J Schatz is a Detroit-based studio for ceramic lighting, sculpture, vessels, outdoor objects, and collectible design.

Founded by Jim Schatz in 2004, the studio began with an egg-shaped lamp and expanded into a full world of ceramic objects built and finished by hand — precise, playful, durable, and alive with color. Over time, the work has grown from functional design into a broader studio practice shaped by form, surface, material experimentation, and the emotional presence of objects made by hand.

Made by hand. Made to last. Made to love. Made in Detroit.

Today, J Schatz is led by Jim Schatz and Peter Souza Jr. from their studio at Studios Van Dyke in Warren, Michigan.

Jim’s ceramic practice brings together repetition, glaze, utility, and sculptural form. Peter’s background in furniture, lighting, wood, image, and spatial design adds structure, material contrast, and a deeply tactile sensibility.

Together, they create work that moves between the refined and the elemental — glossy and rough, useful and symbolic, intimate and architectural.

Their shared practice is both personal and professional: a life built around making, looking, collecting, experimenting, and creating objects that hold presence.

Each piece is made slowly, one at a time.

The studio produces ceramic lighting, pendant lamps, vessels, wall works, outdoor habitat objects, table pieces, and one-of-a-kind works for collectors, designers, and homes.

Some works are made in small editions. Others are singular pieces that emerge through process, experimentation, and the demands of the material.

Across the collection, the through-line is the same: objects with character, permanence, and a sense of wonder.

J Schatz Studio is part of a larger creative ecosystem that includes Take Me Home, Jim and Peter's gallery and design store in Detroit's Little Village.

The work is made at the studio, shown at the gallery, and offered through both jschatz.com and Take Me Home — a continuous practice of making, showing, collecting, and living with objects.

J Schatz Studio is based in Detroit. Take Me Home is in the Cadillac Arts Centre in Detroit's Little Village.

Since 2004, J Schatz has been guided by a simple idea: objects can hold presence in daily life.

Every piece is designed and made in the studio using lead-free, non-toxic glazes and high-fired ceramic materials. The work is built to endure — physically, visually, and emotionally.

Our mission is simple: to create objects that are at home in an inspired life.

J Schatz pieces are made in small batches, yearly editions, custom commissions, and one-of-a-kind works.

They are collected by individuals, specified by designers, installed in homes and hospitality spaces, and shown as part of the studio’s evolving body of work.

To see the work in person, visit Take Me Home in Detroit during gallery hours or schedule a private studio visit at J Schatz Studio.

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