Melike Carr

For as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to working with my hands. Growing up, I watched my dad, the most creative and resourceful person I’ve known, in his upholstery shop on Howard Street. He could make or fix anything, and his love for crafting became my inspiration. Now, I use that same shop as my creative space for pottery, bookmaking, woodworking, photography, and learning the art of upholstery, just as my father did.

I enjoy experimenting with different mediums to keep my projects fresh and varied. This approach also allows me to repurpose materials creatively—fragile fabrics become book covers or add texture to pottery, rare fabric scraps turn into unique accents, and even the tiniest scraps find new life as stuffing for poufs and meditation pillows. Across my work, you’ll often find recurring themes like space, cats, bees, mushrooms, birds, and the moon.

When I’m not in the shop making beautiful things, I love cooking delicious Turkish meals, spending time with Rodrigo, our cats, and our family and friends, or setting off on new adventures in Baltimore and beyond.