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Ceramist Virginia Sin in her studio

There’s a good chance you are familiar with ceramist Virginia Sin’s sleek, monochromatic, tubular pottery, which has graced the tables, walls, and even ceilings of Domino homes for years, from her fruit bowl to her wavy candelabra. But before she become the CEO and creative director of her brand, aptly named Sin, she worked in advertising. 

“I just loved generating ideas,” Sin tells Domino deputy editor Julie Vadnal in the latest episode of Design Time: The Rebellious Ones (out today on Spotify and Apple Podcasts). “And in advertising, that’s all you do. You’re an idea machine.” But when she landed her first ad job and showed up on the first day with her art box, she was crushed to find she’d be working in a cubicle: “I was like, what? You don’t need any of these art supplies?”

In the episode, Sin shares more about how her strict upbringing informed her company’s design ethos, how to add color to her monochromatic pieces, and why her background in advertising was essential to building her brand. She also answered all of our Never Have I Ever questions. Here’s a sneak peek.

Never have I ever…decorated with a neon sign.

So unfortunate, but the answer is yes.I thought it was a really brilliant idea at the time. I invested in this gigantic neon sign. I thought I was being different by mounting it on this beautiful piece of wood instead of, say, an acrylic back, and then thought I was being mindful of, I don’t know—all the other trade shows that I would participate in. Basically, I thought this would be a great idea instead of applying my logo with a vinyl sticker to my trade show booth every season. But I used it twice, and I was like, no, this is terrible. 

Never have I ever…fought with a significant other over a decor item. 

Yeah, every purchase basically feels that way. I mean, I think at this point, he probably thinks I have terrible taste in everything. He’s like, “Absolutely not. No way.” But you know, we find a middle ground. 

Never have I ever…arranged my books by color.

I used to have one of those tower bookshelves. So I actually arranged it by book size, from the largest book at the bottom to the tiniest book on top. I think I ended up arranging them after that, like color, almost as a subcategory, if that makes sense.

Never have I ever…looked up a friend’s home price on Zillow.

Doesn’t everybody? I like to know, because I just love real estate. It’s sheer curiosity. And I want to know what’s on the market.

Never have I ever…spent way too much on a vintage piece.

I have not, actually. I’m still saving up to one day own an original Serge Mouille.