Jynsym Ong is a London born studio potter currently based in Oxford. She studied ceramics at Clay College in Stoke on Trent and in 2019 was selected as a Daiwa Scholar, which enabled her to undertake an apprenticeship at Mitoh Kama in Karatsu, Japan. She was a recipient of TOAST's New Makers programme in 2023. 

Known for her functional pottery, Jynsym is inspired by the patterns and subtlety of surfaces found in nature. Her work incorporates natural materials such as wood ash, rocks and found clay, allowing the raw beauty of these elements to shape her creations, also situating them firmly in a place and time. A passionate advocate of wood firing, she embraces the unpredictability of this age-old technique to create complex and nuanced surfaces on her pots. 

Beyond her production work, she is fascinated by how objects acquire meaning through use; how they become carriers of personal and cultural narratives, and how those stories eventually become history. 

For Lewis Hayes, ceramics and pottery are are a vital part of life. Growing up in Stoke-on-Trent, a city renowned for its pottery, Lewis is the son of a potter and pottery teacher. He has been immersed in ceramics since childhood, and throwing pots since the age of 10, which has fostered a profound appreciation for and understanding of the craft.

Lewis started teaching pottery initially at his home studio, and more recently at various art schools and studios across London’s thriving ceramics scene. He engages in pottery daily through teaching and makes his own work at Studio 134, as well as working occasionally at his parents studio in North Yorkshire.

Whilst continuously refining his skills and techniques, Lewis crafts Japanese-inspired teapots, classic mug forms and delicate small bowls in marbled clay for Once. 

Lindy Barletta is a master potter, teacher, and co-owner of Once.

Her passion for ceramics began at school before studying Textile Design at Hereford College of Art. After successful careers in arts management and interior design, Lindy decided to try her hand at pottery. She trainied with the potter David Wakefield and pottery legends David and Margaret Frith.

Later she set up a studio and began offering pottery classes to friends - which has over time morphed into Sheen Pottery, a teaching Studio and pottery shop close to Once.

Lindy creates her ceramic pieces at Studio 134, finding joy in the calm, meditative process of throwing pots for the home and table. Her work has been included in many exhibitions and private collections, including a recent Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, curated by Grayson Perry.

Grace McCarthy is a potter based in north west London, where her practice focuses on functional objects. Her work is influenced primarily from the relationship between raw materials and the firing process; how the elements respond and react to the components in both gas and electric kilns. Grace is able to create unique clay and glaze combinations to suit each type of firing, creating functional forms that quietly live in the home. Most pieces are made on the pottery wheel and fired to stoneware temperatures. 

Trained at Clay College Stoke on Trent as part of the first cohort of students, Grace has been working for a number of years in her own studio as a production potter, supplying a whole range of different shops and galleries. A huge source of inspiration for making comes from visiting museums and galleries - with the feeling that many ceramic forms have been tried and perfected in previous generations.

Working from his workshop and studio in Hammersmith, West London, Paul Beaty designs and makes his own furniture and ceramics.  He enjoys the organic aesthetic of wood and seeks out the natural curve of the wood grain as reflected in the form of his furniture pieces. 

With an interest in ceramics, Paul also likes to bring wood and clay together using chunky wooden lids on simple ceramic pots that celebrate the complimentary colours of these natural materials.

Paul designs his furniture using his experience as an architect to resolve details with hand drawings.  Ideas are tested by making models, or half size versions of the furniture, to see how the wood will respond.  He also takes on commissions to help clients achieve their own design ideas. Paul is currently working on a series of stools, benches and tables using oak sourced from storm felled trees in Sussex.

Anna Stewart is a potter and co-owner of Once. She has been learning how to craft good quality pottery for the last few years whilst running her own design consultancy.

Previously, Anna ran a curated exhibition programme of materials and concept-led design exhibitions and advised international organisations on how to communicate design events, exhibitions and places. Anna studied History of Design at the Royal College of Art / Victoria and Albert Museum and continues to be interested in the social history of objects and interior design. Interior design and furniture collections are something Anna advises on after many years working in the design industry.

Anna loves to make everyday items that bring joy to daily tasks - an egg cup, a fruit sieve, a milk jug. Anna is enjoying developing her own style of pottery and understanding more about sustainable practices in ceramics.