Memory Into Making

In creating her range of slip-decorated mugs, Mayon Hanania looked back to her childhood. “I wanted the design to resemble one I could have found in the French countryside.” Her aunt is a potter in the South of France, and as a young girl, she often visited her home studio. “It seemed like everything in her home was ceramic: the spoons, the lamps, the art… it was very inspiring to see such freedom and creativity.”

Mayon frequented museums and galleries from Provence to Paris, absorbing the wealth of art on display across the country. “I used to go to see the Daumier sculptures, the tiny busts, at the Musée d’Orsay every Friday,” she reflects. “I never tired of them.” This early exposure was formative, and by the time Mayon chose to pursue a creative life herself, she had a wellspring of imagery and references to pull from.

For someone whose creativity sits so close to the surface, selecting one discipline would perhaps be self-limiting. Mayon studied fashion design and worked for labels including Isabel Marant, simultaneously developing skills in painting, drawing and etching. She discovered ceramics after moving from France to the United States, recognising it as “a way for me to combine my love for beautiful objects and my need for visual expression.” Alongside painting, it soon became her primary focus.

Over time, Mayon has gravitated towards particular clay bodies and methods of decoration. “My choice of clay depends on the possibilities it offers to be a “canvas” for my vision,” she explains. For detailed designs featuring fine lines and intricate patterns, she favours light clay that shows illustrative elements more clearly, while darker clay bodies better suit her sculptural works. “What I enjoy about any clay I work with is leaving some parts raw to show its true character. I like the mix of both: the natural, unglazed quality of the material and the smooth coating of a glaze.”

The tableware she has crafted for the TOAST Autumn Winter 2026 collection grew from a desire to convey a feeling. “Even though I usually love telling stories and being illustrative with my designs, I wanted to focus more on sensation than storytelling.” Playful strokes of slip resembling “waves” and “drops” trace the simple profiles of the mugs, bowls and jugs; she hopes these handmade marks will uplift those who use them. “I like the idea of bringing a bit of joy to people’s day through a coffee cup or water jug.”

She also relies on feeling to judge her own work, an instinct rooted in summers spent in Sweden with her husband. Here, she was greatly influenced by the artists Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson. “What always captivated me were their homes, filled with Swedish design and pottery. I marvelled at how they infused art into everything around them,” she recalls. “I often try to picture my pots in Carl Larsson's house – if they look nice in it, in my head, then I think I made something good.”

Mayon works across two studios in the California home she shares with her husband and cats. The first, dedicated to painting and hand-building pieces, is a compact room with a direct view of her garden. “It’s full of art, books and collected items. I can watch my cats and look out at the trees as I work.” Her second workspace is located in the garage; a true potter’s station where she spends mornings and evenings throwing. “It’s a bit rough around the edges. Plants are growing inside, and I’m expecting passion fruits to fall from the roof soon,” she laughs. “I started setting it up a few months ago, and I have lots of plans for it.”

Occasionally, seeking a change of scenery and a sense of community, she ventures to San Pedro Clay Works, a new local studio where she has ample space to glaze and fire her pieces. “I share it with the founder, Randy Gomez, who’s an excellent artist and ex-production potter. It’s a fun place to work, full of energy.”

In sun-drenched California, the warmth and outdoor culture might echo Mayon’s earliest memories, but the inspiration she has found here is novel. “Everything around me inspires me tremendously. Open-water swimming, walking in nature, sunsets beyond compare – it’s impossible not to be affected by all that this city has to offer.” It is the latest place to find its way into her visual language, shaped by the experiences she gathers and a willingness to invite inspiration in, wherever life takes her.