Design Destination London 2026
In honour of Design Destination London, our showroom is transformed into a working artist’s studio, offering an immersive journey through the art of porcelain. Four of our master artisans from Jiangxi province—home to Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China and the location of our studio—reveal the mesmerising processes behind each of our pieces.
For the first time outside Jingdezhen, multiple stages of our porcelain-making processes were brought to London for a rare, hands-on insight.
Master porcelain turner Yu Zhongjiang demonstrates the early stages of porcelain making, backed by our hand-painted ‘Coco Cora beginning with kaolin porcelain clay—a blend of kaolin, feldspar, and quartz—shaped by hand on the wheel. Once dried, the forms are refined using specialised tools, carving the walls to their final thinness. The chime heard when tapping the piece is the indication that the structure is even and detects any hidden flaws.
With exceptional finesse, master porcelain artist Kammy exhibits the fine craft of underglaze painting, complemented by our delicately hand-painted and embroidered ‘Erdem’ wallcovering and ‘Flora and Fauna’ porcelain.
The process’s celebrated traditional blue underglaze is prized for its stability at high temperatures, producing crisp, radiant tones ranging from the palest washes to deep, inky lines.
Master artist Liao Wenjun demonstrates how designs are transposed onto porcelain surfaces, with exceptional skill. Here, the process of translating a design onto porcelain begins with the creation and transfer of the artwork’s precise outline.
The paper is lightly moistened, then pressed briefly against an absorbent surface - such as a plaster wall or cement mould - to draw off excess water. Once prepared, the inked rice paper is positioned on the porcelain and gently pressed to release the design onto the glazed surface in soft, whisper-fine traces. These faint lines act as a precise map for the artists to follow and eventually disappear during firing
Surrounded by the enchanting motifs of our hand-painted ‘Botanical Studies’ wallpaper, the exceptional Luo Yong demonstrates the process which gives our porcelain its spectacular vibrancy.
Finely ground pigments are mixed with oil and painted directly onto the glossy surface, allowing for rich colour, shading and intricate detail not possible at earlier stages.
Enveloped by our hand-embroidered ‘Orchard’ wallcovering, guests were invited to experience the precision of porcelain painting, guided by the expertise of our artisans.
In the hands-on workshop, guests painted with overglaze enamels on part-painted plates in two designs, ‘Pompadour’ and ‘Pseudo Tobacco Leaf’.
For the occasion, a dedicated area of the showroom was transformed into our ‘Porcelain Shop’, beautifully framed by the tendrils of our hand-embroidered ‘Osier’ wallcovering.
Filled with a curated selection from the de Gournay archive, guests were invited to explore a trove of enchanting designs, spanning numerous collections.
