Get excited: Fall is finally here. Colder weather, leaves changing, cozy clothes and, in Kansas City—most importantly—Chiefs games.
Autumn also means hot beverages, and what better way to enjoy a steaming cup of tea or coffee (or, if you’re watching a game, Irish coffee) than with a handmade ceramic mug. This season you can level up with a bespoke mug by KC-based Archival Designs.
Husband and wife duo Jake and Julie Bond opened Archival Designs in 2001. They are both artists, so it was a no-brainer when they decided to bring their creative forces together. They met while working in a tile studio in Omaha, Nebraska, and after three years of working in custom tile, they took the leap and opened their own place in 2001, right here in KC.
Today, Archival Designs is still a working clay studio and is open to the public. Anyone is welcome to view the process and see the finished products. Their ceramic wares are available for purchase at various Made in Kansas City Marketplace locations, as well as on Archival Design’s website.
All products are handmade, so no two are exactly alike, and all are microwave-, dishwasher- and oven-safe.
With football season in swing and cold weather around the corner, it may be time to update your cupboard with designs to show off your Red Kingdom pride. Or perhaps you’d like to show that you’re a true-blue Kansas Citian with an iconic shuttlecock mug. Maybe you just want a really beautiful handcrafted mug so your cup of hot coffee during the season’s first snowfall is that much more Instagrammable.
Visit Archival Designs studio at 805 E. 31st St., KCMO. Archival Design wares can also be found at Made in Kansas City Marketplaces on the Plaza, Lee’s Summit and Lenexa. Shop online at archivaldesignskc.com.
