Handmade Ceramic Bowls: 15+ of Our Favorite Bowls for Every Occasion
Posted by Jason Rhea Flanagan on Apr 17th 2021
From serving bowls to soup bowls, we've put together a list of our favorite handmade ceramic bowls from around the world to make the search for your next dinner table favorite a little easier.
If you think back to your childhood, you can probably picture the bowls your family owned in great detail.
You can vividly imagine the way they looked, the way they felt, and the feeling of excitement and anticipation when they were set out on the table. From mixing bowls to serving bowls to salad bowls, every household has a few beloved bowls that are on the table at every important occasion.
A good ceramic bowl is both beautiful and versatile, perfect for serving a generous helping of both hot and cold dishes. Ceramic bowls can be so practical when cooking, but can also look so beautiful when they are on display.
Finding the right ceramic bowls for your kitchen can be a challenge. There are so many gorgeous handmade bowls out there, that it can be overwhelming to know which ones to choose.
Here at Nicole-Rhea, our mission is to help people discover and appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of handmade goods and the makers, craftspeople, artists and artisans who create them.
If you’re looking for handmade ceramic bowls, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite bowls and their makers. It’s a diverse list, with a range of different styles by artists from all over the world. I’ve shared some thoughts on why each unique ceramic bowl spoke to me. Plus, I’ve also included some information about the maker, so you can understand the story behind the creation of each bowl.
I hope this guide helps you find the perfect ceramic bowl for your kitchen. Here’s to enjoying many wonderful family meals, dinner parties and delicious feasts from your beautiful new bowls!
Jason Rhea Flanagan
Founder - Nicole Rhea | Artisan Crafted Homewares
jason@nicole-rhea.com
P.S. Thank you so much to all the excellent artists for letting me share your beautiful handcrafted bowls with the world.
Please Note: This list is organized in alphabetical order by the maker. Also, it is by no means exhaustive. As we uncover new makers and find more beautiful bowls, we will continue to add them to this list.
15+ Of Our Favorite Handmade Ceramic Bowls From Around the World
- Geometric Two-Tone Bowl by Ceramics By Judith
- Handmade Ceramic Pinched Serving Bowl by Elizabeth Benotti Ceramics
- Snowmass Fruit Bowl by Fenway Clayworks
- Black and White Leaf Bowl by Georgie Ceramics
- Flared Rim Dinner Bowl by Hand and Fire
- Raised Serving Bowl by Jars of Dust
- Shallow Bowl by Jennifer Spring Ceramics
- Red Poppy Bowl by Juni Margrie Ceramics
- Soup Bowl by Kari Ceramics
- Berry Bowl by Lafayette Avenue Ceramics
- Serving Bowl by Spako Clay
- Fern Ceramic Ramen Bowl by Tamara Bryan Pottery
- Medium Serving Bowl by Terrafirma Ceramics
- Oval Irregular Bowl by This Quiet Dust Ceramics
- Ceramic Ramen Bowl by Whiskey and Clay
- Low Profile Hummus Serving Bowl by Wolf Ceramics
Geometric Two-Tone Bowl by Ceramics By Judith
Maker: Ceramic by Judith (Judith Amiel-Bendheim)
Made In: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Material: Stoneware
Method(s): Wheel-thrown, Carved
This elegant, perfectly-shaped 6.5” bowl is just the right size for cereal, pasta, noodles or a hearty bowl of soup.
I love the contrast between the muted neutral tones of the unglazed exterior and the bright, vibrant color of the glossy green interior. No two bowls are alike, and the designs are handmade and unique.
It’s inspired by mid-century designs, yet it would certainly be a visual highlight in a sleek, modern kitchen. Plus, the bowl is dishwasher and microwave safe, so it’s as practical to use as it is beautiful.
About the Maker: Judith has been a full-time ceramic artist since 2007. Born in Jerusalem, Israel, she traveled extensively across Asia, Europe and the USA in her previous career as a pharmacist.
Judith found inspiration from the range of diverse cultures and artistic traditions she experienced on her travels. Now she lives in Phoenix, Arizona and focuses on creating ceramic pieces that are unique, expressive and utilitarian.
"Working with clay and creating different functional ceramic pieces, I found making bowls the most satisfying. One of the reasons is that bowls have multiple functions: for soups, salad, cereal, etc. When I throw a bowl on the potter’s wheels, I don’t decide it’s ultimate function, that is the user’s decision." - Judith Amiel-Bendheim
Pinched Serving Bowl by Elizabeth Benotti Ceramics
Maker: Elizabeth Benotti Ceramics
Made In: Eliot, Maine, USA
Material: Porcelain clay and satin matte glaze
Method(s): Pinched
The stunning cool deep blue tones of this bowl make it a dramatic and eye-catching art piece to display on your table or countertop. Fill it with lemons, oranges or a colorful salad to complete the blue hues of the bowl and it will be a visual highlight of your kitchen.
It would also work well as a serving bowl for hot dishes, as it is large, sturdy, shallow, wide and microwave safe. The satin matte glaze is durable and feels smooth to the touch. The contrast between the stripes and solid color is striking and will liven up your next dinner party.
Since this serving bowl is made with a pinching technique, you can see the impact of the hand of the artist in every inch. This makes for a serving bowl that tells the story of how it was made through its shape and texture.
About the Maker: Elizabeth Benotti makes each ceramic piece by hand in her Maine studio. She was born and raised in Massachusetts and studied at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Her work explores the relationships we have with objects and celebrates their color, image and form.
"The lovely part about this bowl is the texture that comes through on the inside from my finger impressions. It looks like ripples on water on a breezy day." - Elizabeth Benotti
Snowmass Fruit Bowl by Fenway Clayworks
Maker: Fenway Clayworks (Sean Vandervliet)
Made In: Denver, Colorado, USA
Material: Stoneware
Method(s): Wheel-thrown
If you’re looking for a classic, elegant fruit bowl that will look stunning on your table filled with oranges, apples and bananas, this is a great pick.
The buttermilk white glaze over the stoneware is wonderfully sleek and shiny. It reflects the light, yet also has a rich texture underneath. It’s wide and deep and it can fit plenty of fruit.
Plus, this large, stylish bowl is microwave, oven and dishwasher safe and was fired at cone 10. It’s large enough for many uses, such as baking or roasting or serving hot dishes. This is the type of timeless, beautiful bowl that you’ll want to keep in your family for generations.
About the Maker: Sean Vandervliet’s artistic vision has been influenced by all the various places he has lived: born in Iowa and onto Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and finally Colorado. He makes practical pieces that are inspired by the relationship we have with the food we consume and the art we surround ourselves with.
"The Snowmass fruit bowl is the staple of my body of work. It has clean lines and a refreshing glaze, which is the combination I'm always seeking. It's routed in scandanvian and post-war design and it's as functional as functional gets. The thought is that it can elevate any room... or any produce for that matter." - Sean Vandervliet
Black and White Leaf Bowl by Georgie Ceramics
Maker: Georgie Ceramics (Georgie Gardiner)
Made In: UK
Material: Semi-Porcelain Clay
Method(s): Wheel-thrown and decorated by hand
This mini bowl makes a statement with it's bold contrasting colors and layered leaf pattern. In fact, you might even want to display the bowl by itself, to show off the gorgeous design on the interior.
I love the bold yet simple design of this bowl. At first glance, the leaves look minimalist and striking. Then, when you look closer, you can appreciate the way the different shades of leaves are layered on top of each other to create a sense of depth.
Thrown and decorated by hand by UK artist Georgie Gardiner, this chic bowl is a perfect example of the moment where practical objects become fine art.
About the Maker: Georgie Gardiner studied ceramics at Harrow from 1993 to 1996 and ran a studio in Newington for 10 years. Each of her distinctive bowls and vessels are hand-thrown on her wheel, and she creates the designs by cutting paper by hand and applying it to the leather hard clay before adding color. When the paper is peeled back, the bold graphic motifs are revealed.
“My designs evolve as I continue to make - the more I do the more ideas come with what to try next. The leaf bowls started off fairly simple and have become more complex in their designs - using 3 colours to add depth. I like working within the constraints of paper resists - trying to harmonise the pattern with the form. Creating bold, graphic motifs.” - Georgie Gardiner
Flared Rim Dinner Bowl by Hand and Fire
Maker: Hand + Fire (Sage Cortez)
Made In: Saint Helens, Oregon, USA
Material: Ceramic clay
Method(s): Wheel thrown
Why have boring dinner bowls, when you can have a set of these unique and stunning gray bowls? These bowls are an ideal size and shape for serving dishes such as soup, stew or rice-based dishes.
I love the sleek and minimal Grey Sands glaze of this dinner bowl. It’s cool and muted and has a subtle texture that gets even more interesting when you get closer up.
This bowl is dishwasher and microwave safe, so it can be used for storing, serving and reheating food.
About the Maker: Sage Cortez is a ceramic artist who is interested in the relationship between objects and their use. Her pieces are designed to be practical, versatile and multi-functional while still being aesthetically pleasing. She creates from her studio, a converted library in a historic 1919 school building.
Raised Serving Bowl by Jars of Dust
Maker: Jars of Dust (Mallorie Terranova)
Made In: Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Material: Stoneware
Method(s): Wheel thrown
The bold and dramatic shape of this eggshell-white handmade serving bowl really catches your eye. It was made to be the centerpiece of the table, that’s for sure!
I like that the serving bowl is elevated on its own pedestal. It not only saves space, it also draws your attention to the bowl itself and its contents. For example, you could serve a salad in the bowl and also arrange other dishes or items around the base.
About the Maker: Jars of Dust is a pottery studio based on the oceanfront of Virginia Beach, where artists Mallorie and Lydia work alongside their friendly dog Brown. Their ceramic pieces are minimalist and timeless, with the occasional splash of vibrant color to create drama.
“The Raised Serving Bowl is equally structured and organic. With a two-toned composition of clay against glaze and a “lifted” quality to it. The thick rim suggests a sturdiness that can hold a whole lot of fruit!” - Mallorie Terranova
Shallow Bowl by Jennifer Spring Ceramics
Maker: Jennifer Spring Ceramics
Made In: Seattle, Washington, USA
Material: Black clay
Method(s): Wheel thrown, Carved
This large shallow bowl captured my eye immediately. I love the wide, open shape and the contrast between the smooth glazed interior and the rough, etched texture around the rim.
The radiating, starburst-esque designs Jennifer has created by etching into the leather-hard clay are vibrant and full of energy. The texture is irresistible and calls out for you to touch it.
This bowl would be perfect for holding an abundant display of fruit in the center of your table. Or, you could use it to serve large salads or other dishes at your next special occasion dinner.
About the Maker: Jennifer Spring aims to make life more enjoyable, by creating ceramics that are a joy to touch and hold. Since ceramics is one of the few art forms that can be held, she is interested in creating textures that feel inviting to touch. The design of her pieces is influenced by fashion and home decor and she often thinks about how the finished work will fit into a home.
“I’m drawn to inviting textures and how they can enhance the experience of pottery. Because clay is so tactile, I want the end result to invite touch as well." - Jennifer Spring
Red Poppy Bowl by Juni Margrie Ceramics
Maker: Juni Margrie
Made In: Louisville, Colorado, USA
Material: Porcelain
Method(s): Mishima
How could you not love these charming porcelain bowls, decorated with bright red flowers?
Ceramic artist Junie Margrie created these bowls with a Korean technique called mishima, which involves incising the design into the leather-hard clay and then inlaying a black liquid clay slip into the illustrated lines. She then hand-paints the flowers and leaves, applying a clear glaze over the entire bowl. The bowls are the perfect single-serve size and are deep enough to comfortably hold a little more than 1 cup.
About the Maker: The ceramic pieces Juni Margrie creates celebrate the joy and beauty of flowers, plants and nature. She works with porcelain because she loves the lightness and translucency. Juni also has an engineering background, which informs her work with strong, fundamental design principles. The result is both gorgeous and practical.
“This bowl is wheel thrown from fine porcelain clay. I like to use Laguna’s Frost porcelain because of its whiteness and translucency, which translates into a bowl that is light and lovely to hold in the hand, or keep as an eye catching centerpiece on the table. I use a surface decorating technique known as ‘mishima’, which comes from Korea originally.
The botanical illustration of poppy flowers is hand carved into the clay while it’s leather-hard, then those carvings are inlaid with a stained slip (liquid clay), and the accents of the leaves and flowers are hand painted. I find red poppies to be so vibrant and cheerful. They’re one of the most popular wildflowers in the United States and are a sign that the warmer days spring and summer are here” - Juni Margrie
Stone-like Ceramic Soup Bowl by Kari Ceramics
Maker: Kari Ceramics (Kari Ytterdal)
Made In: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Material: Stoneware
Method(s): Hand-shaped
These stunning brightly-hued bowls will turn every morning bowl of cereal or lunchtime soup into a work of art.
There’s just something about the contrast between the rough, stone-like exterior and the rich, glossy, candy-like interior that I really love. You can choose between multiple colors, from deep indigo to molten-lava red to cool aqua green.
Each bowl is handmade, so the exterior texture and the pattern of the glaze is always 100% unique. Plus, they are dishwasher safe and very strong and durable.
About the Maker: Kari grew up surrounded by nature on a small island in the south of Norway. She is inspired by nature and the textures of stone, trees and water are often echoed in her work. Her pieces feel unique, organic and like they have been shaped by nature’s elements.
"The soup bowl was - together with the dinner plate - one of the first items in my collection. A home can not do without a decent soup bowl, and it had to be large enough for a hearty amount of soup, cereal, or noodles. What I love a lot about the soup bowls, is the atmosphere they create." - Kari Ytterdal
Ceramic Berry Bowl by Lafayette Avenue Ceramics
Maker: Lafayette Avenue Ceramics (Jillian Schimmel)
Made In: Tempe, AZ, USA
Material: Stoneware/Porcelain Mix
Method(s): Wheel
Look closely and you’ll notice that this bowl is not just a bowl, it’s also a colander. The holes in the bottom look decorative, but they also mean that you can use it for washing fruit and berries as well as for display.
It’s a great bowl for the summer season, when fresh fruit and berries are being devoured on a regular basis. Plus, you can choose from several stunning colors, from a subtle muted Dove grey to a deep navy and a sunny coral orange.
About the Maker: Jillian Schimmel is originally from Philadelphia, but moved to Arizona, fell in love with the heat and the sunsets and never left. She is inspired by healthy living, wholesome eating and family gatherings and loves creating pieces that make dining feel more special.
Floral Ceramic Serving Bowl by Spako Clay
Maker: Spako Clay (Julie Spako)
Made In: Austin, Texas, USA
Material: High-Fire Porcelain, Dark Brown Stoneware
Method(s): Handbuilt
Julie Spako plays with hue, pattern and geometry in this fun, energetic serving bowl. The rich brown and deep cobalt blue compliment each other perfectly, and the detailed floral designs create visual interest.
I really enjoy the tiny details in the design, compared to the elegant simplicity of the form.
This is a bowl that your dinner party guests will definitely notice and compliment you on! Each piece is a hand-drawn original, so it is a one-of-a-kind art piece that is dishwasher and microwave safe.
About the Maker: When Julie Spako was young, she was fascinated by her grandmother’s Blue Willow collection. She realized that it was important to use beautiful objects every day and she strives to create ceramics that evoke the complexity of embroidery and textiles.
Fern Ceramic Ramen Bowl by Tamara Bryan Pottery
Maker: Tamara Bryan Pottery
Made In: Portland, Oregon, USA
Material: Stoneware with Porcelain slip
Method(s): Wheel
The delicate, detailed fern patterns on the inside of this bowl look like fossil remains, left there millions of years ago. Set against the dark black exterior, it adds unique visual interest to this elegantly shaped, wide and very practical bowl.
About the Maker: Tamara believes that clay has a memory of the lives it has lived before as organic matter, and she loves to tell its story through her work. She is inspired by the hills and forests of the Pacific Northwest where she lives.
Medium Serving Bowl by Terrafirma Ceramics
Maker: Terrafirma Ceramics (Ellen Evans)
Made In: New York, USA
Material: Ceramic
Method(s): Wheel thrown and hand painted
This stunning bowl is another example of a striking contrast between a neutral, stoneware exterior and a bright, vibrant interior.
One of the things I really love about this bowl is that you can choose the pattern you prefer for the interior glaze. There’s the wonderfully detailed Cobalt/Strata pattern, the bold and dramatic dot or even the eye-catching chevron.
Each dishwasher-safe bowl is hand-painted, signed and dated by Ellen Evans.
About the Maker: Ceramic artist Ellen Evans creates from her workshop in New York City. She creates the striking patterns on her pieces by painting on the warm natural stoneware through textiles and lace using liquid porcelain.
"The Medium Serving Bowl is the perfect shape and size for any need - it makes a great gift, is great for that big salad or pasta, and even serves as a chip and dip with a small bowl in the middle. It's our all-purpose go-to!" - Ellen Evans
Oval Irregular Bowl by This Quiet Dust Ceramics
Maker: This Quiet Dust Ceramics (Dubhe Carreño)
Made In: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Material: Porcelain
Method(s): Hand-built
I love the irregular, organic shape of this bowl. It feels like something found in nature, like a stone shaped by the ocean waves or a seashell. The warm gray tones will enhance the textures and colors of any food you serve in it.
I also appreciate how minimalist it is. It could be mixed and matched with any other pottery and the angular design looks incredibly stylish when stacked.
Ceramic bowls aren’t just for special occasion serving dishes! The kitchen essentials you eat dinner from every night can be one-of-a-kind hand-crafted pieces.
About the Maker: Dubhe Carreño, a former ballerina, is originally from Venezuela and works from This Quiet Dust Studio in the suburbs of Chicago. She deliberately creates irregular forms, in order to remind the user of the presence of the artist’s hand.
Ceramic Ramen Bowl by Whiskey and Clay
Maker: Whiskey & Clay (Kimmy Rohrs)
Made In: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Material: Marbled Stoneware & Porcelain
Method(s): Wheel
This speckled ceramic bowl looks just as delicious as any food you put into it! I love the contrast between the smooth, white-drip glaze interior and the raw, rough stoneware exterior. It’s a true study in opposites.
I also appreciate the shape and size of this bowl. It’s sturdy and wide, with great volume and heat retention - and it’s microwave and dishwasher safe!
About the Maker: Kimmy Rohrs is inspired by the hues of the Texas earth and sky and creates muted desert tones with stoneware and porcelain. Her ceramic pieces are high fired in a heavy-reduction gas kiln, creating deep rust tones and bright glazes.
“I like the ramen bowl because its a catch-all meal bowl. Salads, soups, pasta, and great for slurping from!” - Kimmy Rohrs
Low Profile Hummus Serving Bowl by Wolf Ceramics
Maker: Wolf Ceramics (Sarah Wolf)
Made In: Portland, Oregon, USA
Material: Stoneware
Method(s): Wheel
The bright Cerulean blue, low profile and the elegant curved shape of this charming bowl immediately caught my eye. Look closely and you will see the speckles in the stoneware, and the way the light hits the smooth, satin finish.
When you see how striking and delicious your food looks in this bowl, you’ll want to snap a photo for Instagram!
About the Maker: Sarah Wolf took a meandering path to ceramic art, with previous jobs in geochemistry, farming, outdoor education and guiding. She loves the physical nature of working with clay, and the joy of creating something that will be used, loved and appreciated.
Which bowl is your favorite?
With so many gorgeous ceramic bowls from around the world to choose from, you’re sure to find something you fall in love with on this list.
Have a question or a suggestion for a bowl we should check out? Please feel free to comment below or email me at jason@nicole-rhea.com.