About Ezme

Dreamed about since 2002 but probably not fully operational until 2007 (due to a second bachelor's degree), Ezme Designs (Ehzmee Dezignz ) focuses on creating funky, unique ceramic items for your home. We are constantly developing new ideas and new products so check back often! Some of the pieces are one of a kind and some are created in limited edition but everything is hand-made in a little ceramics studio in Oakland, California. We use slipcasting, handbuilding and wheel throwing techniques to create our products and are inspired by plants, flowers, seed pods, asian art, retro designs, antiques and grandma's china cabinet. Please feel free to contact us for custom work including custom tile design, fabrication, installation and mosaic work.

Check out past projects in the Commissions section of Chanda's portfolio.

Where did the name Ezme come from anyway?

One of Chanda's favorite movies is an old seventies film with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase called "Foul Play". In the movie, Goldie Hawn's next door neighbor (played by Burgess Meredith) has a pet snake named Ezme. Somehow the name always stuck in Chanda's head and she always had it in mind that this name would be a really cool name for a business. Years later when in the formative stages of learning ceramics and deciding to make her dream come true of owning her own business,the coincidences started to pile up. In the movie, Goldie Hawn works as a librarian -- at the time, Chanda was a librarian. Foul Play is set in San Francisco. Chanda lives close enough in Oakland. Chris' nickname for Chanda is chili pickle. In Turkish cuisine, ezme is a thick, mildly spicy paste of sun-dried Turkish chile peppers. And then the clincher night was when Chanda was feeling blue, she turned on the t.v. and at 2 a.m. without even needing to change the channel the movie "Foul Play" was just starting. That night, the decision was made to name her ceramics business, Ezme Designs!

You can buy the movie here!

Owner / Accountant / Designer / Craftsperson :

Chanda was born in Reno, Nevada and grew up living in a suburban subdivision in a bedroom that looked just like her friend Mike's. She has two Bachelor's degrees -- one in Anthropology/Photography and one in Ceramics. The latter was received from the California College of the Arts (and Crafts).

From an early age, Chanda collected sea shells and dreamed of being a Marine Biologist specializing in the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. She even took a Cellular/Molecular Biology class just for the fun of it which has definitely inspired her visually. She is obsessed with plants and flowers and most intensely in re-occurring repetitive patterns based particularly in nature. However, she is also inspired by an eclectic combination of art nouveau, 50's and 60's graphic art, botanical drawings, garish flowery things, baby animals and Led Zeppelin. One of her favorite books is The Secret Life of Plants which inspired housewives of the 1970s to start talking to their plants.

Without the support of her friends and family, Chanda would still be sitting in an office, behind a computer, Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm crying on the inside. She would especially like to recognize the extreme financial and emotional support given to her by her wonderful Mom (and best friend). Also, many, many thanks to Christopher Aynesworth, web designer, graphic designer, boyfriend and therapist extraordinaire!

Chanda's Resume

To see some of Chanda's sculpture, photography and commission work click here.

Designer / Marketing / PR :

Christopher Aynesworth is a musician who plays guitar, banjo, harmonica, bass, keyboard and most recently picked up from a trip to Maui -- ukulele. He has also owned his own web and graphic design business, Ouroboros, for ten years. He manages all of Ezme Designs' print and web needs along with marketing and public relations and dutifully helps Chanda set up and man craft show booths. Among many other interests, he loves to travel, make silly voices, read Jungian psychology, watch Star Wars and hang with our cat, Mortimer in his home office.

Check out Chris' website and resume. He can be contacted for all of your web and graphic design needs.