillsides, peaks and valleys. I’m drawn to bold metallics and floral patterns found on traditional Japanese prints.”

Lee takes the animal form and plays around with it, adding decorative elements. The result is a charming and lively creature with a surreal edge, like this quizzical blue tit.

“Blue Tit in the Sun” tile, £35
leepagehanson.com

Stone Love

Marmor Paperie are paper experts of the old school and make marvellous marbled notebooks.

Marbling is defined as “a process combining print-making, science and art, made by floating paint in a tray of thickened water and transferring it onto paper”. Each one is done by hand and no two are the same.

Their Stone Journal, a 240-page hardback notebook, brings to mind Victorian libraries and leatherbound volumes of Sir Walter Scott. You could write your own novel in one.

Stone Journal, £36
marmorpaperie.co.uk

This article is from Idler #109.

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A Drink with the Idler

Our next guest on “A Drink with the Idler” is author Sacha Coward who will be chatting to Tom Hodgkinson about queer folklore – the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy.

Mark Vernon will also present a new Thought for the Week.

That’s Thursday 21 May, 6pm-7pm.

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How to Live Like a Stoic

The May/June 2026 issue of the Idler (#109) is available in Waitrose, Smiths and TG Jones.

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