When I design something, I think of it as a gift to somebody else.

Everything I do is a direct creation of my hands, whether it is made in wood, plaster or clay.

I am a maker of useful things.

My time in Weimar Berlin was the most elegant in my life. I would have parties for a hundred people - writers, scientists, artists.

My work is very bodily. It's not a shell, but a body.

I don't like to design single objects. I like my pieces to have a relationship to each other. They can be mother and child, like the Schmoo salt and pepper shakers, or brother and sister like the Birdie salt and peppers, or cousins, like most of my dinnerware sets.

When you have clay in your hands, it's hard to avoid making birds.