For almost half a century Cor Unum has been making consumer earthenware items.
On the occasion of its 40th anniversary in 1993, a number of internationally famous designers were each asked to design a product for Cor Unum. These six extraordinary vases, designed by Ron Arad, Gijs Bakker, Geert Lap, Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, Bruno Ninaber van Eyben and the late Benno Premsela, are now available in new glazes.

For the Anniversary Collection five prominent young Dutch Architects have been invited to design ceramic container forms, on the basis of their views about space and material: Ben van Berkel, internationally known for his Rotterdam "Erasmus Bridge," designed a folded landscape plate named "Fragile," which may be used as a magazine rack. Erick van Egeraat, famous for his "Whalebone," an organically shaped space on the roof of the ING Bank in Budapest, designed a decorative object for Cor Unum named "Black Max," consisting of ribs literally spanning space. Winy Maas and his MVRDV firm are known for their building for the Dutch broadcasting company VPRO. Maas took eight archetypical shapes like a plate, cup, saucer, vase and compressed them in the production, creating new organic entities with the name "Copypaste." Lars Spuybroek of NOX is internationally known for his Water Pavilion on the former industrial island Neeltje Jans in the East Scheldt estuary. He designed "Tommy," an organically shaped vase-like object with a high strokability factor. NL Architects Mark Linnemann, Pieter Bannenberg, Walter van Dijk and Kamiel Klasse won the first prize in the Europan-4 competition with their design "Pixel City," and they and recently won the Rotterdam Design Award (for WOS 8). For Cor Unum they designed the 3-Vase. The team took 3 archetypical vases that were merged into one architectural, spatial shape. The result is a vase with many sides, different openings and no obvious bottom or top, which can be placed in all kinds of positions.

The heart of ceramics

Most Dutch people know the city of 's-Hertogenbosch as the ceramic capital of the country. The city is home to Het Kruithuis (a museum of ceramic arts), the European Ceramic Design Centre, the Academy for Art and Design, and Cor Unum Ceramics & Art, a newly formed ceramics company.
The name Cor Unum is Latin for one heart. This is fitting for an organization that was formed in 1953 to give handicapped people a forum to broaden their artistic horizons. Before long however, the workshop realized that many of these budding artists had real talent.
Cor Unum intends to maintain the current make-up of its workforce of 20 persons. "We give them a sense of purpose. Our employees know that they are judged only by the quality of their craftsmanship. Their items are good enough to occupy the shelves of the finest art galleries, interior design stores and gift boutiques. MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, recently put a picture of Cor Unum products on the cover of its catalogue." For years, Cor Unum has worked with some of the best design talents, such as Gijs Bakker, Geert Lap, Jasper Morrison, Ron Arad, and Marc Newson. Their inspiration has kept the Cor Unum's wares on the cutting edge of design.

The collection consists of several product lines, each with its own unique flair. Each series ranges in size between 15 and 25 items.
Unica is the company's art collection. Top industrial, fashion, and ceramic designers as well as architects and artists from across the world have fused their ideas, running the gamut from the imposing 'Fragile' dish designed by Ben van Berkel of The Netherlands to 'Tarzan' and 'Jane', the official Ceramic Millennium vases designed by Italy based Ettore Sottsass. Produced only on a limited scale the Unica items are often signed personally by the artist, boosting their cachet.
Made of white clay, the Terra Candida line renders house-hold items in unusual ways. The designers have been giving an open forum to interpret their ideas in vases and bowls. The result is a collection brimming with creativity, organic shapes, and bold colors.
Black clay gives the Terra Nigra line its unique, soft colors. This collection of vases, bowls, and dishes possesses incredible elegance and unmatched beauty.
The Separates line includes unique cups designed by people who are, in some special way, friends of Cor Unum, making them true collector's items. These functional objects have a style and form of their own. Its new status crystallises the importance of keeping the creativity flowing.
Res Mensae is the new range of ceramic products for the festively arranged table. "We aim to break through the boredom and predictability of the daily meal. Eating must be a cultural experience." The Specialis line encompasses tailor-made private label products. These items typically boast the name and logo of the customer. "We take a close look at the customer and his needs. This way we can create objects that reflect his own style."

Regardless of the line or function, all of its collections have one thing in common: they affect people on an emotional level. "An object is only good when it can touch the heart."

Designs for Cor Unum by Ron Arad, Simone van Bakel, Gijs Bakker, Ben van Berkel, Jan Broekstra, Erick van Egeraat, Marijke de Goey, Tomoko Hayakawa, Dick van Hoff, Lene Birgitte Knudsen, Rita Kok, Charlotte Landsheer, Zweitse Landsheer, Geert Lap, Jasper Morrison, Ton Musch, MVRDV Architects, Barbara Nanning, Marc Newson, Bruno Ninaber van Eyben, NL Architects, Joos van de Plas, Theo Potmeer, Benno Premsela, Bob van Schie, Beppy Schut, Jan Schuurkes, Margit Seland, Shiri Shamir, Olav Slingerland, Hermian Sneyders de Vogel, Ettore Sottsass, Lars Spuybroek, Pieter Stockmans, Kana Tsukamoto, Jyoti Vennix, Ysogo Vlamings and Charlotte van der Waals