If there was ever a time that you really need a chance to take your mind of things with a spot of pottery, it really is now. And although the studio is closed, you can still get your fix by ordering a stay-at-home kit.
So let’s while away the hours making with clay - giving you something to focus on, and bringing a sense of calm, joy and discovery to your home as you explore your creative potential.
First things first, it’s time to choose what you’d like to make! Each kit comes with a demonstration video that talks you through the basics of making with clay, and then there’s loads of tips, tricks and inspiration to help you turn your hunk of clay into dreamy pottery.
Here’s the low-down on each option to help you make your decision.
What home is complete with out a pair of boobs on the mantle piece. A guaranteed conversation starter. Perfect for plant pots or utensils holders, or a titilating sculpture.
Make one medium pot or two small pots.
£30 per person
Difficulty: pretty simple if you take your time
Make your own ceramic house inspired by The Great Pottery Throw Down. You don't have to make your own home, you could recreate a place that's special to you or a dream home.
Make one 15cm tall building.
£30 per person
Difficulty: requires patience and forward planning in abundace
Whether you fancy a hanging planter for the bathroom or a herb box for the kitchen, we've got you covered.
Make one medium pot or two small pots.
£30 per person
Difficulty: pretty simple if you take your time
Perfect way to set the mood for evenings spent sitting out in the garden or a cosy winter evening snuggled upon the sofa.
Make one medium pot or two small pots.
£30 per person
Difficulty: requires patience + focus
Take a look at Lantern making, Plant pots, Hanging plant pots, Boob pots or Ceramic houses.
Each kit price includes all tools, materials + firing processes. Small pots are approx the size to house a small succulent, and medium pots about the size of a mug that would hold a pint.
Please have a good read so you know what’s up :)
Complete the form at the bottom of this page to place your order. Choose either a weekday or weekend kit. Please place your order at least 2 days in advance of when you’d like to collect. Take note of the collection + drop off times you’re agreeing to.
Once we receive your order we’ll email you to confirm we’ve got everything you’re after, request payment + confirm your delivery/collection slot.
Pop along in your designated collection window to collect your kit. It’ll be all packed up in a paper bag, but please bring a bag for life to make it easier to carry.
Before you get stuck in we’ll send you a video which will explain all the tips + techniques you’ll need to create your masterpiece. You’ll be able to get in touch with us on the socials + emails if you have any questions as you go along :) You must return your kit on the designated day so make the most of your painting time. People usually spend about 2hrs making in the studio so two days is plenty of time!
When your kit hire is up, pop by the studio in your designated drop-off window to return our materials + your masterpieces. You’ll be given a checklist to make sure you’ve put everything back in the box for us.
Once your pottery is back at the studio our glazin’ squad will work their magic, firing your pottery up to 1015°C and make it super strong. We’ll be in touch a few weeks later when it’s ready for painting. You can choose a paint at home kit or paint in the studio.
Once it’s been painted and you’ve brought it back to us for another firing, you can collect it 7 days later when it will be bright and shiny. You’ll have 1 month to collect after your given collection date - any pottery not collected within 1 month with be donated to charity.
Once your piece has been fired we’ll contact you to say it’s ready to paint. If you opt for a paint at home kit you can choose up to 6 paints to borrow, if you paint in the studio you can use the full range. You don’t need to worry about it yet, this is just to give you an idea of the colours you’ll be working with :)
Please note: there’s no need to choose white if it’s just for your background as any unpainted pottery will be white and shiny after firing - we promise!
Click to see a bigger image :)
*if you are making for a present, choose the soonest possible slot to make sure it’s ready in time as it takes a minimum of 8 weeks to be ready to collect.
Our phones may not be manned right now so if you have questions, please complete the form or email any questions to hello@thepotteryexperience.co.uk
We will send you an instructional video + extra tips to watch and read before you start making. You must follow the ‘rules’ we provide. They give your pottery the best chance of surviving the kiln, and also make sure that your piece won’t blow up and damage someone else’s work, or our kiln.
If we feel you have done something that increases the chance of your pieces exploding we will simply not fire it. We cannot risk damaging someone else’s work or our kiln. We don’t like doing this, it’s not fun, and thankfully isn’t something we have to do very often, but in exceptional circumstances we must make tough decisions to prevent pottery disasters.
If pottery is broken or damaged at home, we cannot accept any responsibility for this and you will not be refunded so please do take care ❤️
Before you pack up your kit, please give your tools a rinse with warm water + a quick dry. Clay wash off most clothes and hard surfaces. Again we’re cannot be held responsible for your cream sofa getting covered in clay if you decide to use your kit there.
All kits are totally disinfected between uses.
We try our best to ensure that every aspect of the creative journey you take with us is fun and enjoyable. The final part of this journey involves the glazing and firing of your pottery up to temperatures in excess of 1000˚C. This process is carried out onsite by our studio assistants who treat each piece with the greatest love, care and attention.
We strive for perfection with every piece, however the kiln gods are not always on our side.
Handmade pieces: please be aware that sometimes items can crack or at worst explode in the kiln. If you follow the instructions in the video this shouldn’t occur.
Painted pieces: Occasionally glaze spotting can occur, as well as surface imperfections such as tiny bumps caused by brick dust flying around the kiln as it heats up, this dust can settle on items as the kiln temperature cools. If we feel it is safe to do so, we will try to fix glazing issues by re-firing the pottery. Handmade pottery can craze after glaze firing, this is tiny cracks in the surface of the glaze, it’s not structural, but you can see that liquid may seep through the cracks + stain your piece. It’s for this reason we advise not making items for eating / drinking wet food out of.
We hope you understand that we do everything we can to try and prevent such things, however it is not always possible. The unpredictable element can be both the charm and frustration of ceramics.
