New Year, New Energy

The year is beginning with a quiet hum—grounded, but full of momentum.

Earlier this week, between glaze tests and the steady warmth of the kiln, I opened an email from International Contemporary Furniture Fair sharing that my work was featured in Dezeen as part of their preview of designers exhibiting at ICFF, May 17–19, 2026, at the Javits Center in New York. Seeing my work included alongside such thoughtful makers felt both surreal and deeply affirming—a meaningful marker in the studio’s growth.

ICFF has long been a reference point for me: a place where furniture, lighting, and material exploration meet architecture and atmosphere. Exhibiting there this spring feels like stepping into a new chapter shaped by years of experimentation, patience, and trust in the slow build of a studio practice. I’m especially excited to share new sconces, table lamps, and a floor lamp I’ve been quietly developing for some time.

In the studio, the work continues steadily. I’m currently developing a new series of ceramic sconces—softly sculptural forms that play with shadow and glow—alongside a new kitchen tray designed for daily use: tactile, weighty, and meant to live easily within everyday rituals.

Many of these new pieces are being made for homes in the Bay Area, where I grew up. That landscape—fog, ocean air, and a particular quality of light—shaped my sensitivity to atmosphere long before I ever touched clay. Sending work back west now feels like a full-circle moment, connecting past and present through the work itself.

This new year feels less about urgency and more about clarity. About staying steady, listening closely, and continuing to build with intention.

As ICFF approaches, I’m feeling excited and grateful for the studio, for the support, and for the long arc of making things by hand.

— Jen
Studio JED

One Year of Studio J-E-D

Studio J-E-D began shortly after I moved in with my fiancé, in Bushwick, Brooklyn—beneath the steady rumble of the train overhead. Surrounded by constant motion and noise, I found myself craving stillness. Calm. A sense of refuge at home.

Almost unexpectedly, I became obsessed with lighting—how light could soften a space, quiet the nervous system, and transform an apartment into something that felt like an oasis. A place to exhale. A gentle counterpoint to the daily hustle of the city.

After more than a decade creating one-of-a-kind ceramic sculptures and oil paintings, my focus shifted. Instead of objects meant only to be observed, I began thinking about art that could be lived with—forms that held light, atmosphere, and presence. Lighting became the medium through which sculpture and function could meet.

This studio practice has been shaped by close attention to material. Clay in its many states—soft, pliable, structured, fired—guides the work. Much of this process unfolds quietly: shaping, refining, testing light, adjusting form. These moments are often private, but they are what continually draw me back to the medium.

As Studio J-E-D reaches its first year, I want to pause and say thank you. To everyone who has supported the studio—by collecting a piece, exhibiting my work, sharing kind words, coming to see it in person or following along—your presence has made this practice possible.

Right now, I’m in the studio working on a ceramic lighting shade commission and a sconce commission, while preparing for ICFF and imagining what’s next for Studio J-E-D. There is so much more to share as this body of work continues to evolve.

This journal will serve as an ongoing archive: a place to document studio practice, works in progress, and reflections on the quiet, meaningful moments that shape this work.

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