One of the coolest things about enlarging the pond was the discovery of the clay content in the soil when it was excavated. It was very dense clay which is part of the reason the manmade pond is such a success. Through much trial and error we were able to figure out how to clean and test the clay for kiln temperature so that it could be used in the pottery studio. There was an existing, yet forgotten, garage out by the pond which we turned into state-of-the-art pottery studio with wheels and a kiln, all overlooking the beautiful woods.

Renovating the Pottery Studio

Before

We started with a forgotten garage out by the pond. When we learned we could actually use the native clay for pottery we decided to resuse the building for a pottery studio.

During

The garage was basic, really basic. We added windows, and clad the interior with barnwood. The cabinetry was built from native white oak stained to match the barnwood.

After

Top of the line potters wheels and a kiln were installed, along with some cool vintage finds to pull the look together. The resulting space is a creative space intrinsically connected to nature.

 The process of harvesting, testing and the very first mug made from the native clay