From the Factory: Commune for David Mellor

As a British Designer based in California, I'm delighted to introduce Commune’s collaboration with British design icon David Mellor; a new interpretation of his classic Provençal flatware. When first developed, the line was technically revolutionary in combining stainless steel with high quality acetal resin during a time of culinary revolution towards healthy eating. With its gently rounded handles and soft curved lines, it remains a staple in modern homes and restaurants reflecting increasingly relaxed attitudes towards the presentation of fine food. The exclusive Commune edition features tumbled, high-carbon stainless steel paired with ivory colored resin handles secured with brass rivets.

We have always described our process at Commune as holistic. There is a great satisfaction that comes with the sheer level of detail that constitutes the finished product, making these constant design decisions and analysis is, for us, a way of life. I liken it to cooking with each individual component being equivalent to chosen ingredients. Judging ratio and the alchemic pairing of these ingredients is a honed skill. The quality of the ingredients is critical. In the same way that we might specify the most revered old-growth redwood for an interior, a chef might insist on a particular peach from a specific grower. We operate on the simple principle that a considered, fully detailed design provides pleasure and in doing so improves one’s quality of life.

This is something we share with David Mellor, in his own words:

For me, in all aspects of my activity – from the choice of our buildings, the selection of our office equipment, down to the choice of the right rivets for my cutlery – to aim for the highest visual standards has been paramount, and perfecting this skill has been one of the main aims of my life as a Designer. — Contemporary Designers, 1984

Although David Mellor originally trained as a silversmith and is most known for his cutlery designs, his contributions are far more diverse. Following David Mellors’ passing in 2009, Sir Terence Conran described David Mellor as “Britain’s most serious, modest and greatest post-war product designer.” David Mellor set modern precedent through combining the skillsets of the craftsman, manufacturer, entrepreneur, retailer and inventor into one multidimensional practice. The scope of his contributions ranges from unique, specially commissioned works of craft silver to the industrial design for traffic lights and street furniture. Today, the industries of fine art, craft and design are becoming increasingly interwoven, and the self-proclaimed ‘maker’ is commonplace. Operating in the 1970’s under a similar ethos, David Mellor’s practice now appears almost prescient.

David Mellor’s son, Corin, is an acclaimed Designer in his own right. In the summer of 2022, I accepted an invitation from Corin to visit, the Round Building, their beautiful factory in the small village of Hathersage in Derbyshire, UK. The surrounding countryside is a spectacularly stunning stretch of the Peak District National Park. Single lane roads wind through the pristine, pastoral landscape and in a moment of unexpected wonder give way to the David Mellor Round Building. The celebrated building was erected in the early 1990’s and designed in partnership between David Mellor and architect Michael Hopkins. Built upon the circular foundations of a former Victorian gas tank, it sits like a chapel, nestled in woodland. Although no chapel of dogma, the building certainly is an architecture of reverence and has become a pilgrimage site for the design connoisseur. Natural light dapples workbenches and machinery through a central round skylight in the conical roof. Sheet metal enters the building and moves counterclockwise via a series of machines and workstations. The material exits out the same door as transformed flawless, iconic hand-crafted cutlery. Intriguingly, those working at each station are skilled and experienced in every step of production and rotate their positions routinely – great pride is taken when polishing the knife at one station that they may have stamped at a previous station days prior. There is a tranquility to the space. The machinery appears to have been collected over the decades. The interior is sparse, timeless in its utility and beautiful in its simplicity. A simple palette of concrete, steel and plywood render the interior with an austere sophistication something akin to Donald Judd’s Marfa buildings.

Corin Mellor continues his father’s legacy introducing new product of his own design and those of others… all with exquisite curation. I can’t help but draw parallels between the generational evolution of the David Mellor brand and that of Heath Ceramics. It took the right custodians with great respect and tact to responsibly grow both companies.

Fittingly, our friends at Heath Ceramics will be stocking the Commune for David Mellor Provençal line in addition to Commune Shop. The Atlantic Ocean may separate us, but we are all sitting at the same table… united by our love for design and the handcrafted.

Bon appétit.

Text by Sam Spenser
Photography courtesy David Mellor and Carol Sachs

Shop the Commune for David Mellor Provençal Flatware Set