Custom & Commissioned Work
The pieces I'm proudest of were never listed in the shop.
They all began the same way — a photograph of a kitchen, a ceiling height, a color someone had been looking for and never found.
From a single heirloom vase to an entire restaurant collection, every commission begins with a conversation.
A custom vessel, made to the scale of the room it lives in
Perhaps you've been looking for…
- Canisters that fit your shelves exactly
- Lighting made for your ceiling height
- Dinnerware designed for your family's table
- An oversized vessel for a room that needs one
- Matching pieces for a bathroom or entryway
- A collection for a restaurant or hotel
- Bells sized for a particular porch or garden
- A personalized heirloom, made to be kept
- Something you've imagined but can't quite find
- A piece you already own, made larger — or again
Commissioning isn't ordering
When you buy from the shop, you're choosing something I already know how to make. A commission begins somewhere quieter — with a room, a feeling you can't quite name, and the sense that nothing you've seen is right.
We discover it together. You'll be speaking with the person who will actually make it, from the first sketch to the moment it's wrapped — and it will take the time that clay takes.
That slowness isn't a delay. It's the reason the piece will still feel considered in twenty years.
Meli · Cary, North Carolina
What I've been asked to make
No two have ever been the same — and that is the whole point of it.
- Ceramic wall art & installations
- Pendant & architectural lighting
- Kitchen canisters & storage
- Bespoke dinnerware collections
- Oversized sculptural vessels
- Restaurant & hotel collections
- Bathroom accessories
- Coffee & bar stations
- Fireplace & mantel vessels
- Wedding installations
- Corporate & client gifts
- Memorial keepsakes
- Garden pottery & planters
- Bells for porches & gardens
- Pet bowls & feeding stations
- Holiday heirlooms
- Sculpture & one-of-a-kind objects
- Something not yet on this list
Who commissions work
You needn't be a collector, or an expert, or certain of anything yet.
How it unfolds
01
Tell me about your space
A photograph, a paint color, a rough sketch — or simply the gap you keep looking at. No cost in asking, and no question too small.
02
I'll be honest with you
What clay can do, what it can't, and which finish will behave in your light. If I'm not the right maker for it, I'll tell you plainly.
03
We refine it together
Sketches, measurements, adjustments. We take as long as we need until the drawing matches the thing in your head.
04
A clear proposal, first
Dimensions, finish, timing and price, agreed in writing before anything is built. Finish samples can be sent, should you like to hold the real thing in your own light.
05
Then, slowly, it's made
Built by hand, dried for weeks, fired twice, signed, and packed with full replacement insurance.
The investment
Every commission is quoted individually. Some are thoughtful adaptations of pieces I already make; others are entirely new, and take a little more finding.
Most commissions begin around $600. Larger lighting, dinnerware collections and architectural installations often range from $1,500 to $5,000 and beyond — the largest piece I've made ran to thirty-three feet.
Once I understand your project, you'll receive a clear proposal before any work begins. No surprises, and no obligation to go forward. Lead times for custom work are typically 6–10 weeks, longer for lighting and large installations — clay must dry slowly before it can be fired, and that part cannot be hurried. Made in one of eighteen finishes.
You're not commissioning a company
Every inquiry comes directly to me. From the first conversation to the signature on the bottom of your piece, you'll be working with the same person who imagined it, built it, fired it, wrapped it, and sent it to you.
There are no sales representatives and no design team — just one conversation, carried all the way through.
4.92 ★ · 2,567 reviews · Cary, North Carolina
Questions people ask
Can I commission just one piece?
Of course. Some of my favorite commissions have been a single vessel, one mug with a name pressed into it, or a replacement for something loved and broken. There is no minimum.
Can you resize or adapt one of your existing designs?
Yes — this is one of the most common requests. Canisters made taller for a particular shelf, a pendant shortened for a lower ceiling, a vessel scaled up for a larger room. If you've seen something in the shop and it's almost right, tell me what would make it right.
Can you make something larger than anything shown?
Almost certainly. The largest commission I've made was a hanging chain installation running to thirty-three feet. Scale is rarely the obstacle — tell me what you have in mind and I'll tell you honestly whether clay will do it.
Can I send inspiration photos?
Please do — they help more than anything else. Photographs of the room, your cabinetry, your paint colors, the light at different times of day. I'm glad to work from inspiration, though I won't copy another maker's piece — what we make will be yours.
Can you match a specific color?
I work in eighteen finishes, developed over years for calm, neutral homes. Send me a photograph of your space and I'll tell you honestly which comes closest. Finish sample sets are also available, so you can hold the real thing in your own light before you decide.
Do you work with interior designers and the trade?
Warmly and often. Designers, stylists and studios are welcome, and trade pricing is available — simply mention it when you write, or read more about the trade program.
Do you take on restaurant or commercial projects?
Yes. Lighting, tableware and collections for hospitality spaces are some of the most rewarding work I do. Tell me the scale and the timeline, and I'll be straightforward with you about what's achievable.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes — worldwide. International shipping is calculated by destination and weight, and international buyers are responsible for any customs duties on arrival. Every piece is fully insured for replacement in transit.
What if I have a deadline?
Tell me at the very start — a renovation completion, a wedding, an opening date. I'll tell you honestly whether it's achievable. I would far rather turn down work than miss a date that matters to you.
Can a commission be returned?
Because a commissioned piece is made for you alone, it can't be returned or exchanged — which is precisely why nothing is built until you've approved the proposal in writing. If a piece is damaged in transit, it is fully insured and I'll remake it.
Tell me what you're imagining
Even if it's only half-formed. Especially if it's only half-formed — that is usually where the good ones begin. A single sentence is a perfectly good place to start.
Prefer email? Write to me at hello@muddyheart.com
— Meli · Muddy Heart Studio · Cary, North Carolina