For Clients Commissioning Australian-Made Pieces

This page is for clients who want to commission custom furniture, ceramics or leather goods from Australian makers. We explain how to brief a maker, what to expect during the making process, and how to judge quality before you commit. Whether you are furnishing a home, sourcing pieces for a hospitality space or looking for a one-off gift, the guidance here is practical and specific to working with local studios.

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What collectors and studio visitors say

Notes from people who commissioned pieces, toured workshops or bought through our directory.

Ceramics

A teapot that holds the heat properly

I ordered a stoneware teapot from a maker in Castlemaine after reading their profile here. The glaze is even, the spout pours clean, and it keeps tea warm longer than anything I owned before. The maker sent firing notes with the piece, which I did not expect.

Gunjan Dave, commissioned a teapot set

Timber furniture

Joinery you can see and trust

The dining table we commissioned uses mortise and tenon joints, no metal brackets hiding underneath. The maker explained the timber selection and let us visit the shed while it was being built. Three years in, the top still sits flat and the finish has aged well.

Manoj Raj Savant, commissioned a blackwood table

Leatherwork

Stitching that will outlast the bag

I bought a vegetable-tanned satchel from a workshop listed in the studio directory. The hand-stitching is consistent, the edges are burnished, and the leather has developed a deep tone over a year of daily use. The maker also offered a repair service, which says a lot about confidence in the work.

Eddie Butala, purchased a satchel from a listed studio

Studio visits

Seeing the process changes how you buy

We visited a glassblowing studio near Adelaide after reading their profile. Watching a vessel take shape in the furnace made us understand why the price is what it is. We left with one piece and a much clearer sense of how to judge quality elsewhere.

Abbas Harjo, attended an open studio session

Commissioning guide

The guide saved us from a bad brief

Before commissioning a leather chair, I used the practical guide on writing a brief. It helped me specify the hide type, stitching pattern and expected timeline. The maker said it was the clearest brief they had received from a private client.

Marlo Dev Chaudhuri, followed the commissioning guide

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