ELEMENT CLAY STUDIO
Multidisciplinary artist Heather Knight is known for her sculptural works that merge organic form with contemporary design. Founded in 2007, the studio bridges art, craft and interior design. Each sculpture honors touch, material and craftsmanship—built by hand from porcelain or stoneware in her Savannah studio. Knight’s pieces are rooted in the patterns of the natural world—botanical forms, blooming structures, the symmetry found in flowers, coral and stone. “With my work I hope to bridge modern design and the natural world by paring down the essence of things to repetitive textures and basic form.”
M STUDIO
Mary Margaret Monsees has been creating preserved botanical works for the past six years in Savannah. “I gather specimens both at home and while traveling, carefully pressing and drying each plant and flower by hand before painting them to restore their original vibrancy.” Each piece is meticulously applied to wood panels using layers of epoxy, resulting in richly detailed works that celebrate nature.
KATIE NAPOLI
Artist, illustrator and elementary-school art teacher, Katie Napoli is inspired by her Savannah surroundings. Wallpaper and fabrics based on her original artwork are sold at her parent’s shop, Jones & Bull, in downtown Savannah. For this toile design, she says, “I wanted to capture some of Savannah’s most iconic imagery—the truest expression of what makes this city so unforgettable.” Available through Jones & Bull.
JENNIFAYE SINGLETON
Geechee Gyal Baskets owner Jennifaye Singleton is a fifth-generation sweetgrass designer, author, quilter and a motivational Gullah speaker—bringing awareness to her Gullah heritage to “ensure that the original craftsmanship of our ancestral passage is not lost or forgotten.” Born and raised in South Carolina, Singleton learned her craft by watching her family members weaving and sewing. Using a combination of sweet grass, pine needles, bullrush and Palmetto leaves, each basket is unique, and, depending on the size and style, takes between eight hours to two weeks to complete.
ROBERT THOMAS IRON DESIGN
Ornamental ironwork has been an integral part of the charm of Charleston for centuries. Robert Thomas brings a modern perspective to the craft of blacksmithing. A graduate of Hereford College of Arts in England, he founded his North Charleston company in 2013 with a goal to create beautiful works of art and maintain the integrity of the Old-World craft. Thomas and his team work to not only preserve two-hundred-year-old techniques but also “to push metal to its limits of motion,” creating intricate architectural work—hand-forged gates, fences, furniture and sculptures.
SMITHEY IRONWARE
Founder of Smithey Ironware Issac Morton wants you to use his beautiful ironware for everyday cooking. Fascinated by vintage cast iron, he began restoring old and forgotten pieces, eventually leading him to create new pots and pans that honored classic style using modern technology. Today, Smithey’s premium cast iron and carbon steel cookware is made at the old Naval Base in Charleston, individually hand-forged and fully functional without synthetic coatings. Morton believes his product only gets better with age and use, and it can, and should, be passed down to the next generation.
LANDRUM TABLES
“We aspire to create furniture with a heart, soul and a memory by giving Charleston’s history a second life,” says native Charlestonian Capers Landrum Cauthen, who uses locally reclaimed wood for his projects. “Each piece of wood has its own characteristics, and I try to save as much as I can, because that’s where the true beauty is.”
BENJAMIN PAUL STUDIO
Moving to Charleston in 2014 with a carpentry fellowship, Benjamin Paul Little started making simple tables out of reclaimed wood and burnished steel. The studio has now grown into a full-service furniture, millwork and metalworking business “For me, design is a way to put something beautiful into a chaotic world…to take something from my head and use my hands to create it, to build a piece with my clients well-being in mind, to think beyond just how a table or a bench functions but to recognize its function as a backdrop for the story of their life—because a good story needs a good setting.”
MARC SVILAND
Marc Sviland began woodturning at a young age, learning from his father on a lathe in their basement. Crafting bowls and vessels, he notes, “My work is all made of ‘found-wood’— trees at the end of their life cycle, allowing me to give them a rebirth into a new form. I like to use the natural patterns of the wood to speak to its beauty and complexity.” Available through Elis|Nash.
COLLEEN MCKOWN
Beaufort, SC artist Colleen McKown layers texture and pigment to create artwork that feels organic, time-worn and grounded. “My work is deeply inspired by texture, nature, weathered surfaces and the quiet beauty found in imperfect things. I’m drawn to earth tones, aged materials, erosion, old walls, light, and the feeling that something has lived a life before arriving in front of us.” Available through Elis|Nash.
