A Design Infusion

For an object that has been in existence for several hundred years, the teapot has remained remarkably unchanged. This is an unfortunate fact, since there’s so much room for improvement: handles that place strain on the wrist while pouring, materials that retain heat poorly, and lids that are either too difficult to pry off or too easy, falling out when the pot is tipped to decant the last drops of tea.

The German designers Markus Jehs and Jürgen Laub, of Jehs + Laub, have now addressed these flaws. Pot­ter, their new stainless-steel teapot, features an erg­onomic handle for effortless lifting and pouring, a drip-free spout, and a smartly designed lid that is simple to remove yet stays put when the pot is tilted. The designers have also rendered obsolete the inescapably dowdy tea cozy (which Laub calls a “big ugly sock”) by covering their pot in an insulating layer of plastic that keeps the tea hot without compromising the stylish design or, as in the case of traditional candle warmers, affecting the taste of the beverage. Here Laub takes us through the ins and outs of Potter, available in soft black (shown) and midnight blue through Stelton (www.steltonusa.com).

Product Dimensions
Height: 7.1 in.
Width: 7.3 in.
Volume: 1.3 qt.