8 Years of REVIVAL ceramics

The Cylinder, 2nd Generation, in white. Shop The Cylinder →

Eight years ago, this all began because a leaky planter ruined our wood floor. What started as an initial bug to find well-designed planters quickly turned into an obsession for detail, function, and reviving great design.

We've always been drawn to a specific era of ceramics, the Gaineys and the Lindhs of the world, studios that spent decades making planters that were actually well designed, not just functional. We wanted to continue what they believed: that a well-made object is worth the care it takes to make it.

Our first planter was The Cylinder, available in White or Black. We showed up to our first trade show with a container on the way and a lot more optimism than experience. REVIVAL ceramics was the name on our first trade show booth, long before most people knew us as LBE Design. We always loved what the word represented: bringing something back, but not simply recreating the past.

From there, we loaded up our car, walked into stores with our planters, and introduced ourselves one retailer at a time. We heard plenty of no's. But we also met people who took a chance on us, gave us shelf space, placed that first order, and helped turn a very small idea into a real business.

Our very first trade show booth. Read our Shop Spotlights →

A lot has changed since those early days. Our collection has grown, our products have evolved, and the business itself has been through a few different chapters (and names). We've made mistakes, changed course, and learned a lot along the way. We've also dealt with supply chain disruptions, rising costs, and the everyday uncertainty of running a company. Every one of those challenges has pushed us to refine our products, strengthen our relationships, and become better operators. We've learned that consistency wins out over chasing quick growth, and that success isn't one big breakthrough. It's thousands of small decisions, made consistently, over a long time. The details people don't always see are the ones that end up defining a brand: how a product is engineered, the quality of the glaze, the packaging. We never set out to be the biggest. We set out to build something people trust. This year, landing back at our roots of REVIVAL ceramics and relaunching our refined Cylinder collection, as a second generation. Streamlined, refined, and made with 8 years of your feedback.

Four years ago, right in the middle of growing the business, we picked up our lives in California and moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, because of the incredible potential we saw in an old artist's studio, Casa Slipper, we couldn't stop thinking about. The same bug had caught us. We needed to revive this incredible design.

We've shared a bit of the renovation already. Similar to a business, it hasn't always been graceful. At one point during roof construction, rain came pouring in during an uncharacteristic storm, and we spent an afternoon watching it dump straight into the kitchen, buckets out, towels down, laughing because there wasn't much else to do. It's been a much bigger undertaking than we anticipated, but seeing it come together has made every part of it worth it.

Every decision along the way has been intentional: preserving its character, adding the kind of details that make it feel like home. Rather than buying furniture, we designed nearly every piece ourselves. Jon worked alongside a carpenter apprentice to build most of it by hand, which has made the place feel even more personal.

Casa Slipper, in renovation. Read more letters from Jon + Veronica →

In many ways, it's the same reason we started LBE: we like making things, using good materials, and turning an idea into something real. Eight years later, we still like doing it.

Most of all, we're grateful for the people who have shaped these eight years: the retailers who took a chance on us with almost nothing to show, the customers who came back and brought us along as their homes evolved, our manufacturing partners who've been with us from the beginning, and everyone who has ordered a planter or recommended us to a friend.

Eight years is a long time, and it's also gone by incredibly fast. Looking ahead, we're focused on thoughtfully growing LBE Design: investing in inventory, refining how we operate, and becoming a better partner to the retailers who carry us. We're always asking how we can do this better, and that's what excites us most about the year ahead.

Thank you for being part of it.

With appreciation,
Jon + Veronica Denne
Co-Founders, REVIVAL ceramics by LBE Design