FAQ & Help

Answers to the most common questions about availability, the objects, how they are made, how to care for them and your order. If anything is left open, you can reach me directly.

Availability

Why are so many colorways unavailable?

Because I only offer what is finished and standing in the studio — printed, reworked, weighted, checked, fitted with an NFC chip and a felt base, and packed. The objects are made in batches: one spool of material runs through in a single pass, and how many vessels come out of it is not fixed in advance. It depends on the material — the metal-filled compounds are considerably denser, so a spool yields fewer pieces — and on how much is rejected during printing or finishing. Once a batch is sold, the colorway is marked “Batch sold out”. That does not mean it is gone for good: it returns as soon as the next spool is up. I do not name a date for it. If you are waiting for a particular colorway, write to me — I will let you know as soon as it is back.

The objects

What defines a Nora Blatt object?

Every vessel is a complex form with an archaic character — built by FDM 3D printing in the studio in Memmingen and reworked individually afterwards. The signet sits in the neck of the vase as a visible anchor: a leaf forming an N. An integrated steel ballast in the base provides stability, and an NFC chip links every object to its authenticity page.

What are the objects made of?

The main body is made of the material it shows. For every colorway it is stated whether the material is actually contained or whether only its appearance is taken up.

Stone line: Clay and Granite contain real stone powder in the filament. Pumice, Brick and Serpentine are bio-based composites and stone-free — they carry the texture and tone of stone without containing it.

Metal line: All four colorways have real metal particles bound into the filament, around 80% in Copper and Bronze. Not solid metal and not cast: the body is printed, the metal sits in the structure and is mechanically exposed after printing. Copper, Bronze and Brass then go into a patination bath; Iron is sprayed with an oxidizing solution and forms real rust. Iron is also ferromagnetic — a magnet sticks to it. You can read about all of this in detail on the Materials page.

My vessel rattles quietly when I move it. Is that a defect?

No, that is how it should be. A sealed PLA capsule sits in the base, holding the steel ballast. The steel lies loose in the capsule and provides weight and a low center of gravity. If you move the vessel or hold it to your ear, you will hear it rattle faintly.

Does that apply to Noras Quelle as well?

No. Noras Quelle is the only object that is not made in the studio: a terracotta watering spike, designed by Benjamin Gintoki and produced by a manufacturing partner to Nora Blatt specifications, inspected before shipping. It is neither printed nor reworked in the studio. Everything else on this page refers to the VESSELS.

Production

Are the objects 3D printed?

Yes. Printed, not thrown and not cast. Every vessel is made by FDM printing on a printer in the studio, built up layer by layer from the respective material. I say so openly, because it does not make the objects any smaller: what comes off the printer is a blank, not a finished vessel.

How is an object made?

The form is developed on the computer, partly with the help of AI. What the software outputs is a raw state, not an object — I work on it until silhouette, wall thickness and center of gravity are right. Printing takes 4 to 15 hours in the Stone line and 3 to 18 hours in the Metal line, depending on size and material. Then comes the part no machine takes over: deburring and breaking edges, exposing and patinating or spraying the metal in the Metal line, setting the steel ballast and the boiled merino felt into the base, checking, packing. Every vessel that leaves the studio has been in my hands beforehand.

What does the machine do, and what does the person do?

The design is work at the computer. The machine prints the blank. Everything after that happens object by object — in the Metal line it is precisely the step that brings the surface into being in the first place. I name all three rather than letting one disappear behind another.

Can you see the print layers?

Yes, and that is intended. The layering is part of the design: in the Stone line it reads as though it were part of the material itself, and in the Metal line the surface is deliberately more strongly structured so that the layering inscribes itself into the form. It is not a flaw to be sanded away.

Is every object unique?

The form is reproducible; it comes from the same file. Each piece becomes its own in what follows: in the Metal line a real oxidation takes place, and immersion time, spray pattern, room climate and drying cannot be repeated exactly — no two surfaces carry the same markings. In the Stone line, too, the finishing turns out slightly differently every time. Such variations are part of the character and are not defects.

Why does a printed object cost this much?

Because printing is the shortest part of it. The design comes before the print, every blank occupies the printer for 3 to 18 hours, filament with real stone powder or metal powder costs many times more than ordinary filament, and the finishing afterwards happens on each individual piece. Production runs in small series, by one person who checks and packs every object personally.

Care & use

Can I fill it with water or fresh flowers?

Water does not belong in the body — a layered build is not permanently watertight, and standing water finds its way over time. That is why a glass insert sits in the neck of every VESSELS piece: a test tube, fixed in place during the build and invisible from the outside. It holds a single flower or a sprig and keeps the water away from the body. So there is nothing to retrofit — please fill water only there.

How do I care for the surface?

Dust with a soft brush or a lint-free cloth — for the Stone line the cloth may be slightly damp. No abrasive or aggressive cleaners. The Metal line is deliberately left unsealed: Copper, Bronze and Brass carry an open patina, Iron a real layer of rust, and both continue to change. Please clean these objects dry only and do not polish them — polishing removes the surface.

What should I watch out for?

Keep the vessels away from permanent direct sunlight, heat sources and heat, and do not fill them with hot liquids. The materials have a bio-based polymer matrix and react sensitively to warmth — behind a car window or directly on a radiator is no place for any of these objects. Not dishwasher safe.

Authenticity

How do I recognize an original?

There are two routes to your object's authenticity page, and both lead to the same place. One is the integrated NFC chip: hold your smartphone against the underside, the boiled merino felt — with NFC enabled, the page opens directly. The other is the QR code on the enclosed Object Card, which you simply scan with your camera. Together with the signet in the neck of the vase, a leaf forming an N, this is your proof of authenticity.

What is the Object Card?

A printed card in trading-card format that accompanies every vessel — material passport and certificate of authenticity in one. It records the colorway and line, the material, the production and the ticked height of your object; the batch is entered by hand. The QR code takes you to the authenticity page. Each of the nine colorways has its own card, from N° 01 to 09 — keep it, it belongs to the object, especially if you ever pass it on.

Sizes

Which sizes are available?

The VESSELS follow a fixed height standard. Available are Small 13.2 cm, Medium 18.7 cm and Large 26.5 cm. The size of an object is stated on its product page.

Order & payment

Can I return an object?

Yes. You have a fourteen-day right of withdrawal from receipt, without giving reasons. It is best if the object comes back in its packaging together with the Object Card — it belongs to the object. Neither is a condition for withdrawal. Everything else about the process is on the Shipping & Returns page and in the withdrawal policy.

Which payment methods are accepted?

Credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, Klarna, as well as Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

How long do shipping and delivery take?

All the details are on the Shipping & Returns page.

Outlook

Will there be more models?

Yes. NYX is the opening of a growing collection — further VESSELS are in development. I release them deliberately one at a time, each object only once form, material and finishing are fully thought through. I do not name dates before an object is finished.