The skills and beauty of slowing down to craft handmade pieces are irreplaceable.   

In our age of technology and mass-produced products, traditional and handmade art forms hold a sacred place.  

For Kim Wallace, owner and founder of Kim Wallace Ceramics in Noosa, Australia, returning to hands-on creativity has led to a satisfying career change filled with meaning.  

Designing and making her collection entirely by hand with her small team, we spoke to Kim about her journey to becoming a ceramicist and how she crafts her sought-after designs.   

Beginning Kim Wallace Ceramics

A creative by nature, Kim began her career as a graphic designer. While she loved the creative component, she felt a growing desire to swap computer-based work with something hands-on.  

“Graphic design seemed the obvious choice to be creative while making an income,” Kim explained. “I loved that for many years but started to miss working with my hands. I began dabbling in ceramics again and other mediums. But ceramics stuck with me.”  

Finding a passion in the art of ceramics, Kim kept following this path, which evolved organically and led her to open her first retail store.   

“I started out selling at local markets and was mainly home-based at the time,” Kim shared. “We then moved to the Sunshine Coast and had a beautiful artist studio there. Once the team grew, we started looking for a commercial space, and that's how we ended up here in Noosa.”  

Fast forward to today, the Kim Wallace Ceramics team and range have grown extensively, and the designs are now enjoyed by some Australia's most well-known chefs and noteworthy restaurants.  

“We now have a team of eight, and we’re working with five kilns. It's been a big journey from me in the corner of my little townhouse garage with just one desk and one set of shelves and driving my ceramics to the local kiln to be fired.”    

Styled with Kim Wallace Ceramics. Featuring the Issho Dining Table and Amara Soft Dining Chair in American Walnut.

Australian designed and made

Part of the magic of Kim Wallace Ceramics designs is that each piece is entirely handmade in Australia using Australian clay.  

“We keep everything in-house and made in Australia. It’s a challenge, but I wouldn't want that any other way,” Kim shared. "We love making everything by hand and don't want to go into the import business.”   

While handmade ceramics may come with a higher price tag than mass-produced and imported designs, the special feel and organic quality can’t be compared.   

"The fact that all these hands have created the piece and not a machine, I think that's where the love comes from,” Kim shares. “It's made from the earth, and you can see it was made by hand and brushed by hand and the passion that comes with it.”  

Adding another layer of meaning to each piece, many of the Kim Wallace Ceramics collections are inspired by and named after the local landscapes.  

"Everglades, which is a layered glaze, is named after Noosa Everglades because of the beautiful whites from the beaches and the glistening greeny brown colours you find in the beautiful waters and the rivers here,” Kim explains. 

"Our Haven glaze is named after Haven Beach. It’s a white speckled, beautifully textured glaze. And we have our Hinterland Cups, which reference the mountains with layered glazes that work together in the kiln to create this beautiful effect.” 

Featuring designs by Kim Wallace Ceramics.

Creating one-of-a-kind pieces

When you bring home a set of Kim Wallace Ceramics designs, each piece looks slightly different, and that’s exactly what makes them special. Created by hand from start to finish, Kim favours a hand-brushing style to create unique results.  

"When a glaze is brushed there are variations you don't get when a piece is mass produced or sprayed very evenly,” Kim explains, “Each piece looks a little bit different. You can see that maker's mark.”  

Not only does this hand-brushed style offer a beautiful handmade finish, it also helps the Kim Wallace Ceramics team personalise their pieces for custom requests.   

“We hand brush all our glazes. Some cups are dipped, but it's all finished by hand. We can create a lot of different effects that way. We can layer glazes, hand brush shapes or stripes or anything,” Kim shares. “The exciting part for us is that we can really hone in on what someone wants and make it perfect for them.”  

Kim works directly with top-tier chefs across Australia and is able to customise her pieces to perfectly suit the restaurant aesthetic and tailor pieces to suit particular dishes.  

“It's interesting to work with different restaurants and their cuisines. Many opt for a natural palette, but then there might be a specific dish, particularly desserts, that really pops on a more colourful glaze.”  

Kim also works with two varieties of Australian clay to bring versatility to the collection, as each glaze will appear differently depending on the type of clay used.  

"We use an Australian porcelain, our white clay, and have an Australian stoneware clay, which is the slightly natural looking clay with a bit of a fleck in it,” Kim explains. “Working with the two clays allows us to bring together quite a big range because one glaze might look totally different on the white porcelain than the stoneware.”

Featuring the Issho Dining Table in American Walnut and Amara Soft Dining Chair in Prestige Perlino and American Walnut.

From clay to creation

While the process is multi-layered, we asked Kim to break down the main steps from beginning to end of crafting a piece.   

“We use two different techniques. One is called slab rolling, where the clay goes through a machine, like a big pasta roller, to create a large flat, beautifully compressed slab.” Kim explains.  

“We then hand cut all our shapes using a template so when you get your dinner plates, they stack nicely, and they're roughly the same size. Once the clay is firm enough, we hand shape the rims or use moulds we have made in house.”  

The team also aims to remove all waste by reusing offcuts during the process. 

“We collect the leftover clay from cutting around the templates, soak it in water, and add a few things to the mix to make it like a liquid clay,” Kim shares. “That's how we create more upright pieces like cups and vases and ensure nothing gets wasted.”  

“We let the pieces dry until they're what is called bone dry, then we sponge and hand glaze them. We fire to very high temperatures to make the best pieces we can and make them as durable as possible.” 

Styled with Kim Wallace Ceramics. Featuring the Issho Dining Table and Amara Soft Dining Chair in American Walnut.

Create your perfect dining seating

When it comes to designing you dining setting palette, there is no wrong answer. For Kim, choosing neutrals for your main pieces and weaving in colours is a great starting point. 

"I like understated and muted colours, particularly when it comes to my dinner table. I really like adding colour through my linens, but when it comes to the plate, I like it to be quite natural, so the food really pops.” Kim shared. 

“You can also add a pop of colour to create a completely different palette. It's like when you're styling furniture and you add colour with a cushion, that's easily updated.” 

To learn more, follow Kim Wallace Ceramics on Instagram or visit the website. 

Discover the King Living Dining Collection or explore more articles: 

• Cooking with Charly, Founder of Terra Firma Dining 
• Colour psychology and colour palette with Australian Artist Ash Holmes 
• 10 steps to create a perfect neutral palette