
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.

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.

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.

Sheets and Duvet, Quince; Planter, Patrick Johnston Ceramics; Rug, West Elm.

Painting by Danielle Hutchens; Artwork (over plinth) by Lenworth McIntosh.

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.

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 and Sconce, Habitat for Humanity ReStore; Towels, Target.

Vanity, Birch Lane; Ceramics, Canyon Ceramics Co.

Window, Theodore Ellison Designs.



Exterior Paint, Stone Walls (walls) and Sorrel Leaf (trim) by Behr.

Hutchens: There are some young banana trees down there. Hopefully they’ll grow pretty big and we’ll get a little tropical outdoor shower.
