This page sets out the sequence we follow for catalogue orders and trade enquiries: how a quote list is built, when a studio confirms stock, what happens with sample requests, and where the practical limits sit on lead times, substitutions and delivery across South Africa.
From a first browse to a box on your doorstep, most orders follow the same path. Here is what happens at each stage, and where things can slow down.
Stage 01
Browsing the range
Listings are grouped by room and by material, so you can start from a kitchen shelf or from stoneware as a category. Each entry carries size, care notes, material origin and a short line on the studio behind it. Nothing is held in a warehouse at this point, so availability reflects what makers currently have on their benches.
Stage 02
Building a quote list
Add anything you are considering to a quote list rather than checking out immediately. This is where most people setting up a first flat in Observatory or Sea Point pause, compare two mug sets, and drop the ones that do not fit the shelf. The list stays editable until you send it.
Stage 03
Confirming with makers
Once a list is sent, we check each line against the studio that produces it. Hand-thrown ceramics and woven baskets are made in small runs, so a piece can be a few weeks out. You get a written note on what is ready, what needs throwing or weaving, and a realistic window before anything is charged.
Stage 04
Trade and bulk requests
Interior stylists, guesthouses and small retailers are handled on a separate track. Sample requests for linen, enamelware or a specific glaze are arranged before a bulk order is placed, and quantities are quoted on application. Expect a longer lead time here, since guesthouse bedding and matched sets often need a dedicated production slot.
Stage 05
Packing and delivery
Ceramics are wrapped individually, textiles folded flat, and baskets padded at the rim. Orders ship across South Africa, with delivery windows confirmed once the last maker has handed over. If a piece arrives damaged, keep the packaging and get in touch so it can be replaced from the same studio.
Ekhowley Co works as a catalogue house, not a shop floor. Most pieces are held in small numbers or made to order by the studios we buy from, so the route from your first browse to a delivered box has a few fixed steps. Here is what actually happens, and where the waiting sits.
Start with the room you are furnishing or the material you have in mind. Every listing carries size, care notes, material origin and a short line on who made it, so you can judge whether a piece fits before you commit.
Add the items you want to a quote list rather than checking out piece by piece. This lets us confirm stock across studios in one pass, and it is the only way to handle mixed orders of ceramics, textiles and woven goods together.
A person reviews the list against what is on the shelf and what the makers can still produce. If a mug set is between firings, or a linen colour is down to its last roll, you hear it here rather than after payment.
You get a written quote with lead times per item, since a basket from KwaZulu-Natal and a board from a Cape Town workshop rarely leave on the same day. Nothing is charged until you approve that quote.
Ceramics are wrapped individually in paper and packed in double-walled boxes; textiles ship folded and bagged against damp. Delivery runs across South Africa, and courier tracking goes out the day the parcel leaves us.
Care notes travel with the order, and replacements for anything damaged in transit are arranged directly. Trade buyers working on a guesthouse or styling project get sample requests and bulk terms handled through the same route.
Trade enquiries and sample requests sit outside the standard list. Start with our offerings or look at a single piece such as the Karoo stoneware mug set to see how the details are written up.
A few definitions and conditions that come up often in trade and private enquiries. Reading these first saves a round of email later.
Stoneware, baskets and wooden boards are made by hand or on a wheel, so wall thickness, weave tension and grain pattern vary between pieces. Sizes in each listing are given as a range where that variation is measurable. A 2 to 3 mm difference on a mug rim is normal and not treated as a defect.
Natural daylight photography is used throughout, but oat, clay and olive tones read differently across monitors. Low-impact dyes on linen and cotton shift slightly over the first washes by design. If an exact match matters for a guesthouse or a set of rooms, request a physical sample before confirming.
Adding items to a quote list does not reserve stock or hold a maker's batch. It is a working list you can send us to check availability, lead time and delivery. An order is only confirmed once we reply with what is in the studio and what has to be made.
Interior stylists, guesthouses and small retailers are handled on a separate track from private buyers. Bulk pricing and sample requests are assessed per enquiry, depending on quantity, material and how much of the range is involved. Mixed orders across ceramics, textiles and baskets are welcome.
Dishwasher settings, line drying in shade and keeping palm fibre out of direct sun are not suggestions we add at the end. They affect how a piece holds up over years. Following the notes on each listing is what keeps a glaze even and a weave tight.
Orders ship nationwide. Fragile ceramics are packed in the studio and travel separately from textiles where that reduces breakage. Lead times depend on whether an item is in stock or being made to order, and we confirm the window in writing before anything is dispatched.