Lawyer to potter

Hello! Stine bere, founder of SkandiHus.
When I quit my lawyer job back in 2014, I had to work my three months’ notice. A lot of stuff happened to me during those three months, as you can imagine. I remember going for my lunch break in Lincolns Inn, as I often did to eat my lunch on the grass, except this day I kicked off my heels and walked barefoot across the lawn (yes, I totally pretended to be in Pretty Woman and no, I don’t own a pair of heels anymore). It felt so liberating and I did not care what anyone thought because I was getting out of that world. The grass felt amazing under my feet. What did actually happen was that a barrister who passed by broke into a massive smile. I also remember buying a bag of lollipops and eating the whole bag at my desk - just because I could and wanted to. I was slowly beginning to care less about what I ought to do and what people expected me to do – or WHO they expected me to be. I felt the beginning of an overwhelming sense of freedom. I think what happened was that I slowly stopped taking life – and myself - so seriously. I remember always having this sense of attachment and obligation that felt like a burden. I worried so much about things that actually really do not matter. I think once I had quit and let go of some of this and stopped caring less about my career and everyone’s expectations, not least my own expectations to myself, I set myself free. I shook myself out of this sleep like state that I had ended up living in and stopped living my life like it was happening to someone else. When you start caring less, when you stop being so wrapped up in yourself and your life – you actually set yourself free and with this freedom comes an opportunity to do what you really want. So, I’d say, go out there and eat those lollipops! 🍭. With love, Stine x

NEW YEAR, NEW STUDIO, SAME OLD US…

We are beyond excited to officially be opening our new Walthamstow studio tomorrow! We will be running a whole host of classes, taster sessions and private events from the new space in the charming Hatherly Mews, E17. The studio is a short five-minute walk from Walthamstow station, so really easy to get to.

Don’t worry, we are keeping our existing studios in de Beauvoir and Clapton too. It just means that we will be offering much more of everything! Classes are however fast selling out across all studios, so don’t leave it too long before booking to avoid disappointment.

This year, we are inviting students to remember to have fun and to “come as you are”. It is a time to be kind to ourselves, and to stop adding self-imposed extra pressure. For this reason, we have skipped New Year’s resolutions at SkandiHus. It will be the same old us! And we are remembering that even if times are somewhat challenging, we are still allowed to have fun and to feel joy. We hope to pass this on to our students in our classes!

We are starting the kind-hearted clay revolution in 2022, one ball of mud at the time. You are all invited.

With love

Team SkandiHus x

FEATURE IN CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER

We are so thrilled to be included in this Condé Nast article.

A word from our founder, Stine.

It’s been another year full of unpredictability, wobbliness and worry, but we must not forget that it has also been a year full of connection, community, love, togetherness and healing. We all feel extremely privileged here at SkandiHus that we get to provide our community with a little calm, joy and healing at our clay sanctuaries during our classes.

For us it has also been a year of expansion, as we opened the doors to our new studio in Walthamstow, E17 ("Clay another Day..."?!). With three studios spread across East London, we now hope to be able to serve our community even better than before, where classes were always completely sold out months in advance.

I have no doubt that our students will join me in sending a heartfelt thanks to our amazing team, who have worked tirelessly to keep things running in the classes, as well as behind the scenes. I have witnessed them staying calm when things felt crazy, and they have continued to put on a smile and turn up for work, even on the days when I’m sure they felt more like hiding under the duvet. I have also had the great privilege of seeing them look out for each other by checking in, caring and covering classes when someone has felt unwell for whatever reason. I am so proud and grateful to have every single one of them as part of the fabric of SkandiHus. 

As a team, we would also like to thank every single one of our students for being part of what we do. Without you, we would be nothing! You make up our community and we get as much joy and healing from you as we hopefully give back. Thank you for continuing to support us. Together we are creating the clay revolution, one ball of mud at the time - and we can’t wait to see what magic we will create together in 2022!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Carry on Potting!

Much love

Stine and the SkandiHus team x 

NEW WALTHAMSTOW STUDIO OPENING SOON

New Year, New Studio!

We are very excited to announce that we are opening our third SkandiHus studio in early 2022! It will be located in the charming Hatherley Mews in Walthamstow, surrounded by East of Eden yoga studio, Soho theatre and Sodo Pizza; literally something for all the senses!

We will be running a whole host of new classes and events (alongside our existing two studios in Hackney). The new studio will also become the “making studio” of our founder, Stine, as she lost her workspace when we had to spread out the classes at E5 because of the pandemic. We’re all so excited to see what creative endeavours she’ll commence in the new space!

The building works have already begun, and we’re hoping to be able to invite you all to a little festive opening party in December. Until then, we have availability on a few morning classes and Taster classes, and of course will be running our drop-in sessions at both current studios.

With love and excitement,

Team SkandiHus x

The Handbook Feature

We are incredibly excited that The Handbook has listed SkandiHus among the 7 best pottery classes in London! The whole team have been working incredibly hard and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved.

Our Donation to Sistah Space

As you may or may not know, there are some finished pieces of pottery made by our students that for one reason or another, don’t get collected by their makers. We believe that every pot deserves a forever home, so periodically we hold a sale of unclaimed work at our studios and donate all the profits to charity.

This time around, we have decided to donate the money to Sistah Space.

Sistah Space are a charity who work with women & girls of African/ Caribbean heritage who've experienced domestic or sexual abuse, or who have lost a loved one to domestic violence. Their specialised service seeks to assist those who are apprehensive about going to mainstream services without support, such as the police and other statutory services.

Sistah Space provide advice and support as well as practical help by providing hygiene products such as sanitary pads, underwear, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps and other essential items.

We wholeheartedly support the incredibly important work that Sistah Space are doing and thanks to our students and everyone who bought an unclaimed pot, we have been able to donate £150 to this great cause.

SkandiHus Clay Kits Featured in Stylist Magazine

We are so thrilled that our new clay kits have been featured in Stylist Magazine’s list: Best air-dry pottery kits to try at home.

“SkandiHus is one of east London’s most talked about pottery studios, with two venues in Hackney and a dedicated following. 

While the studios have been closed over lockdown, the team have been working hard to come up with a way for people to enjoy crafting clay at home. Cue four SkandiHus clay kits in a range of sizes for however many live in your household. Chose between an essentials or deluxe option for two or four people, and your kit will be posted the following Monday.”

Stine on the Podcast, The Reinventors

“Stine wasn't happy in her law job—until a pottery class changed her life. Now she's a sought-after ceramicist, making beautiful pieces for top chefs and restaurants.

We hear a lot about bringing your whole self to work, being the real you in the office. But that can be easier said than done. And for Stine Dulong, it's been a journey. 

Stine moved from her native Denmark to London and worked as a business criminal lawyer. She got used to a constant low-level anxiety at work - and it took a skiing accident for her to realise being a lawyer was making her miserable. Stine took some time off to look after herself, try out a few hobbies. 

One of those hobbies was a pottery class - and Stine never intended to become a full time potter. But here she is, seven years later, with her studio SkandiHus making ceramics for some of the UK’s top restaurants and chefs. And her many students call Stine’s classes a ‘clay sanctuary’. 

For Stine, this profound change wasn’t just about her career. It was a whole life transformation. She went from being this practical-minded lawyer to a creative, intuitive ceramicist - someone brings her spirituality to work and thinks of self-care as a business strategy. We talked about ambition, fulfilment, sitting with difficult emotions - and how Stine carved a path where she is now free to be all parts of herself at work.”

Women in Small Businesses - Cisco Event Live on Facebook

In honour of International Women’s Day, our founder, Stine Dulong, is joining other fearless leaders of Cisco Small Business and female entrepreneurs as they reflect on the impact of the pandemic on female-led businesses.

This Friday, March 12th at 2pm (GMT) for a Panel discussion with Cisco Small Business about women in small businesses; featuring Evelyne Nyairo, Sara Hendriksen, Sarah Eccleston, Faith Wheller and Stine Dulong.