The Dunes Studio, Gallery & Cafe

Peter has come a long way from sitting on his mother Velga’s knee doing pottery in her Toronto studio. After majoring in ceramics at Sheridan School of Design and five years of teaching at Western Tech, Peter came to Prince Edward Island in 1978, where he worked in his schoolhouse, making pottery and dreaming of an ideal work environment. In 1983, Peter’s dream began to take shape. With his ideas and his father Harry’s technology, phase one of The Dunes began, which consisted of the main shop, the lower Island Art Gallery (which was Peter’s Studio), and a loft to live in above. Phases two and three were completed in 1993, again with the father/son team working together. Putting Peter’s ideas into working drawings wasn’t always easy for Harry, but never impossible for the Toronto-based Architectural Engineer. This project expanded the existing building by 7,777 feet, adding the Muse, the fourth floor lookout, the Lounge, the Café and the Studio. Also at that time, the water gardens and rooftop gardens came to life. In 2005 the Annex opened, to house many of the wonderful pieces that Peter and his partner Nash select while in Bali and Thailand each winter. The flowers you’ll see in the building and most of the herbs used by the café are all grown in the Dunes Gardens. We invite you to stroll in the gardens... enjoy the view from the fourth floor... wander the muse and be sure to check out the oak and baginga (African wood) staircase. They were designed by Peter and executed by Joey Tobin & Ralph Clark. Also in the muse, aside from all the other treasures, is a special partners desk made by Stephen Stairs at age 23. The curly koa (African wood) desk is easily transformed into an amazing dining table for ten. It took Stephen a total of 880 hours to complete. The Australian lacewood, walnut and maple stairs in the café are also a Janson’s design and were built by Ralph Clark, Allan Booth, Brian Kingston, Joe Mitchell, Doug Miller and Kenny Pineau... just the start of a long list of talented craftspeople who have contributed their talents to the interior finishes of the building. The Café is a wonderful place to stop and relax – our menu items contain only the freshest ingredients. We also offer our full menu in the Lounge and on the Patio overlooking the Gardens and Covehead Bay. All stoneware used in the Café is made by Peter and is sold in the shop. You can be sure they are very durable as the Café staff is not always kind to them! Everybody’s favourite is a visit to the studio where you will find Peter and his assistant, Joel Mills, working their magic. Pop in and say ‘hi’, we hope you come and enjoy your visit at The Dunes