Think dusty pinks and faded blues in brands like Australian-favourite Jardan, or dutch oven experts Le Creuset and you’ll notice that soft pastel colours have now seeped into interior design and homewares. It seems that every brand is hopping on the trend. But did you know that pastels have always been a signature for Lladró, all the way back from the 1960s.
Lladró’s A True Friend Woman Sculpture, a limited and numbered edition of 3000 (left).
The Lladró brothers pioneered not only the high temperature single firing method, but also the distinctive look for their brand - primarily using pastels and delicate expressions to bring their pieces to life. Other porcelain brands aren’t able to achieve the translucent pastel colours that Lladró has been able to, as they mostly use the traditional triple firing method, and it is impossible to create the delicate colours using this firing method.
Lladró's Flowers Forever Girls Sculpture. Read more about the flowers that Lladró makes.
Once they were able to stabilise their firing method, the Lladró brothers designed pieces that showcase the colours they’ve so painstakingly tried to achieve. They started to craft flowers, and till today still crafts them petal by petal, and still makes more than 300 varieties of flowers, mostly in pastel colours. It was also important to have the right expressions with all of the pieces, and Lladró now has a team that specialises on finishing the expressions on each piece, as the little details, such as a upturned mouth or larger pupils will significantly affect the balance of each piece.
MODERN PASTEL PIECES
Fast forward to 2020 and with the artistry and technique they’ve learnt over the years, Lladró are able to produce pieces that both includes skilled techniques and are modern - not quite what you would expect.
Although for some it might seem that porcelain is a bit dated, if you see what they’ve done in recent years, Lladró’s experimentation with shape, function and texture is unprecedented, and their collaborations with high profile designers such as Bodo Sperlein, Marcel Wanders and Jaime Hayon are just a tip of the iceberg of what they do today.
Lladró also makes functional pieces with porcelain, such as lamps, tableware and diffusers and candles. The benefits of porcelain shine in these, as porcelain is easy to clean and care for, and porcelain colours don’t fade with time, and with little care, your pieces will look pristine for years to come. Some collectors visit us with pieces they’ve had for 40-50 years, and they are still in top tip shape.
Belle de Nuit pendant lamps free up space in a small space whilst adding colour and form to the space by subtly matching the Hermes wallpaper. Click here to read our article on Lladró bedside lamps.
The enthusiasm for porcelain remains strong, also as there is nothing else like it and the quality of what Lladró produces is unparalleled, and their pieces still maintain a steady foothold in the auction market. The beauty of these pieces of art are very different to other popular mediums of art such as paintings, and the fact that you can enjoy sculptural pieces from many different angles and it catches the light differently, are reasons why collectors continue to look out for porcelain pieces.
The unique colour palette made their pieces identifiable even without checking the hallmark or without mentioning the brand. Discover our comprehensive guide to Lladró’s porcelain chandeliers.
Lladró’s Little Ballerina I Girl Figurine can be seen on the living room’s bookshelf. Click here to see how this city apartment has been decorated with ballerinas.