GO’C designed Ceramics Studio in West Seattle as a new detached workshop and classroom for a ceramic artist who needed more room to make, fire, teach, and grow her practice. The project sits on an urban residential lot in Seattle, Washington, where the studio also received approval as a detached accessory dwelling unit. That dual function shaped the building from the start, giving the client a dedicated creative space now and a flexible residential option for the future.
MIXED USE
The client makes functional ceramics and grew up in Northern Saskatchewan as part of the Denesuline tribe. Her connection to that land informs her work through quiet forms, simplified designs, and natural earthy tones. She described the place she comes from through “powerful history, sustenance and stillness, all at once,” a line that gave the design team a clear emotional and material direction. GO’C needed to create a space that respected her history, supported her daily process, and offered enough strength in form to inspire both making and teaching.
Finding enough studio space for sculpting and firing ceramics in Seattle presents a challenge, especially for artists who need kilns, storage, light, and teaching space. Renting that kind of room comes at a high cost, so the client chose to build her own studio beside the home where she had already lived for several years. Her growing online business, plans for classes, and interest in pop-up shops required a setting that could handle work, display, gathering, and production with equal focus.
Natural light drives the building’s design. The studio needed bright interior space for forming ceramics and direct outdoor access for two kilns. GO’C extended a large cantilevered roof from the interior toward the exterior terrace, creating a covered work area and increasing the usable footprint of the studio. This terrace gives the firing process a dedicated outdoor zone while keeping it connected to the main workspace.
Three large skylights cut through the roof in key locations: the loft, the interior studio, and the covered exterior kiln area. Each skylight brings daylight to a specific part of the building where the client needs it most. Exposed rafters continue inside and outside, creating a steady structural rhythm and warm wood tones throughout the space. The interior uses a clear material shift, with white display walls below and wood above, allowing finished ceramics to sit against a clean surface while the roof structure gives the room depth and warmth.
Lighting also plays an important role during Seattle’s long winters. Linear up and down lighting illuminates the wood underside of the structure, giving the studio a warmer atmosphere throughout the year. The approach keeps the architecture simple and direct, while the combination of wood, white walls, skylights, and terrace space supports the client’s work without distracting from it.
Built on a tight budget, the studio came together through close collaboration between the client and contractor. The client worked full-time alongside the contractor and brought in her partner and friends to help create the space. That process turned the studio into a neighborhood hub before the building fully entered use.
Since completion, Ceramics Studio has served many roles. The client uses it as a working ceramics studio, classroom, holiday pop-up shop, kitchen prep area, dinner gathering space, and office or guest bedroom in the loft. GO’C shaped the project around making, teaching, and everyday flexibility, giving the client a studio that supports her craft, business, community, and future needs.
Architecture & Interiors: GO’C
GO’C Project Team: Gentry / O’Carroll (Jon Gentry AIA, Aimée O’Carroll ARB), Max Hunold, Sarah Long
Structural: Pacific Engineering
Contractor: Dovetail
Photographer: Kevin Scott
Client / Ceramics: Natasha Alphonse
