About Sugarhouse Ceramic Co.
MEET THE MAKERS
Natasha and Brett
Hey there folks! We’re Brett and Natasha—two super rad potters carving and shaping our unique ceramics on Canada's East Coast.
Come for the patterned mugs and hand-carved paint palettes, stay for our wicked, dry sense of humor. And maybe the story of how two artists went from living in and renovating an Airstream in Seattle to remodeling a 1950's farmhouse in Annapolis Valley on the salt-breeze shores of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Our Story
In 2013, we met at a coffee shop in Seattle and were married six months later. Since then, we’ve lived in a Volkswagen van, an apartment with pink carpet, and a vintage airstream we restored together.
It was during our time in the airstream that we discovered our love for ceramics. Natasha, a full-time illustrator at the time, began selling her work on the side, and slowly, we started making pottery together.
A year later, having outgrown our space, we sold the airstream, moved to Vermont, and bought a ten-acre patch of woods with a tiny hay shed on it, which we turned into a cabin.
Vermont is pretty dreamy, but Nova Scotia seems to suit us better.
We christened our property the 'Sugarhouse Homestead' because of an old stone sugarhouse foundation we found in our back woods. Shortly after our cabin conversion we built a little pottery studio in a grove of maple trees, and Sugarhouse Ceramic Co. was established.
Three years later, we started to outgrew our studio and our dreams and set our sights northward back top Canada where Natasha grew up. There we began our search for a new home.
That brought us to Nova Scotia, Canada, where we immediately set about buying and remodeling a 1950's farmhouse. Our home studio was the first thing we was set up, and then we renovated our super fancy kitchen for Brett who does most of the cooking. Plus, Natasha designed and installed the most epic hexagon tile for our master bathroom.
Follow me at @natasha.lawyer to see us messing around in our home and garden, plus road trips, and lots of cute dog pics!
We've found so much inspiration on the shores of Nova Scotia that it's found its way into our studio. Making pottery using castings of beach shells, mugs with native flora designs, hand-painted mackerel & mushrooms on heirloom platters— all the slices of our life in the Maritimes have found their way into our artwork.
Even though our little home studio was our nicest (though cramped) space to date, we started feeling overcome by work at all hours. We felt the pull to move the business out of our home and look for something more functional (as-opposed to being spread over 3 floors of our home). And so began another adventure—finding a space large enough for all our creativity and to possibly take back a semblance of work/life separation.
Now you can find us making pots in our downtown Kentville pottery studio. Supporting local isn't just a catchphrase for us—it's a way of life. When you buy a pot from us we reinvest that money with our local farmers and small businesses. We believe in the power of community and the magic that happens when you lift each other up.
Visit us in-person to shop paint palettes, miniatures, mugs, and more. Check out our Saturday morning workshops!
Most days, you can find us drinking lattes and making pots in our Kentville pottery studio or planning our next trip. Y’all should come say hi, shop in-person, or take a class! To check out what we’re up to regularly, find us on Instagram.
Stay rad,
Brett & Natasha
Folks Who Think We Are Awesome
