Process

All our pieces are handmade in our studio in Litchfield, Connecticut. Their straightforward, simplicity inspired by modernist sculpture. Their textures and finish drawn from our natural surroundings—the rough softness of lichen, the layers of peeling bark on a plane tree. Balancing form and function, they are meant to be lived with, revealing their character the longer you spend with them.

FROM SKETCH TO
Finished piece

  • 1.

    Our inspiration comes from far and wide. It can be found in the natural flora and fauna around our studio in Litchfield, which is serene and sometimes surprising.

    Or in the product of human hands, like the shapes and forms of the mid-century—we’re particular fans of Jean-Michel Frank and, more recently, Beverly Pepper—or objects from unknown craftsmen. Dumais Made began because of antique Japanese lamp.

  • 2.

    Clay is a natural material, which means each of our pieces is individual. Even a pair of lamps, while made from the same template and assembled in the same manner, possess their own expression.

    Their surfaces and seams are subtly different. Their shapes quietly distinct. This is clay's innate individuality, a trait that is respectfully enhanced through our hands.

  • 3.

    We finish our pieces with the finest glazes, using either a dip or pour method, in a carefully considered palette that is drawn from the depth and contrast found in the environment around us—the way nature layers the colors of fall foliage outside the studio’s windows, for instance.

    Once glazed, lamps are wired with antique brass fittings and topped off with a shade, which, we’ve discovered can completely transform a piece, much like a good hat.