Julia Lemke & Shawn Kam
We caught up with artists Julia Lemke + Shawn Kam in their charming Camp Meeker home. Both are ceramicists and business owners; you may have had the pleasure of visiting Julia’s beautiful San Francisco shop Earthen, or seen Shawn’s Luvhaus ceramics in restaurants and cafés. Each have their own style and process within their craft, like Julia’s tonal color palettes and organic forms, and Shawns distinctive color palettes and architectural shapes. Albeit different design approaches, this dynamic couple have found harmony within their space, daily routines, and complement each other effortlessly. They welcomed us into their oasis and we were immediately captivated by the calmness and thoughtful touches throughout the home. We caught up over coffee while chatting about their life outside the city, how they strike a balance as business owners, and toured their impressive garden.
Give us your brief background stories and how you both got into making ceramics.
Shawn - I did an apprenticeship as a teen in my home state of Maine then moved out to Oakland to attend CCA. After college I started working as an interior designer, working with my hands and getting back into craft was percolating in the background the whole time, but I didn’t formally start Luvhaus until getting burnt out working in interiors. It all kind of came together organically once I gave myself the space to focus on it.
Julia - I dabbled in ceramics for a while as a hobby, but didn’t really get serious about it until I took a glaze chemistry class in college and fell in love with the scientific side. I was working as a graphic designer, and had Earthen on the side for several years, until one day I realized I was much more invested in ceramics than design, and decided to open my shop in the Lower Haight 5 years ago.
Tell us about your morning or daily rituals. Have they shifted since moving to the country?
Shawn - It really has! I start my day pretty early, with a workout and yoga, I let the chickens out, check on the garden, grab a few veg. and then I make us coffee. It’s a routine I’ve really leaned into and sets the course of my day. We’ve been here a few years now and It still feels like such a luxury to have some dedicated space for movement, and having dreamed of having a garden so long it’s still the high point of our day. We both loved the city but felt really cramped up with city life, I guess beneath the surface we’re still both country kids.
Julia - The garden really is our grounding space! First thing we do every day is head out to the garden to water, deadhead the flowers and say hi to the chickens. I’m usually the most focused in the morning, and that having morning downtime is so important to me - I love to sit and have coffee and do the crossword, check in on emails and plan the day. Since my studio is downstairs and I work from home most of the week, it’s really nice to have those outdoor moments throughout the day to break things up. In the summer I try to go for a swim in the river as often as possible, and we love to take Tuna for hikes in the evening.
“I would say we treasure the objects in our home, but we’re definitely not too precious about anything - we always want everything to feel very comfortable and lived in. ”
You both practice the same craft… how do your processes differ?
Shawn - I feel lucky that we have very similar taste and aesthetics but we definitely focus on different points of the design process. I spend a lot of invisible time prototyping a specific shape to put into high volume production. One of Luvhaus’s main focus is the hospitality industry (restaurants, cafes, hotels etc.) Having a fine art background I really treat glaze in a more painterly way, I love bright undulating colors and think of the surface of the pot akin to a painting's surface. I’m also really drawn to the clean lines of architecture and think that's reflected in our shapes. We work really collaboratively running our business and help each other a lot on that front but keep our design process separate.
Julia - I agree, we’re very aligned in our interests and aesthetics, but over time we’ve naturally leaned into different styles. I tend to respond to more organic / rougher shapes with a more natural finish. Right now I’m focused on more one of a kind pieces, and I love making a wide variety of shapes - salt boxes, pour bowls, candle holders, etc. We really do support each other’s businesses in so many ways, and I feel like sometimes we live vicariously through each other’s work. My glazes are much more neutral, but I love having the bright pops of color in the house from our Luvhaus pieces.
Your home feels so warm and inviting, full of beautiful vignettes of special objects…where do you source from? local shops? Travels?
Shawn - The alameda antique flea market would definitely have to be on this list, and obviously a lot of things come into our home via the Earthen shop
Julia - We have a lot of treasured pieces by artists that we love - our Winnie Truong & Michelle Blade paintings, Hillery Sproatt blankets and paintings, Jeffrey Cheung and Nat Russel prints, and our knotted rocks by Laura Fischer. We’ve both collected special pieces from our travels and the flea markets.
Where do you find inspiration?
Shawn - Growing up in Maine I feel like I’ve always been drawn to the ocean, the woods, and the river. It feels very much like our home now, close to the river and ocean and just at the edge of the woods. I find inspiration in so many places but rejuvenation is something I’ve really been focused on lately. Those things that fill your cup back up and give you the room to see inspiration everywhere, living here has really been good for that.
Julia - Agreed! Being so close to nature is definitely a huge inspiration. I also love living in an agricultural town, being surrounded by so much bounty and other people who are passionate about food and gardening is very inspiring. I think both of us also take a lot of inspiration from other fields of design - metalsmithing, graphic design, interiors and fine art.
“For me, finding a better balance has been about leaning into things I love that are non-monetized: swimming, playing guitar, growing flowers and baking are the things I do to recharge.”
Describe your home aesthetic?
Shawn - This is another place where I feel so lucky that Julia and I share a core design aesthetic. We treat the walls a bit like a gallery keeping them bright white and let the details stand out as the focal points. It also really helps to make the house feel brighter longer in the winter months. We both really love clean lines, organic shapes and natural materials.
Julia - I would describe our home style as clean but eclectic. We’ve kept all of the walls and furniture super neutral to let all of our artwork shine. I would say we treasure the objects in our home, but we’re definitely not too precious about anything - we always want everything to feel very comfortable and lived in. We both love design but feel that often spaces can feel too much like a museum instead of a home, and it’s no fun having furniture that you’re scared of scratching or getting dirty.
Julia - you have such a keen eye for design and Earthen is full of curated home goods, textiles, beauty products, etc. - how do you approach sourcing?
Julia - Well thank you! I’m always looking, and have been very lucky that things have kind of grown organically. Friends will send things my way that would be a good fit for the shop, we get a lot of people reaching out to us as well, and we’re always looking for new artists through West Coast Craft and other local markets that have been such an important foundation of community for us. My rule for sourcing is that I have to have a gut reaction to it to carry it in the shop. There are so many beautiful, incredible artists out there that it’s easy to get overwhelmed when sourcing for the shop, it’s not enough for something to be cute, or popular - it has to speak to me on a deeper level.
It’s clear an appreciation of nature is woven intrinsically throughout your lives - you work with natural materials in your craft and have created an impressive garden at home - how does nature keep you grounded and have you always had a green thumb?
Shawn -The daily maintenance of the garden is a real grounding point, just doing a few garden chores can quickly clear the cobwebs and re-regulate a bad day. I frequently find myself orbiting the garden to clear my head. It’s pretty ironic to me, I grew up with a parent that LOVED plants and gardening, as a kid I found it annoying, even embarrassing sometimes but now I find myself gathering that same deep joy in the garden.
Julia - I grew up in the mountains but we never had a garden because the deer and the gophers were so intense! After living all of my adult life in New York and San Francisco without access to outdoor space, I was absolutely desperate for a garden. We started out growing primarily vegetables, but after growing some dahlias and cosmos a couple years ago we got absolutely addicted to flowers and they’ve kind of taken over. They just bring so much joy. I wouldn’t say I necessarily have a green thumb (I’ve killed my fair share of house plants), just very dedicated to learning as much as possible!
Your love for growing flowers is obvious, and you’re quite good at it, what’s next in the Earthen/LUVHAUS garden? Anything you’re dreaming of planting?
Shawn - It’s kind of a joke between us but we’ve been daydreaming about having a flower farm, that would require quite a bit more space but we don’t shy away from dreaming big.
Julia - I have very fond memories of going to dahlia and olallieberry U-picks in Santa Cruz growing up, and it’s a long term dream to have some sort of farm that people can visit and pick their own flowers. In the shorter term, I think we’re starting to develop our own styles with flower arranging and we both have our favorite varieties. We’re already planning next year’s garden with a wider variety of plants, especially learning what to plant to extend the season. I think right now we’re pretty focused on growing dahlias, poppies, scabiosas, cupcake cosmos, orlaya, clematis and sweet peas.
After living in SF and Oakland for so many years, what has surprised you about living in the country?
Shawn - Without a doubt the quiet, I don't think I realized how inundated I felt by the noise of city life until we moved. When I first moved to the Bay area I felt absolutely electrified by the hustle and bustle of city living. I think it’s every country kid's daydream to live in the city at some point, but I’m definitely enjoying the change in pace.
Julia - I was worried that moving away from the city would feel isolating - and in some ways it is - but the city is still there. Since we both commute for work, I feel like we’re in some ways able to enjoy it more than we did when we were living there because we appreciate it so much more.
Any house projects on the horizon?
Shawn - Too many frankly! We still have a lot of work to do on our home, on both the “need to” and “want to” lists.
Julia - We’re trying to take it slow but really itching to remodel our kitchen and bathroom. I think both of those will be projects for next year, right now we’re enjoying dreaming and planning.
What’s next for Earthen and LUVHAUS?
Julia - I’m looking to open another Earthen shop somewhere in Sonoma County, just waiting for the right location!
Shawn - We have a bunch of new shapes and glazes we’re launching this year that I’m really excited about, long term I’d love to move the studio closer to home. I love Oakland and it’s been mine and Luvhaus home for a long time but the commute is a challenge.
Any hidden gems in Occidental we should know about?
Shawn + Julia -Oh so many right here and on the way! We love Physic Pie in Sebastopol, Bee Kind (where we get all our apiary equipment) Light wave cafe, a great spot for lunch on the way to the river. The Altamont in Occidental, Wildflour bakery, in Freestone and our friend Erin just opened a new place right next door to it - Cochineal, Cafe Aquatica in Jenner, and of course Full Bloom Flower Farm in Graton!
