Translator by day, Lisa Kosak took to ceramics when she landed in Berlin five years ago and hasn't stopped since. 

With organic shapes and natural colors, Lisa creates objects for everyday use. She is particularly fond of the art of the table, of eating well and of gathering around carefully selected pieces.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What made you start with ceramics? 
When I first moved to Berlin, I started working as a freelance translator. Since I was working a lot from home, behind my computer, I decided to try something new and took a pottery class. I haven’t stopped since.

What was your learning process like?

I started off taking two classes. From there, it was a lot of practice, trial and error. I had the opportunity to have full-time access to a studio and decided to take a few months off of my translation work. That’s when I really saw I was making progress! One year later, I started teaching in that same studio, and in August 2018, my friend Marilyne Blais and I founded our very own space together, Studio Argile.

Ceramics seems like such a therapeutic thing to do. What’s the best thing about it? 

There are many different aspects of the work that I like. I love the creativity and research involved in the making of each piece, but also the social component of being a small independent business: meeting clients in person, teaching students, collaborating closely with restaurants or brands like Aárd to develop specific products.

Functional pieces with simple and organic shapes made for everyday life... Where do you draw inspiration from? 

I am very much attracted to natural colors, and I like to play around and think about how the pieces should integrate with people’s “forever homes.” I want to create pieces that I myself would love to surround myself with in my daily life. Both my parents are cooks, so I guess I also attach a lot of importance to the ritual of coming together for dinner and how food is presented and particularly enjoy creating tableware pieces.

Tell us about the soap dish you made for us.

I find the piece simple, yet very elegant in its shape. Since Aárd focuses on the simplicity of beauty and natural ingredients, I really wanted to apply this to the shape and color of the soap dish. The olive green glaze with its soft metallic touch does this really well I think. 

Aárd is all about creating simple and sustainable beauty routines. How would you describe your own beauty routine? 

I am always on the run and therefore don’t have an extensive beauty routine per se. I value simple, high-quality products that I can use every day. I especially love a good face cream and cleanser. Since my hands are constantly in water when I am at the studio, they can get quite dry and damaged, so carrying around a good hand cream in my bag is a must for me! 

How would you define beauty? 

Feeling good in one’s own skin. Which can prove easier said than done!