From Their Tiny Topanga Canyon Home, This Artist Couple Made the Tiles for Their Shower

To save on storage, they do a quarterly coffee mug purge.

By Lydia Geisel, Photography by Molly Haas, Styling by Natalia Gómez

Published on Oct 30, 2024 2:40 AM EDT

0

Share

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

couple outside on patio

Most couples aren’t equally interested in trying out their significant other’s hobbies—Danielle Hutchens and Dana Seagraves are the exception. When Hutchens got really good at making ceramics, she began to show Seagraves the ropes. At the same time, he was schooling her on how to surf. “I’d be the beginner, he’d be the teacher, and then we would come home and switch,” says Hutchens. And then, Seagraves started to get really good, really fast, thanks to the fact that the pair have a pottery wheel at their California home. “We just started filling up the shelves with stuff that we were both making and decided to create a company out of it,” shares Hutchens. From their Topanga Canyon bungalow, they founded their small-batch studio, Canyon Ceramics Co. 

The 750-square-foot interior space on the upper level is what Hutchens and Seagraves technically call home. Downstairs, they converted an old bedroom into a full-on ceramics studio outfitted with both an electric and gas kiln. Further down the hill, past the large passion fruit tree, is a separate building where Hutchens paints and does occasional graphic design work (she’s behind the logo at the Topanga Farmers Market). Seagraves and Hutchens have it all right there, which was part of the draw when they bought the house in 2021. 

“We got really lucky because we were able to be patient,” Hutchens recalls of their real-estate search. Their former landlord in Santa Monica let them lease month to month, allowing them time to find the perfect place to put down roots. When their agent eventually came to them with this home—a former 1920s hunting cabin that had been added onto over the decades—there was no guarantee they could buy it. The sellers weren’t actually sure if they were ready to sell. Luckily, Hutchens and Seagraves hit it off with them, promising to keep the home’s integrity intact. 

They leaned on Seagraves’s past building experience and Hutchens’s father’s carpentry skills, and focused on updating the kitchen and bathroom and, most recently, expanding the studio into a space where they can also host workshops and semi-private classes. Ahead, the creative duo lets us take a look around.

small green kitchen
Hutchens: The most noticeable change in the kitchen involves the windows. Before, they were half the size and only our tall friends could see the view. The backsplash tile was sort of an accident: I ordered the wrong [samples], and I kept accumulating different colors. Then I liked how they all looked together, so I kept ordering more and did a mosaic. 
Seagraves: A big thing we’re both excited about is lighting. Danielle made the pendant lamp over the island, and it’s attached to a piece of driftwood we brought home after surfing. 
Hutchens: We almost exclusively cook in just one iron skillet and have about two pots we go back and forth with. We don’t have a lot of other kitchen gadgets—I feel like we can do most things with a knife. 
Seagraves: We do a quarterly coffee cup purge, though, which is really difficult when you and your partner have made them.
Cabinet Paint, Nantucket Gray by Benjamin Moore; Pendant Lamp, Canyon Ceramics Co.; Flush Mount, West Elm via Habitat for Humanity ReStore; Sink and Faucet, IKEA; Dishwasher, GE; Refrigerator, LG; Artwork by Dana Seagraves; Hanging Ceramic Art by Christina Ross, Artemis L.A.
white brick living room fireplace
Seagraves: We have no storage, so Danielle found this handmade cupboard (originally from Brazil) on Facebook Marketplace. 
Hutchens: We had to get it from a third-floor apartment in West Hollywood. It wouldn’t fit through the door, so we had to go through the window. Then when we finally got it where it is now, I was like, I don’t think I like it. We ended up painting it and adding cane behind the openings, and it turned out fine!
Sofa, Castlery; Art by Danielle Hutchens.
bedroom with tree in corner
Hutchens: The bedroom was turquoise from the ceiling to the floor, so we painted everything right away. After we did that, we were like, Wow, it feels so calm in here.
Sheets and Duvet, Quince; Planter, Patrick Johnston Ceramics; Rug, West Elm.
ladder leading to elevated loft
Hutchens: A lot of our rugs are from Dana’s parents. But we did bring some back from Morocco. Our neighbor got married there, and because our neighborhood is so close (we surf together, have game nights), we all went and decided to do a big group shipment of rugs back to California.
Painting by Danielle Hutchens; Artwork (over plinth) by Lenworth McIntosh.
lofted bed
Hutchens: Our first impression of the loft was: This is cool. Dana and I both didn’t have basements growing up, so it filled this inner-child need for a hangout spot. We have a bed on one side, where we’ll sit and watch movies because we don’t have a TV downstairs. I haven’t rolled off my bed since I was little, so that’s never a concern for us, plus there are 5 or so inches between the bed and the edge of the loft. You feel really safe. 
Seagraves: Finding space for my surfboard collection has been an ongoing project. I would guess we have more than 20 now that Danielle is surfing.
Sheets, Quince; Duvet, IKEA.
mismatched shower tile
Hutchens: [Dana and I] made the tiles for the bathroom. We had our art teacher show us how. Fitting them together was kind of chancy, but it worked out great. 
Seagraves: Danielle’s father and I did the most of all the other renovations. 
Hutchens: They took it down to the studs and even added heated flooring. I’d have to remind them to take breaks and eat food because they were endlessly working on that space.
Shower Wall Tile, Canyon Ceramics Co.; Floor Tile, Home Depot.
tub near window
Hutchens: There used to be a door to the outside, where the bathtub is now. I really missed having one (I take a bath nearly every night). I really get good use out of it.
Tub and Sconce, Habitat for Humanity ReStore; Towels, Target.
wood bathroom vanity
Hutchens: We were looking for a long time for a dresser or credenza to refinish and turn into a vanity. Then we were like, “Let’s just buy something as is.” It made the job so much easier and allowed us to put more energy into the tile.
Vanity, Birch Lane; Ceramics, Canyon Ceramics Co.
stained glass window in bathroom
Hutchens: Ever since we moved in, we’ve had plans to use these stained-glass windows, made by an artist in the Bay Area, but we just couldn’t figure out the right space for them. It wasn’t until we redid the bathroom that we figured out the perfect spot.
Window, Theodore Ellison Designs.
woman at pottery wheel
Seagraves: The piece of pecan wood on the wall in the studio came from my parents’ workshop (my mom’s an artist; my dad’s a carpenter). It belonged to an artist friend of theirs, so it has traveled through a lot of people’s hands. I could not part ways with it. 
pottery studio
Hutchens: We always want our studio to be clean and safe (ceramics can get dangerous if your space is left messy, with all the basilica and the clay you can breathe in), but we wanted it to feel like you could make a mess. So we kept the existing rough rock in there. We rest things on it, sit on it—it is a reminder that this is an earthy, natural space; do your thing. 
green house
Hutchens: We painted swatches on the house when we moved in but only got around to painting it three or four months ago. We tackled it with a sprayer and a lot of energy. 
Exterior Paint, Stone Walls (walls) and Sorrel Leaf (trim) by Behr.
outdoor shower
Seagraves: The outdoor shower is down where I park and close to where we keep the surfboards, outside Danielle’s paint studio. I built it with recycled material from the previous outdoor bathroom. 
Hutchens: There are some young banana trees down there. Hopefully they’ll grow pretty big and we’ll get a little tropical outdoor shower.
pathway to outdoor shed
Hutchens: The previous owners used the separate building as an Airbnb. We tried that, but it didn’t work for us. Because we kept outgrowing our creative space, we turned it into the painting studio. There are so many artists in Topanga, and it seems like everybody’s looking for a place to make work together. If we’re able to offer that space, that would be really exciting. We feel lucky to be part of this community.
Lydia Geisel Avatar

Lydia Geisel

Home Editor

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.

Learn more about Domino.com Editorial Standards