🏡 Come in — let me show you around my pottery studio in Portugal

Ceramic artist shaping clay in pottery studio

A space that is both intimate and open,

where clay comes to life… between sunlight, quiet moments, and familiar voices.

✨ A little space of my own (and a little bit yours too)

When I decided to start working with clay, I dreamed of having a space at home where I could create freely ,without stepping into family life.

So I transformed a small outbuilding, just behind our house in Portugal, into a bright and independent pottery studio.

A place that offers me, every day, a calm, inspiring and deeply alive environment to work in.

A space of my own… but never truly silent.

There’s always a voice in the air — a podcast, an audiobook, a YouTube video — gently accompanying my hands as I work.

🌿 1. My creative space

This is my cocoon.

My favorite place in the house.

A room filled with natural light, where every tool has its place, and every corner invites me to create.

Here, you’ll find:

• my large work table, covered with clay, sketches, tools — and sometimes biscuit crumbs and matcha cups

• my pottery wheel, a loyal companion with unpredictable moods

• my slab roller (a magical machine that lets me roll out clay effortlessly)

• a sink always marked with traces of ochre clay and glaze

• drying shelves, where handmade ceramic pieces patiently wait for their first firing

This is where shapes are born. Where textures emerge. Where faces appear.

This is where I fail, start again, and sometimes… find exactly what I was looking for.

It’s also where I occasionally talk to myself.

But let’s keep that between us.

🔥 2. The firing and glazing area

This second room is the laboratory of the studio.

Less aesthetic, perhaps — but absolutely essential.

Here, you’ll find:

• my kiln (a full member of the family at this point)

• another work table, often covered with pieces waiting to be glazed

• 12 kg bags of clay, stacked like quiet promises

• jars of glaze, lined up like a collection of potions

• and all those pieces in transition — between two firings, between two states

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It’s a joyful, organized chaos.

This is where transformation happens.

Slowly. Silently. Powerfully.

📦 3. The desk (and the packaging corner)

The last space feels a little calmer — at least at first glance.

This is my desk, which also doubles as my packing area.

Here, you’ll find:

• my computer, notebooks, and scattered ideas

• stacks of tissue paper, boxes, stickers and tape

• and all the little rituals that come with each order

A handwritten note.

Careful wrapping.

Layers of protection around every piece.

This is where the studio meets the outside world.

Where pieces leave the nest and begin a new life in someone else’s home.

And every time… it’s a small emotional moment.

✨ And that’s it…

This is Clay’Milie’s studio.

A simple space. A lived-in space. A little wild, a little messy — but deeply alive.

Thank you for stepping in.

You’re welcome back anytime.