EAT ME: David Mellor Design
“MY FATHER had in mind that children should start off with good design from a young age.” So says Corin Mellor - creative director of David Mellor Design, the Peak District-based tabletop design company begun by his father in the 1950s - of the cult children’s cutlery set designed in 1977. It’s still a best seller.
The design was based on one of Mellor’s first cutlery ranges, the Java - which featured an injection-moulded resin handle with stainless steel head fixed together with a single rivet. With the help of Mellor’s younger sister Clare, whom David used as a model, the Java was resized for smaller hands (the set is recommended for use between the ages of 2 and 10), ergonomically-shaped for easy grip, and re-coloured in a Modernist palette for easy identification.
The family tradition continues. Mellor’s son, Hector, 3, has three sets permanently on the go: two at home in Derbyshire and one at his parents’ apartment in London. As befits a classic design, it has found its appeal with adults too. “Our butter knife design came after the child’s set as many customers had been using their child’s knives for butter. And,” says Corin, “I do have to admit I use the child’s spoon now for desserts…”
*See Hector enjoying his cutlery below…
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