Sept. 17, 2024: BBC: “Firm uses AI to mimic traditional pottery designs”
It was great to be featured on the BBC website for our innovative ceramic manufacturing. They quoted Keith Brymer Jones as liking the idea of printing ceramics, and quoted our Chief Art Officer Jack Marsh on how AI can work with traditional crafts.
Sept. 16, 2024: Tyler Cowen: “make your own Delftware using AI”
Tyler Cowen wrote about us over at his blog, Marginal Revolution.
Sept. 12, 2024: The Knowledge: Get your own “delftware”.
We were featured in The Knowledge, a British email newsletter on Thursday, September 12. They showed off some of our designs. Love it!
Sept. 12, 2024: BBC Midlands Today: AI is shaking up the Potteries.
With our tile supplier in Stoke-on-Trent, one of our co-founders Adam Davies sat down for a interview and factory tour with BBC Midlands Today. The segment aired on TV on Thursday, September 12. We went through the whole process — from prompting on our website to transferring and firing the designs — and discussed the implications AI could pose to design. Staffordshire is the traditional heart of the English ceramics industry, so it was great to speak about that legacy specifically.
Sept. 11, 2024: Financial Times: "AI is firing traditional tiles into the future".
It was great to be interviewed by Phineas Harper over at the Financial Times about our vision for interior design and about our Delft tiles specifically. "Perhaps Morris would have admired Not Quite Past’s democratising vision. A Socialist, he believed everyone had a right to “some pleasure for the eyes”, declaring: “I do not want art for a few, any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.” A world where everyone can afford bespoke tiles would surely have resonated with his egalitarian instincts."
Aug. 13, 2024: New maiolica-inspired style.
Historic Delftware tiles were inspired by the Italian-Spanish Majolica tradition, and we've added a new style to our AI model that reflects that. This style is characterised by bright colours, ornate patterns, and restricted imagery, and it's perfect for those who want a more old-school or brighter look. The strong corners also create a lovely carpet effect when tiles are arranged together. This also shows the power of AI to precisely map out specific elements of a style and bring them to life.
Aug. 8, 2024: We've produced our first mural!
We've our first tile mural (or tegeltableau) for a client. It was a custom design based on the myth of Orpheus, and the surreal, dreamlike quality of the design was a perfect fit for the subject. It is a square made up of 25 tiles, measuring 66cm x 66cm. We're excited to make more murals in the future and are working on a new feature to make it easier to design them in the workshop.
July 30, 2024: New “web” corner motif.
We've just added a new style to our range, based on the specific web-like corner motifs of some Dutch Delftware. This style is now our default and is more consistent than our old spare default and generates consistently square tile designs.
July 17, 2024: New Greek A style.
We added a new style to our AI model: Greek A. This style is inspired by the De Grieksche A factory, which operated in Delft around 1700. The factory was known for its classicising style, often inspired by the engravings of Daniel Marot, and was collected abroad, including at Hampton Court in England under the reign of William and Mary. It's very baroque and symmetrical, with a lot of detail.
July 7, 2024: Featured by Bible of British Taste.
Some of our tiles were featured in a post by the Bible of British Taste, an Instagram page that celebrates the best of British craftsmanship and design.
July 4, 2024: Interview with BBC Radio Stoke.
Our co-founder & Chief Art Officer Jack Marsh sat down for an interview with BBC Radio Stoke to talk about AI, the history of ceramics, and Delft specifically.
July 1, 2024: Interviewed by Rock Badger Agency.
It was great to sit down with Calypso Newman from Rock Badger Agency to talk about the inspiration behind Not Quite Past and what we're all about.
July 1, 2024: Featured in The Knot.
Our tiles are made in Stoke-on-Trent, and it was great to be featured in an article in a Substack newsletter about good news in Stoke and Staffordshire. The area is the traditional home of British ceramics, and we're proud to be part of that tradition.
June 20, 2024: Added Chinese meander and fleur de lys styles.
We're adding two new styles to our AI model: Chinese meander and fleur de lys. These styles are inspired by the influence of Chinese porcelain on Dutch pottery and the French royal symbol, respectively. They're both traditional corner motifs but they retain all the AI-powered versatility of our default style.
May 29, 2024: We're live!
We are excited to announce the launch of Not Quite Past, reviving the tradition of Delftware tiles for the 21st century. Our specially trained AI model can generate whatever designs you want, or you can choose from our extensive library of pre-made designs. We can't wait to see what you create!