You’ve probably noticed that here at Handmade Charlotte, we love color! Rainbows, polka dots, neon lights – bring it on! Although we do love “more is more” so much of the time, other times we can’t help but be drawn to simpler, less flashy designs instead.

Enter Gaelle Stratman – a ceramicist living in Mougins, a small town in the south-east of France. She mainly works with white earthenware clay, but occasionally porcelain as well. All pieces available in her shop she designs and makes herself, using design, function, and aesthetics as her guide. She’s often most inspired by everyday objects, especially ephemeral packaging including styrofoam or plastic cups, milk cartons, and yogurt cups.

The ceramic yogurt cup pictured earlier in the post was made with an actual plastic container of Petit Suisse (a soft cheese-like yogurt from Danone). First Gaelle made a plaster mold of the plastic container, and then recreated the piece using white earthenware. Wouldn’t it be fun to make your own tasty yogurt flavors or parfaits in these cups? We’ll have a strawberry yogurt with kiwis and bananas please!

These tattoo-inspired cups are a limited edition set now available on Gaelle’s online shop. We love the clean lines and tidy details. Here’s betting your favorite little pirate-lover would love to drink their morning orange juice out of one of these guys!

Another one of our all-time favorites is this piece based on a TV dinner tray. This plate just screams possibilities: after school snacks of grapes, crackers, and cheese, candy-coated toppings and sprinkles for ice cream sundaes, a way to sort beads while crafting necklaces … the options are endless!

What we love most about Gaelle’s work is that it’s so creative and beautiful, but also that it inspires us to use her pieces in fun and unique ways. How would you use the ceramic TV dinner tray, or any of Gaelle’s other pieces? Share with your ideas with us in the comments below!