Magdalena Koseda wanted to make a large bowl in which one can grate garlic and immediately toss the salad. While looking for a way to make the vessel, she came to a ceramics studio in Frogner in the municipality of Lillestrøm. After a few months the owners offered her to take over the equipment. Today the same premises operate as Coseda Studio, and at the pottery wheels people gather who want to learn something new or simply work in silence for a while.
Text and interview - Steve Joobs, Radio Wataha / Twoja Norwegia
The bowl she couldn't find
It was to have a grater on the bottom. Big enough to grate garlic on it, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and then throw in enough salad for the whole table. Besides, it was supposed to look good and serve daily as, for example, a fruit bowl. The inspiration were small ceramic plates with a grater that Magdalena associated with Sicily. Her version was to hold significantly more.
At the time of the interview Magdalena had lived in Norway for over twelve years. She came for her husband, a former hockey player, and lives here with her family. For several years she worked in food styling. She prepared food for photos that went into leaflets, on billboards and on television. As she recalls, she worked on materials for brands such as Bama, Salma and Kiwi. She therefore knew how much a vessel changes the way a dish is presented. Now she wanted to design it herself.
She talked with ceramic manufacturers in Poland and abroad. When it came to sending the design, it turned out that there was a lot of work between the idea in her head and the documentation for the manufacturer. She decided to try to make the bowl herself.
When the studio was about to close
She ended up at a studio in Frogner. At the clay she could forget about the rest of the day for several hours. Over time she also began to help with organizing the studio. After about two months she was offered the role of assistant. Shortly after she heard that the owners were considering closing the place. They ran a larger studio in Oslo and lacked the time for both premises.
Magdalena had already befriended the people she worked with. All the greater was her surprise when she was invited to a meeting and offered to run the place herself. She had a job, a family and little experience in ceramics. However the owners had seen how she handled organizing the studio. When she told her husband about the offer, she felt she could count on his support.
- Okay, I close my eyes and jump into this adventure - she recalls her decision.
The purchase included equipment and the possibility of continued tenancy. Magdalena had to negotiate contracts, start enrollments and build the business under her own name. A dozen or so people from the previous studio decided to stay. According to the studio, the premises were previously part of Viarte Keramikkverksted, and since January 2026 have operated independently as Coseda Studio. History and address of the studio
The first mug and a lesson in patience
When I visited the studio, I wanted to make a tall, simple mug. Lena showed me how to sit at the wheel and how to place my hands. I also tried my own way. After a moment I returned to her method. In the film it looks as if it would be enough to press your hands to the clay and slowly lift them. At the wheel I understood how much depends on what you do at the very beginning.
Magdalena says that many people sit at the wheel intending to make a cup, and end up with a bowl. The first challenge is centering, that is setting the clay so that it rotates evenly around the wheel's axis. Only then can you open the form and gradually pull up the walls. Lena gave me space to feel for myself the difference between her tip and my idea. From that attempt I ended up with a cup and much more respect for an action that on screen takes a few seconds.
How to get started at Coseda Studio
On the basic wheel-throwing course participants learn to work at the wheel and try to make a simple form, for example a small bowl, a cup or a small vase. Magdalena says that in the wheel classes she describes the group numbers up to seven people. Finished works remain in the studio to dry, be fired and glazed. Collection takes place after a few weeks.
Hand-building clay allows you to start from a different set of movements. Walls can be built from coils for both a small vessel and a larger vase. Flat forms, such as undulating platters, are made, among other things, from rolled-out clay. The same material therefore offers completely different possibilities at the table and at the wheel.
For people who have already done their first wheel-throwing attempts, Magdalena describes the DEL 2 course. In it the time comes for higher forms, taking a formed work off the wheel and trimming the base when the clay has dried a bit. The studio also offers one-on-one lessons, during which you can focus on one technique. In conversation the drop-in format also comes up. For current dates and the rules of this form it is best to ask the studio. Course calendar and registration
What membership includes
The studio describes two membership options, a three-month and an annual one. Both give access to the same equipment. Members can use the workshop between 8:00 and 22:00 within the time limit set by the studio. They have access to pottery wheels, hand-building tables, tools and their own shelf. The price includes transparent glaze and firings within an agreed range. The studio discusses details at an introductory meeting. The ceramics course is optional. Membership terms
Clay is purchased separately. In the self-service shop you can pay via Vipps and choose a material adapted to firing conditions. The studio uses one kiln and two firing temperatures, the higher of which, according to Magdalena, reaches 1230°C. The choice of clay and glaze matters for the whole load. The studio is responsible for the loading. There is also a small exhibition space where members can show their works, and passersby sometimes find a gift.
They came for silence, they stayed for the people as well
- I think that's the greatest treasure of this place - says Magdalena about the people who meet in Frogner.
Some come after a demanding workday, put on headphones and work on their own project. Another time one person invites another to work together at the wheel. “Come, sit with me at the wheel, I'll show you how to do it” - this is the scene Magdalena recalls when she talks about sharing knowledge.
The majority of members, she says, are Norwegians. A few people from Poland have also joined the studio. Side by side the first mugs and much bolder works are being created. Magdalena told me about a participant who, just a few months earlier, doubted whether she would shape anything. During my visit I saw a dragon made by her.
At the time of the interview the studio had about 47 members. When Magdalena started with a dozen or so people, she wondered whether it would be enough to cover the costs. Now she is introducing a waiting list because she wants to preserve space at the tables and wheels and to handle firings efficiently. She encourages starting with a single class and seeing whether you want to return. In the interview she also announced classes in Polish and the participation of the ambassador in one of them. The date and details of the event remain to be confirmed.
Pottery in Norway. What preceded modern studios?
In Norwegian sources you can encounter the words pottemakeri and keramikk. The first means pottery, the second covers the broader world of ceramics, from utilitarian vessels to artistic works. In Frogner you can see both sides of this craft. Next to kitchenware, figurines are also created there, such as the dragon I saw during my visit. Store norske leksikon - ceramics
Trøndelag. The Norwegian encyclopedia dedicates a separate entry to trønderkeramikk, ceramics that grew out of the region's pottery tradition. Among the items illustrating it is a vessel for alcohol decorated with figures and text. The story of ceramicist Grete Wexels Riser tells how this tradition was passed on in the 20th century. In 1960 she was invited to run a pottery workshop at Norsk Folkemuseum, where in summer she was to demonstrate traditional ceramics from Trøndelag. Trønderkeramikk · Grete Wexels Riser
Sandnes. In Rogaland, clay became the basis of the local industry. According to a study by Sandnes municipality the Gamlaverket works bought a pottery kiln in 1794 and brought in a specialist named Zimmermann. The later history of the town is linked, among other things, to the Hana and Gann-Graveren works. Municipal documentation shows how, alongside the production of building materials, the manufacture of vessels developed in Sandnes. Sandnes municipality - history of the clay-based industry
Egersund. In 1847 Johan Feyer founded Egersunds Potteri, the later faience factory. The idea was connected to the discovery of local clay deposits. Feyer went to Newcastle upon Tyne to learn the technology, and he brought English specialists to Egersund to train the workers. After the factory closed in 1979 its archive and collection were taken over by Dalane Folkemuseum. Today the history of the plant can be explored at Egersund Fayancemuseum. Dalane Folkemuseum - history of the factory · Egersund Fayancemuseum
In the history of Magdalena’s studio, clay appeared for a very domestic reason. She wanted to put a bowl on the table that she could not find. Today someone else opens the door to the same workshop because they want to make their first mug. Perhaps at the wheel they will meet a person who will push aside their headphones and say: "Come, I'll show you."
Address, contact and registration
Coseda Studio - Frognerveien 1, 2016 Frogner, Lillestrøm municipality, Akershus.
Contact - hei@coseda.no.
Workshops and individual lessons - Coseda Studio calendar.
Membership and availability - Coseda Studio information.
