Peaceful Pursuits launched this year with a single product: the Peony Teaware Set, six coordinating pieces designed for one person. Most teaware assumes company. This doesn’t.
We sat down with founder, Kaylene George, to discuss where the idea behind Peaceful Pursuits came from, the design decisions that followed, and what it took to get the first samples just right.
Kaylene George: I wanted to create something that honored the value of alone time. I live in a very extraverted society. Some people believe that always being around others will greatly benefit them, but growth is also possible in moments of solitude. Solitude can be very relaxing.
I made the single-serve tea set because I know that introverts will appreciate a product they can easily use by themselves and incorporate into their daily ritual.
Kaylene George: Right. I could find a tea set like this, but I couldn’t find one that was my style. A lot of what’s already out there is either very traditional, old British or Chinese, or very simple and bare bones.. Neither of those was what I wanted.
Kaylene George: I landed on it when I was brainstorming how to describe the product after it was made. I wanted to present this set to the public as an encouraging piece of work
Kaylene George: Yes. I personally like it when a product that is marketed as a set actually has all the parts a person would need. It is disappointing to have to go find the other pieces yourself.
Kaylene George: I love how many petals they have. If you shake a peony, it will shed a lot of them, and a shower of peony petals is a beautiful sight. Each petal is robustly pigmented. They are just beautiful.
Kaylene George: Yes. Yes. Yes. I wanted to make something functional, but also captivating to look at while it isn’t being used. I’m relieved I found a design that does both.
Kaylene George: When the subject of price first came up, I was tempted to make it pretty cheap because I thought that would make it sell.
But I took into consideration how long and hard I worked on this with other people. Every decision had an impact on the final product, and it wasn’t always easy. I couldn’t always know for sure whether I was helping or hurting my own business. I brought what I could to the table. I believe the product is great quality and it will last a long time if it’s used properly. It’s priced where it is because it’s worth that much.
Kaylene George: Two. The first one gave me a general understanding of what the packaging and the basic components would look like. I was checking how well the parts packed away together, both in the box and outside of it. There was no design on that first sample.
The second sample showed me what the final product would actually look like. I waited until the factory could produce a sample with no blemishes, because I wanted to see what the customer was going to see.
Kaylene George: More designs, most likely, rather than more pieces. If I did add pieces it would likely be a creamer and a sugar holder, but that depends on whether those are really necessary for personalized tea time. I’d need to figure out how to incorporate them so it all still reads as one set.
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