Jesse graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelors degree in Environmental Design, and from Savannah College of Art and Design with a Masters in Architecture, where she was also awarded Excelsus Laureate (graduate valedictorian). Before starting Studio Jesse James with her partner, she won design awards for the Pink Dolphin store in Los Angeles Store and has since had her designs published in LD+A, Surface, Wallpaper, and Metropolis. Prior to starting her own firm, she lived in Japan to study the cultures modern aesthetics in both art and architecture, ultimately coming to Los Angeles to work for famed architect Frank Gehry, with whom she helped design the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Museum in Paris, France and the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.  A firm believer that Architecture is the mother of all arts, Jesse  lives an almost dual life as both an artist and a designer, and paints under the moniker Essi Zimm. Her work can be found at Essizimm.com. She has had five Los Angeles solos under her belt, and has been featured in numerous publications and group shows throughout Los Angeles, New York, Colorado, Arizona, Canada, and England. Aside from being the pottery side of the duo, she has collected a number of hoyas over the years and cultivates them in their greenhouse. She believes that plants can be the ultimate design tool, and can make any space (literally) come alive. 

James graduated Cum Laude from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelors degree in Architecture, where he also studied art and design abroad in Venice, Italy. He holds an architecture license in both Kentucky and New York. James brings a pencil-to-paper, hands-on approach to making, with a belief that limiting ones palette often heightens design.  This philosophy underscores the use of American-made materials to create unique and functional pieces. A respect for materials, their use and connections, is the foundation of his approach. If ever you need to find him, just check the wood shop.  A former member of the Los Angeles Art Association, he has exhibited art in numerous group shows in Los Angeles, Louisville, and Lexington.