June 28, 2019
ARO Principal Kim Yao on Why the Humble Krenit Bowl Inspires Her
Elemental in form and finish, the bowls combine strength and fragility in a structural steel base fused with a delicate layer of enamel.
As a child, I spent my weekends and holidays rummaging around antique stores and flea markets. My parents were avid collectors of Americana, and their quest for the next great find remains one of my strongest memories. Krenit bowls are some of the few items I collect as an adult. Designed by Herbert Krenchel in Denmark in 1953, these vessels are quintessentially beautiful and functional. Elemental in form and finish, the bowls combine strength and fragility in a structural steel base fused with a delicate layer of enamel. The calculated adjustment of two dimensional parameters—diameter at the base and rim, and height—yields a range of bowl sizes from shallow to deep, small to large. The enamel interior can be vivid red, white, or a soft pastel, which contrasts with the bowl’s matte-black exterior. The two colors, one glossy and bright, the other soft and dark, meet at the crisp line of the rim. These fundamental properties of form and proportion, theme and variation, beauty and function, are instrumental in shaping space and experience.
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