Kate Lethlean produces unique and contemporary functional wares that elevate the everyday; striking design pieces; and botanical sculptures handmade in porcelain and stoneware.
My work is underpinned by a range of fine porcelain tableware. Both practical and simple the pieces are available in 10 muted and complementary shades to create seemingly endless combinations for your home.
I have been captivated by clay since December 2018. Since then I have dedicated myself to exploring its possibilities. My professional background in cookery inclined me toward making functional pieces, always considering how they might work best for food presentation and creating a beautiful table. My strong interest in interiors also gave me a natural pull toward creating accessories for the home with a contemporary aesthetic.
I have always been drawn to botanicals - as both keen gardener and ceramicist. I became increasingly interested in the historical representation of flowers and fruit in European ceramics. Over the past few years I sought out artists locally and internationally to learn more about these skills, undertaking online courses and forming invaluable relationships with them.
In 2024 porcelain became my focus. I have studied slip casting, mould making and casting organic materials in paper porcelain with renowned ceramicist Sandra Black. From there I went to Italy to learn the art of handmade porcelain flowers with Noemi Iglesias at La Meridiana ceramic school. I then spent a week 1:1 with porcelain artist Martha Pachon Rodriguez in Faenza.
This year, 2025, I opened Claymates Studio in Quindalup. It’s my workshop but so much more to me. Here I grow the plants I wish to capture in my work and it’s where I continue to experiment and learn.
I describe myself as an “aspiring ceramicist”, consumed to this day by clay’s endless ability to surprise, disappoint and delight.