Meet_the maker
Michele O’Hana, interior designer, weaver, ceramicist
A Little about your work life story?
I wear a few different hats - I’m an interior designer by trade, but I also work with ceramics, weaving, and wool.
I got into weaving and textiles about seven years ago - completely by accident, really. I rescued a sheep and her lamb, then another one, then bought a few more … and now I have a small flock. That’s how it started. I fell in love with the sheep, and then I fell in love with the wool.
I’ve always been a knitter since I was small, but when I started spinning lessons with an older woman, she eventually stopped and gave me her wheel and her loom. I inherited all her equipment, and that’s what really set me on this path.
Every year I go to the west of Ireland to Ciaran Hogan’s place for a weaving course - and last year we did a spinning and wool course with Carina Coyne over in Lough na Fooey. She’s amazing.
Ceramics has always been part of my life too. I started lessons when I was sixteen in Ballydehob with the incredible Leda May, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago. Later, when I moved to New York, I joined a ceramic studio down the road and eventually set up my own. I’ve been doing it forever, really.
And you had an exhibition recently?
Yes! That came about through Robin Rice, a gallerist John has worked with for over thirty years. She came to visit our studio, saw the house, and asked if we’d consider doing a show together.
John’s been a photographer his whole life - it’s all he’s ever done. My son Jack is a knifemaker, and also a fisherman. He learned knifemaking from Fingal Ferguson down in West Cork, and so we decided to do something together.
The exhibition called “HOME” is exactly that. It’s about home and family. Working together was great.
— Michele O’Hana
How was working together ?
The exhibition was called Home, and it was exactly that - a show about our home and family. Working together was great. Jack is super organised, John’s great, and I was the disaster! I stressed everyone out, but I got everything finished in the end. Sometimes a deadline is exactly what you need.
One of my favourite parts was collaborating with Jack on lighting. I designed the sconces and he made them - they sold really well, and they were beautiful.
Is there a typical work day?
No two days are ever the same, but they always start with the animals. I get up, feed the horses, feed the sheep, put out the chickens - and then head off to whatever the day brings.
Interior design is my day job, so if I have a site meeting, I’ll go to whichever house or project I’m working on. If I don’t, I’ll spend the day in the studio - either ceramics or weaving, depending on what I’m focused on at the time.
I don’t really have a fixed schedule. I just move between the work that needs to be done and the things I want to do. It’s a mix of clients, animals, and making - all slightly unstructured, but it works. I also grow vegetables, which I love. Sometimes I want to do too much, but I’m learning to rein myself in.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I’m really inspired by what’s around me - the landscape, the countryside here in the Hudson Valley, and in West Cork when I’m home. There’s a really interesting hub of makers and designers in the Hudson area.
I love working with natural materials …I grow my own willow for basket weaving, use my own sheep’s wool, and even make my own porcelain from scratch. It’s all very tactile, and that’s what I love most.
I love to support local makers in my interiors work - like Chris Lehrecke- incredible furniture maker. Designers I’ve always admired include Charlotte Perriand - she designed so much but didn’t get the credit until later - and Eileen Gray. In pottery, Lucy Rie is at the top of my list; her work is timeless.
What about brands that you love or as a gift?
In terms of brands and makers, I always try to support small ones over big brands. I love what Galway Wool Co and Mallon Linen are doing, and Stable of Ireland - they’re going to old mills and getting them weaving again, which I think is amazing. A Diarmuid Breen painting is always a wonderful gift and over here in New York I love jewellery designer Ted Muehling and sculptor Kieran Kinsella. The best gift I’ve received is a Claddagh ring from my children. It came from Enibas who design and carry beautiful jewellery in their shops in Schull and Kinsale. Lastly, jewellery designer Gabrielle Kiss who makes the most beautiful pieces.
How do you like to wear your Overall?
I love my Abito overall. I wear it in the garden all the time, especially when I’m out with the animals. The pockets are perfect - I keep a hoof pick, secateurs, my phone … everything fits.
I also wear it to construction sites - it’s practical and stylish at the same time, which you don’t often get. The only place I don’t wear it is in my ceramic studio, because it’s too nice to ruin with clay so I prefer an apron there. But otherwise, I wear it everywhere.
I grow my own willow for basket weaving, use my own sheeps wool and even make my own porcelain from scratch. It’s all very tactile and that’s what I love most.
— Michele O’Hana, maker
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Thanks so much Michele, love your story. And thank you for reading.
Catherine & Eve Anne