HANDMADE CERAMICS STUDIOS I ADORE
There's something about a handmade ceramic that a factory piece can never give you. That feeling that no one else in the world owns exactly this one. I'm a visual person, and I collect ceramics the way other people collect art. Just for the joy of looking at them. A beautiful vessel belongs in your kitchen or on your tabletop or a shelf you pass every day. I've even used handmade cups in the bathroom for toothbrushes. Honestly there's no limit to where pottery can live in a home. This is a running list of the studios and artists I adore. I'll keep adding to it as I discover more through my travels and my late night sourcing rabbit holes, so keep coming back to see what's new. And if you'd like to shop my favorite handmade ceramic finds in one place, I've gathered them in my ShopMy collection here: my handmade ceramics collection
Kordal Studio
There's something about Kordal Studio that stopped my scroll. Maybe it's that the artist spent a decade designing clothing before trading fabric for clay. She works in Nerikomi, the traditional Japanese art of layering colored clays into intricate patterns, and each piece is built from slabs by hand, truly one of a kind. Inspired by long walks and rocks collected with her son, her work feels collected, like pieces gathered slowly over years. Which is exactly what I chase.
You can explore more of her designs at kordalstudio.com and on Instagram at @kordalstudio
Henry Holland Studio
Hackney, London
Henry Holland's second act might be my favorite reinvention story in design. From House of Holland slogan tees to a ceramics studio in Hackney. He works in Nerikomi, marbling colored clays into bold graphic patterns, and you can feel the fashion designer's eye in every piece, from the checkerboard butter dishes to the sculptural marble mugs. It's playful and confident, and you could never mistake it for anyone else's.
You can explore more of Henry's designs at henryhollandstudio.com and on Instagram at @henryhollandstudio
Mano Mani
Bayonne, France
I first found Julie Boucherat's work through Brutal Ceramics, and I never forgot it. MANO MANI is her free and independent label, a domestic arts laboratory run from her studio boutique in Bayonne in the Basque Country. Julie is a self taught ceramicist who spent seven years as a design journalist in Paris before returning to clay, the material her mother introduced her to as a child. Her stoneware pieces have raw lines and rich textures, glazed in her own researched palette of natural tones and matt finishes. She fires in Anagama wood kilns, and her inspirations run from Japanese wabi sabi to primitive African forms. My favorite pieces are her Ikebana vases, small clever flower vases with built in notches so you can slide stems straight in and make a beautiful arrangement with next to nothing. They arrive in a wooden box and make the perfect gift.
You can explore more of Julie's designs at manomani.fr and on Instagram at @bonjourmanomani
Ana Art Boutique Studio
Istanbul, Turkey
Ana Art Boutique is one of my favorite late night sourcing discoveries. Fatemeh, who goes by Anna, runs an Etsy shop of handmade modern ceramics with over 2,500 sales and a perfect five star rating across more than 500 reviews. Her shop is full of delicate mugs and incense burners with a Middle Eastern soul. She even makes evil eye decor, and takes custom requests. The reviews read like love letters, and pieces arrive beautifully packaged from across the world.
You can explore more of Ana's designs at etsy.com/shop/AnaArtBoutiquestudio and on Instagram at @anna_art_studi0
Lëtte Ceramics
Bordeaux, France
Lëtte is the work of Lisa Henriette Huber-Youmans, a ceramicist making everything by hand in her little atelier in Bordeaux. Her stoneware cups are coated in flowing, layered glazes, so no two ever come out alike. I love that each one is a true one of a kind. She makes stackable collections that mix and match at the breakfast table, and every piece is dishwasher and microwave safe, made to be used daily and kept for years. She also makes the prettiest porcelain earrings, some finished with 24k gold lustre. There is a playfulness in her work I really respond to. Each collection comes with its own little story, and she donates a portion of certain sales to wildlife causes, which makes owning a piece feel even better.
You can explore more of Lisa's designs at letteceramics.com and on Instagram at @lette.ceramics
Benna Co
Melbourne, Australia
Kelly Murphy's Benna Co is pure joy in ceramic form. The Melbourne based artist trained as a painter, and you can feel it. Her plates and platters are glazed like abstract landscape paintings, all swirling color and happy accidents. She started out selling vintage ceramics and began making her own when she couldn't find enough planters to keep up with demand. That might be my favorite origin story on this list. Her party plates are the kind of pieces that make every day feel like an occasion.
You can explore more of Kelly's designs on Instagram at benna.com.au and on Instagram at @benna_co
Altamar Ceramic Studio
Barranco, Lima, Peru
This one is personal. It's one of my favorite discoveries from our time in Lima. Altamar begins with a beautiful wooden doorway and a tiny window that invites you to peek inside before you step into a world of handcrafted ceramics. We had the pleasure of meeting co-founder Nagib Zariquiey, who started the studio in 2017 alongside his mother Diana Morcos. Their work is deeply tied to the sea they both love. Vessels shaped like coral and textured vases shaped by Peru's coast. And you can find their work on the tables of some of Peru's most celebrated restaurants, including Central and Maido. The moment we walked in, we found pieces we instantly fell in love with and knew we wanted to bring home. They have a permanent place in our collection now and remind us of Lima every time we use them.
You can explore more of their designs at altamarceramics.com and on Instagram at @altamar.ceramics
Hitomi Hosono
London, England
Hitomi Hosono makes porcelain vessels that look like they've been reclaimed by nature. Hundreds of hand carved leaves and flowers pressed onto every surface until the vessel underneath disappears. The London based Japanese artist won the inaugural Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon Prize, and her pieces can take a year or more to complete. They're held in the permanent collections of the British Museum and the V&A. It's obsessive work, and so delicate. A whole garden rendered in porcelain.
You can explore more of Hitomi's designs at hitomihosono.com and on Instagram at @hitomihosono
This list will keep growing as I discover new studios through my travels and late night sourcing rabbit holes. If there is a ceramicist you think I should know about, I would love to hear!! And if you want to shop my favorite handmade ceramic finds in one place, they are all gathered here: my handmade ceramics collection
