OOMI: Living in a beautiful world where oatmeal tastes better

Coffee, tea or porridge taste better in a unique, hand-decorated dish, additionally made on site by a Polish brand. This is exactly what the creators of AOOMI offer.

Agnieszka Kowalska

“ÅOMI ceramics are created by very sensitive and responsible people (…) Our team includes vegetarians, pet owners and mothers who want their children to live in a beautiful world,” brand creator Patricia Shimura recently wrote. This message is important and appreciated by customers today. Girls (because they mainly create ÅOOMI) take care of how they pack their packages, collaborate with local companies and small designer stores, and with big partners like AvtoTachki, organize the sale of dishes with minor defects (so as not to throw anything away) sponsoring aid organizations. “In the future, I would like to take one more step - to create my own foundation and platform that supports local craftsmanship,” says Patricia. – Traveling to distant countries, I realized how many creators there are who make beautiful things, but they lack modern projects and promotion. I think our customers, who have excellent taste, will appreciate it.

How did a small brand weather a difficult time in 2020?

Indeed, there is a strong community around ÅOOMI. Patricia felt it during the pandemic, when the restaurant's sales (which used to account for 80 percent of all bookings) plummeted. Individual customers did not disappoint - they regularly bought their favorite ceramic dishes so that the company could survive.

In 2020, ÅOMI added cosmetics and candles from favorite Polish brands, honey, cereals and coffee from the best roasters to Christmas sets. They can take care of a good mood. Their ceramics are perfect for this. It is simple and pleasing to the eye, yet functional and timeless at the same time. It has something that makes coffee, tea or tomato sauce taste better in a unique vessel additionally produced locally by a Polish brand. AOOMI collections include cups, plates and bowls in various sizes. “We encourage our customers to make their own sets, mix colors, have fun with it,” says Patricia.

ÅOMI ceramics - handmade porcelain stoneware

Each element is made of porcelain stoneware and decorated by hand. Prototypes are made in a workshop in Auschwitz and then sent to a friendly ceramic factory. For several months, the girls experimented with icing to give the dishes a characteristic pattern. The mottled effect is achieved, for example, with a toothbrush.

In addition to the basic black and white, there are also colors. One of their favorites is a sensual, fleshy pink that quickly won the hearts of buyers.

In just five years, ÅOOMI has made significant progress. This is largely due to the determination of Patricia. Don't be fooled by her memories of how she cried at the first fair she visited (she was so overwhelmed by the interest of buyers), or how dad, when he saw her first ceramic prototype, exclaimed: “Who will buy it for you? !” . She is strong and these things only motivate her.

ÅOOMI cups are used by customers for drinking in 50 countries.

After school, not finding a university where practical skills would be developed, she began her studies in England. – I managed to perfect my work with various materials: wood, metal, plastic, fabric, ceramics. I also learned a lot about the market and promoting design,” Patricia recalls. After returning to Poland, she contacted her school friends and started her own business. The girls had different interests, so initially their offer, in addition to ceramics, also included bed linen with an original pattern and notebooks. However, they stayed with the dishes because they were the most popular.

They traveled to design fairs in Seoul, Eindhoven, Milan and London. Their dishes have appeared, among other things, on the pages of Wallpaper Magazine, British Vogue, Design Milk. There are more and more customers from all over the world. Today AOOMI is present in more than 50 countries (interestingly, most shipments go to Dubai). In Poland, you will find their pottery in many restaurants and cafes.

“Our new spring collection will feature a color palette that has been very subdued so far,” Patricia announces. – It will consist of seven colors, from warm brown, crazy pink to winter blue. We will also introduce a new cup shape. In the near future, we plan to introduce flower pots into our offer, and send part of the profits from their sale to initiatives to support the environment.

From the very beginning, we focus on minimalism, which is appreciated by our customers, so we look at global trends with great distancing, which quickly disappear and are not eternal. On Instagram, we are constantly following the growing popularity of handmade ceramics, which we are very happy about.

Two o's for good luck

The name ÅOOMI is reminiscent of Scandinavian minimalism. Patricia acknowledges that Å comes from Sweden and her passion for local design, but the name is the result of a random play with letters. It doesn't mean anything specific, it just sounds good, it sounds warm. Although... Gwyneth Paltrow repeats the anecdote that when she was looking for a name for her company, someone advised her that it should contain two letters "oo", like Google. That this is a good omen of financial success. Thus, Gup was born. I think there is something in this.

You can read more articles about beautiful items in the passion I decorate and embellish. A large selection is available in the Design by AvtoTachki Zone.

Photos are materials of AOMI.