MY PHILOSOPHY

As my hero Eva Zeisel said,

“The way an object feels is important. My hands are just as important as my eyes”.

Ceramics are inherently tactile — the way an object feels matters just as much as how it looks. Something you touch every day becomes part of your life. While it’s an honor to have my work recognized with design awards, nothing is more rewarding than hearing from happy customers. I create pieces to bring quiet joy into daily life, and nothing delights me more than knowing my work is in many hands, making many people happy.

I’m Maia, the hands, heart, and founder behind Maia Ming Designs.

I was born in Hawaii, grew up in Italy, and studied Product Design at Stanford University. After years of designing products for other companies, I rediscovered the pleasure of working with clay. When my children were young, we took a pottery class together — and that simple class re-sparked my love of making by hand.

I started small, forming pieces on the wheel and then altering them by hand. As interest in my work grew, I began showing in group and solo exhibitions and eventually began creating slip-cast moulds to reproduce my designs in small series.

Today I live just outside Barcelona, surrounded by the forest of La Collserola. My days balance designing, making, and running a small business — sometimes at the pottery wheel, other times handling the behind-the-scenes work.

I create ceramics meant to enrich everyday life: tactile, harmonious objects that invite touch and bring beauty to daily rituals. Made in small series, each piece is designed to be functional, lasting, and a quiet part of your story.

GET IN TOUCH

Would you like to carry our products?

We have warehouses in Spain and the USA. Not all of the products we make are available in both locations, but drop us a line and we’ll do our best to figure out how to get you the products you need! info@maiamingdesigns.com

There are two sides of my business...

  • Designer

    I used to think of myself as a designer creating products for manufacturing. Today, I focus on fewer, better ceramics — pieces designed to last, to be functional, and made with a thoughtful, sustainable approach. Small-batch production allows me to pay attention to the details that matter, from shape and texture to usability. Designing ceramics isn’t just about how they look or feel; it’s about creating objects that work beautifully in daily life.

  • Maker

    Working with clay is deeply tactile, satisfying, and therapeutic. I love taking a piece from wheel or hand-forming, altering it by hand, refining shapes, experimenting with textures, glazes, and techniques — all the way until it’s ready to be sent to a customer. There’s nothing quite like the moment a piece leaves my studio and a note of thanks arrives from someone enjoying it. Each handmade ceramic is an opportunity to explore form, texture, and function while making a little daily joy for someone else.

  • My Etsy shop

    My Etsy shop is where I showcase pieces that don’t appear on my Shopify site — one-of-a-kind, fully artisanal ceramics, or small-batch items like planters. Etsy allows me to experiment, connect with collectors and enthusiasts worldwide, and get direct feedback through reviews and photos. It’s a space where I can focus on making ceramics by hand, balancing creative time in the studio with running a small business, and share unique, tactile, functional pieces with people who truly appreciate them.

    my etsy shop 

https://maiamingdesigns.etsy.com

To see a selection of my industrial, graphic. and package design projects. go to

maiafong.wixsite.com/maiamingfong/