In the Studio with Carmen Pauli | Mingei International Museum

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By

Nat Wilson

Published

Sep 12, 2025

Topics

On a sunny morning in late February, we visited architect and jewelry artist Carmen Pauli to see her fresh, new backyard studio. At the time of the interview, we intended to speak about Carmen’s jewelry practice, focusing on the combination of her passions—metal work and historic preservation. As we spoke about her work, interests, family, and home, we realized that Carmen’s story was intricately layered, connected to Mingei’s mission in more ways than one.

Upon arrival, we’re enthusiastically greeted by Hank, the dog. It’s a warm welcome all around as Carmen leads us through a forest of succulents, palms, and bamboo, down a set of steps toward a back patio. “Here it is! I just moved my stuff in yesterday,” she shares. Prior to fall of 2024, Carmen’s studio was tucked into a windowless carport at the front of the house. This relocation and redesign offers a chance to expand. The new structure pairs seamlessly with the features of her home, which she acknowledges as a key impact on the way she designed the space.

“Lloyd Ruocco’s house, Il Cavo—I love that house. It was built in the ‘40s. He lived there with Ilse [Ruocco] for a while, and then it was demolished for the 8 freeway expansion in the ‘80s. It was a beautiful piece of architecture, so that was kind of the inspiration.”

Hank having a sip in the pool

On a hilltop of Mount Helix, her home—which she shares with landscape architect (and husband) Todd Pitman—was also designed and built by Lloyd Ruocco in 1958. Before Carmen and Todd moved in 25 years ago, the previous owners made an attempt to renovate the mid-twentieth century space by adding features like crown molding with the assumption that modernist architecture was out of style. For Carmen and Todd, the sentiment is quite the opposite. “It’s pretty original. The only thing that we’ve done to the house is remove things that were done six months before we bought it. We used the original drawings and went back to that.” Surrounding the studio and around her home, ceramic sculptures made by Carmen’s twin sister, Jude, amplify the appreciation for handcrafted works.

Planters by Jude Pauli
Sculpture by Jude Pauli

In the studio design process, what elements of structure design did you make sure to implement? How did you decide which materials to use for the space?

[Lloyd Ruocco’s] house had a very earthy combination of natural wood and exposed concrete. For the studio, we used slip-form masonry walls and seeded aggregate paving with a flat roof, clear-finished redwood framing, tongue-and-groove redwood siding, and birch plywood on the interior.

Carmen is a fan of mid-twentieth century modern styles, evident in all facets of her craft. Similar to the story of Ilse and Lloyd Ruocco in Mingei’s exhibition, Inside the Design Center, Carmen and Todd are highly involved in the San Diego mid-century design community. In the early 2000s, they hosted the first Mod Swap, a space for collectors of vintage objects, furniture, jewelry and art to swap and sell iconic pieces. “Fun fact: When we first started doing it, it was just a fun hangout—bring some of your extra stuff that you wanna get rid of and we’ll hang out at someone's house.” Mod Swap now exists as an occasional, swap-meet style event. In 2022, Mod Swap was part of San Diego Design Week, hosted by Mingei, presented by ObjectsUSA and Modern San Diego. Clearly not “out of style” to many.

“I think the desire to make things with my hands is baked into my DNA,” she says. Carmen was born in Switzerland, where her mother’s family has run a carpentry shop near Bern since the 1940s. “The sounds of industry and the smell of fresh-cut lumber have always been comforting to me, because I associate them with home.” After immigrating to the U.S. at three years old, Carmen grew up in Chicago—always in “the oldest house in the neighborhood.” Her mother loved estate sales and antique shops, inspiring Carmen’s love of saving old things as she now works in historical architecture preservation. Architecture was a clear path for her, and jewelry making is a natural extension. “Architecture is such a tangible connection to our past, and it’s very rewarding to be able to preserve that. With jewelry, I can imagine a design, sketch it out on paper, and then create it all within a few days. It’s a gratifying process for me.”

The Pauli family, Chicago 1976

Along your journey, who helped you realize your potential?

In my architecture career, my biggest influence was my first boss after college, Wayne Donaldson. Starting as an intern, the job was very hands-on, right down to casting the adobe bricks that we used to repair a historic bunkhouse. It gave me a practical understanding of architectural detailing and construction that I don’t think I would have gotten anywhere else.

In addition to being an excellent mentor, Wayne is just a super-interesting person. He knew all of my architectural heroes in town and introduced me to several of them, including one of my favorites, James Hubbell. Hubbell’s artistry and attention to detail were deeply inspiring to me. He considered and shaped every aspect of a space down to the tiniest details, and he was a master of articulating materials and functional elements in sculptural forms.

In both architecture and jewelry, Carmen’s work aligns with the mingei philosophy that celebrates the beauty in everyday objects of use. “I’m really inspired by the functional components of each piece. A necklace clasp can just be a clasp, but it’s so much more interesting if it is integral with the design.”

Unlike her architectural work, jewelry design is a solitary venture. For Carmen, it’s somewhat therapeutic—a nice way to unplug and disconnect. She finds joy in the process of imagining, sketching, figuring out the kinks, and building. “The path between a thought and the eventual reality has so many possibilities. I also really enjoy the hands-on aspect of jewelry making. It’s much more fun than handing off a set of construction drawings to a contractor.” New ideas are usually sketched in a notebook or made into mock-ups out of paper or light-gauge metal. Occasionally, these preliminary models lead to entirely different results.

When did jewelry design enter the picture for you? What steps did you take to learn more about the practice?

I have been collecting vintage jewelry for many years. My preferences in jewelry are connected to certain eras of architecture, mid-century design in particular. One of my favorite pieces is a ring by Finnish designer Björn Weckström. It’s a bronze ring called the B-52, which he designed for Lapponia in the 1970s. It’s super dimensional and striking in form. Another prized piece is a watch by a Swiss jeweler, Othmar Zschaler. It has alternating panels of flat lapis with angular gold reliefs. I am also fortunate to have a few vintage pieces from local artist Jack Boyd; his lost wax work is particularly inspirational to me.

Through our shared love of vintage jewelry, a friend—jewelry designer Michele Murphy—inspired me to start making my own. She gave me a tour of her home studio and an introductory lesson on how to make a ring shank.

Brilliant, green Turtleback Variscite
Deep purple sugilite

Sunlight reflects off the copper edge of the studio roof, creating patterns of light on the concrete nearby. The warmth of the wood in contrast to the cool-toned ground balances nicely. The first element to catch our attention is the handle to a storage cabinet—bronze, inlaid into the rich wood. Although we’re impressed by its custom form, she covers it humbly and smiles. “I wasn’t totally happy with that one.” She’s currently working on a mock up for a replacement. On a piece of paper, she sketched an angular model with space to feature a brilliant, green Turtleback Variscite stone. “I found this cool stone, which is what started it. I like to look at [the stones] for a while and think, ‘What does this guy want to be?’”

Stones are a large part of Carmen’s jewelry practice, and her visit to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show provided a wide array of new materials for her to experiment with. “I really love getting [stones] from small miners and lapidary people in the U.S. That’s what I love about Tuscon—the people who are selling it are the people that have actually unearthed it and formed it into something that is usable in jewelry, which I really dig.” As she unwraps a rainbow of stones, her excitement is contagious. Each one reflects light in magnificent ways, and the possibilities for their future settings are intriguing. She shows us rough blue lapis, green variscite, and deep purple sugilite. “There are stones that I tend to like more, like these deep speckled ones. I like the darker colors. I think they offset the bronze really nicely.” She holds a mojave desert chalcedony pebble in an outstretched palm, and the sunlight makes it almost translucent.

Part of both architecture and jewelry involves mixing mediums and materials to create something new. What resources do you enjoy working with? Do you have any favorite pairings (certain stones with wood stains or metals)?

In both architecture and jewelry, I like designs that showcase natural materials without excess embellishments or ornaments. I really appreciate functional details that are integral to a design, like a well-designed clasp or an interesting wood joint. For materials, I’m a fan of turquoise—especially odd-shaped stones—and I love working with leather. My favorite metal to work with is bronze. It has a nice warm tone and patinas differently depending on how often it’s worn.

Carmen sits at her work bench. The chirps of birdsong are adorned with the sound of her saw cutting through a sheet of bronze. “I was trying to remember—I think the first thing I made in my last studio was a cuff, and the last thing I made was a cuff.” While she works, she typically listens to acoustic, bluegrass, and old country music. Recent studio playlist favorites include Doc & Merle Watson, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, and Willie Nelson. It’s a warm, sunny day in Southern California, and Carmen Pauli is just getting started.

In Conversation with Guest Curators Dave Hampton, Steve Aldana, and Todd Pitman

Inside the Design Center
Inside the Design Center

A vignette of mid-twentieth century interior, lighting, and furniture design as selected by Ilse Ruocco for her 1950 showroom

Inside the Design Center
Inside the Design Center
The Design Center — a modernist architecture building with large glass windows above a canyon

Thoughtfully designed items from local and international artists and craftspeople

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