Jill Rossi has a lot going on in her head and in her studio. Her most recent creations are small ceramic sculptures, some functional, some not, for outside and in. She has a line of baby apparel and silkscreen prints with graphics that play off Rossi's sculptural shapes and lines. She has been an interior designer and still does some consulting. And last year Rossi, 31, returned to Raleigh with a master of fine arts degree in furniture design from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design.

"The theme of all my work is clean lines, classic and contemporary," Rossi said. "I'll start off with a sculptural object and then translate it into a utilitarian object. One thing informs the other."

Humor also plays a large role in her creations, which bring to mind the playful pieces from Italian design factory Alessi.

"I definitely take that as a compliment," she said. "I absolutely adore Alessi stuff."

Like mother, kind of: Growing up in Charlotte, Rossi (then Jill Ford) had creative forces at home. "My mother was a teacher for 25 years but had a craft business on the side, making apparel, home goods, pillows." Although her mother tends toward "traditional Southern" as opposed to Rossi's contemporary leanings, "I had the confidence to make things, to try things because of her."

Architecture of sorts: When it came time for college, Rossi decided to study interior design. She felt lucky to have chosen UNC-Greensboro without knowing much about it. The difference there, she discovered, is "the program is more interior architecture. It's very theoretical and not so much about the little details, like swag curtains. Going to a place like that wakened me to the possibilities of design."

Getting serious: With her bachelor's degree in hand, Rossi was ready to make a splash across the pond, planning to move to London. That was until she met Jeff Rossi, now her husband of seven years, who lived in Raleigh. The couple live in a 1930s house in Five Points. "When I moved in, every wall was white," Rossi said. "Now none are except the ceilings." She likes to change them often, as well. "Our bathroom has been four different colors." Rossi makes her own curtains "because I'm so picky," she said.

Design by committee: Rossi had two interior design jobs locally, first at O'Brien/Atkins Associates in Durham and then Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee in Raleigh. Some of the work interested her and some didn't. "Even in a corporate setting, some people making decisions still want swag curtains, though some wanted to do interesting, innovative stuff. And it's also hard when you're working with design by committee."

Steep learning curve: When applying for RISD (pronounced RIZ-dee), Rossi decided to study something that would give her more autonomy. "If I want to build a bench, I don't need a client with a $3 million budget. And there's the personal part too. I like the experiential, tactile experience people get from furniture and from the little objects too." Her time in Providence was intense, she said. "Because I didn't have a building background, I needed to go another year. I pretty much didn't sleep for three years."

Trying teaching: Soon after returning home, Rossi was invited to teach interior design by a former professor at UNCG, Tommy Lambeth, now the head of the interior architecture department. "Design had always come really natural to me, so teaching it was challenging, but really enlightening and fun. I would have kept it up if it hadn't been an-hour-and-a-half drive each way."

Crazy for ceramics: Eventually, Rossi would like to do a limited production run on some furniture she designed during school, but these days she's with her electric kiln more than her woodworking tools. "The thing I'm most interested in right now is ceramics," she said. At RISD she studied slip casting, a cast made with liquid clay, and she was hooked. "I love the capabilities. All these started with wood," she said, holding up a rounded piece of porcelain ceramic with a curvy piece on top that turned out to be a radiator key. "I casted it all together. You can get so much detail," she said. "It's also so gratifying at end of day to say, 'I made this.' "

Indoor, outdoor: When Rossi designs her ceramics, they start off sculptural, but many become functional, such as incense holders, salt and pepper shakers, and cream and sugar holders. Some figurines are designed to be placed on a stick and decorate a yard. "I have what I call home buddies and garden buddies," she said, picking up a piece and smoothing her hand over it. "I really like little sculptural things for the home." Some she attaches to a sprung wire. "If you touch them they do this jiggling thing," she said, bobbing her head about. "It makes me laugh."

New beginnings: One thing Rossi's ceramic pieces have in common is they're all round or curved, which friends teased her about when they learned she was pregnant with the couple's first child. Meanwhile, Rossi is busy stocking up on work before her September due date. Being unable to find a fashionable, affordable crib has gotten her furniture mind going. "The selection is dismal," she said, shaking her head. "There's got to be something between IKEA and B&B Italia. The thing is, I don't want to send it to China to be made." You can just see her mind working.

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