Made By Hand

The lady behind Manila’s favorite bowls and plates

- Janina H. Bautista

Ceramics play a huge role in your home, especially when you’re entertaining. In a world where Instagram feeds get fed before one takes a bite of a meal, what and how you serve dishes matter. Ceramics are more than just plates, they contribute to the overall experience of dining and entertaining. While it is easy to purchase a set from your nearby home store, locally handmade ceramics are definitely worth a try.

If you’ve eaten in Manila’s finest restaurants and checked in the best local hotels, chances are you have already encountered Lanelle Abueva’s work. She is the go to ceramic supplier of chefs and hoteliers for plates and teapots to soap dishes and lotion pumps. However, before being the pottery expert of the country, Lanelle saw clay like every other kid would: as play.

When she was a kid, Lanelle, her siblings, and her uncle would go to the University of the Philippines where they would play with clay. Her uncle is National Artist Napoleon Abueva, whom she regards as her biggest influence in the field of arts. While Lanelle’s tiny hands were playing with clay she knew what she wanted to be.