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East Austin Studio Tour: 15 must-see designers

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Now in its 15th (!) year, the East Austin Studio Tour is an art party that never fails to please. Now that local artists and artisans are opening up their creative work spaces to the public for two East weekends a year (the first starts tomorrow, Saturday) for the ever-expanding event, it can get a bit overwhelming to decide where to go and what to see.

To help with all that, we came up with a list of furniture and homeware designers that Curbed Austin readers will no doubt want to visit and visit with. Then, to make things even easier, we made a map of them.

Did we leave out one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.

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Flitch Collaborative

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Cement Loop

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Ceramicist Karen Bolton often works in edgy, abstract realms, but she also produces beautiful, wheel-thrown porcelain clay homeware that provides sublime utility.

Tragus Clay Company

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Erik Tragus' wood-fired porcelain and stoneware's variety of colors, textures, and shapes never fail to please and surprise.

Woodshed

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Woodshed's Matthew Helveston designs and makes custom, midcentury-modern-influenced wood furniture—beautiful, lasting pieces that are both artful and functional. Metal-working space oddity Philip Edgerton will join him on the tour with his out-of-this-world light fixtures and other inspired decor.

Bercy Chen Studio

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You can view works in progress and design tools at the popular architectural firm's office as well as see Erika Huddleston's exquisite "Branch" series of functional, sculptural stainless steel benches at this stop.

Keith Kreeger Studios

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Keith Kreeger's gorgeous porcelain renditions of useful everyday objects—vases, dinnerware—are probably not news to anyone, but the chance to see what he's doing right now is irresistible.

Canopy—Gina Pina

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The Canopy art complex will be full of all kinds of compelling artwork, including the functional kind. But we're especially excited about Gina Pina's gorgeous quilts, her enthusiasm for her genre and explaining how it works, and her engagement of others in the process. She will have an Austin map quilt on hand for participants to contribute to.

Canopy—Elania Bernard

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Bernard makes gorgeous dinnerware and decor that combine simple forms with striking patterns. The Marbled Collection features items that are made out of porcelain slip and marbled by hand, making each piece one of a kind.

MakeATX—A&K Woodworking and Design

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Amanda McKeever and Khiem Nguyen (A&K)'s company is dedicated to the craft of fine woodworking and handmade goods, and the couple's work combines their love of midcentury modern shapes with the clean lines of Japanese design. Their pieces are crafted using traditional techniques along with modern technology to embrace past and present.

Bolm Studios—Sister Ceramics

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Jenny Mulder will display a selection of her hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramics—many of which are functional, though some are not. They are all inventive, sometimes whimsical, and not exactly like anything else.

East Side Collective—Mark Steven Design

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Mark Stevens Design's wood and metal furniture, though it incorporates naturally shaped wood and other elements, contains an architectural element, says the maker, in that his functional pieces entail "structure, material, scale, texture and proportion."

The Moon Collective—Settle

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Hatch Workshop

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Hatch Workshop will be exhibiting the furniture, sculpture, music, and painting of a diverse group of designers, artists, and musicians with longstanding individual artistic practices.

Pump Project—Kim Donnet Ceramics

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A video posted by Kim Donnet (@lookstoomuch) on

Splinter Group

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Splinter Group is home to some of Austin's best furniture-makers, including Mark Macek and Michael Yates, and their work should not be missed. Also on display will be some darn cool metal sculpture by Hawkeye Glenn and the elegant jewelry of Julie Konvicka.

Flitch Collaborative

Cement Loop

Ceramicist Karen Bolton often works in edgy, abstract realms, but she also produces beautiful, wheel-thrown porcelain clay homeware that provides sublime utility.

Tragus Clay Company

Erik Tragus' wood-fired porcelain and stoneware's variety of colors, textures, and shapes never fail to please and surprise.

Woodshed

Woodshed's Matthew Helveston designs and makes custom, midcentury-modern-influenced wood furniture—beautiful, lasting pieces that are both artful and functional. Metal-working space oddity Philip Edgerton will join him on the tour with his out-of-this-world light fixtures and other inspired decor.

Bercy Chen Studio

You can view works in progress and design tools at the popular architectural firm's office as well as see Erika Huddleston's exquisite "Branch" series of functional, sculptural stainless steel benches at this stop.

Keith Kreeger Studios

Keith Kreeger's gorgeous porcelain renditions of useful everyday objects—vases, dinnerware—are probably not news to anyone, but the chance to see what he's doing right now is irresistible.

Canopy—Gina Pina

The Canopy art complex will be full of all kinds of compelling artwork, including the functional kind. But we're especially excited about Gina Pina's gorgeous quilts, her enthusiasm for her genre and explaining how it works, and her engagement of others in the process. She will have an Austin map quilt on hand for participants to contribute to.

Canopy—Elania Bernard

Bernard makes gorgeous dinnerware and decor that combine simple forms with striking patterns. The Marbled Collection features items that are made out of porcelain slip and marbled by hand, making each piece one of a kind.

MakeATX—A&K Woodworking and Design

Amanda McKeever and Khiem Nguyen (A&K)'s company is dedicated to the craft of fine woodworking and handmade goods, and the couple's work combines their love of midcentury modern shapes with the clean lines of Japanese design. Their pieces are crafted using traditional techniques along with modern technology to embrace past and present.

Bolm Studios—Sister Ceramics

Jenny Mulder will display a selection of her hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramics—many of which are functional, though some are not. They are all inventive, sometimes whimsical, and not exactly like anything else.

East Side Collective—Mark Steven Design

Mark Stevens Design's wood and metal furniture, though it incorporates naturally shaped wood and other elements, contains an architectural element, says the maker, in that his functional pieces entail "structure, material, scale, texture and proportion."

The Moon Collective—Settle

Hatch Workshop

Hatch Workshop will be exhibiting the furniture, sculpture, music, and painting of a diverse group of designers, artists, and musicians with longstanding individual artistic practices.

Pump Project—Kim Donnet Ceramics

A video posted by Kim Donnet (@lookstoomuch) on

Splinter Group

Splinter Group is home to some of Austin's best furniture-makers, including Mark Macek and Michael Yates, and their work should not be missed. Also on display will be some darn cool metal sculpture by Hawkeye Glenn and the elegant jewelry of Julie Konvicka.