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What started out as the creative pursuit of a husband and wife duo has now blossomed into a booming business with multiple storefronts. A Black-owned business based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Tal & Bert fuses raw minerals in the form of geode crystals with industrial concrete to create beautifully minimal and modern candle holders and planters—perfect for succulents or any of your other plant babies. Though they only started about a year ago in 2020, they have seen enormous success, which allowed them to expand from their home studio into a company with 15 employees, two studios, and a brick-and-mortar storefront in only a few short months.
“We started Tal & Bert because we wanted to create functional everyday art inspired by nature,” husband and wife duo, Ray and Val Talbert, tells My Modern Met. “We are a very outdoorsy couple. Tal & Bert is the meeting point of raw natural minerals and industrial concrete. Our designs are made from hand-poured concrete that has been sculpted by hand in small batches. Our work is inspired by the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, finding the beauty in imperfections. We take the cracks and breakages in the concrete and turn them into designs inspired by the minerals we mine. We believe that the industrial look of concrete matches the raw, roughness of the minerals we use.”
Set to move their headquarters and open an additional brick-and-mortar storefront in 2021, Tal & Bert is still expanding and growing, while elevating other Black and minority-owned businesses with them. At their storefronts, you won’t only find their chic concrete and geode designs but also other hand-selected home goods from small businesses and makers around the country.
To see more from Tal & Bert or to purchase one of their hand-crafted creations for yourself, visit their website and Etsy shop. You can also follow them on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with their latest news.
Tal & Bert, a Black-owned business started by husband and wife duo Ray and Val Talbert, fuses geodes and concrete to create modern candle holders and planters.
Every piece is sculpted and finished by hand from poured concrete, which adds a unique touch to each individual vessel.
Their minimal creations are inspired by their love of nature and the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which concentrates on finding beauty in imperfections.
Tal & Bert: Website | Etsy | Instagram | Facebook
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Tal & Bert.
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