Notes from studio potters, guesthouse owners and stylists who have ordered from Ekhowley Co, gathered so you can judge the range on how it actually holds up in a kitchen, a guest room or a shop shelf.
A few working definitions so that what we describe on this page, and what you receive, line up without guesswork. These notes apply to every reference, sample and order note we keep on file.
A reference here is a documented exchange: a sample sent to a stylist, a repeat order from a guesthouse, a written note from a buyer about how a piece held up after a season. We do not list unnamed praise or numbers we cannot trace back to a person, a date and a specific item.
Stoneware, woven palm and wooden boards are made by hand, so wall thickness, rim height, weave tension and grain pattern differ slightly between pieces. Where a listing gives a size, treat it as a working range rather than a fixed measurement. This is noted on the item page, not buried in a general disclaimer.
Oat glazes, deep olive linen and natural fibre baskets shift under different light. Photographs are taken in daylight against plaster and raw wood, without colour grading. Expect the piece to sit somewhere between the image and the written description, especially for dyed textiles in their first year.
Retail orders and trade enquiries run on separate tracks. Sample requests, bulk quantities and lead times for interior stylists, guesthouses and small retailers are handled case by case, and a reference from one trade account is never presented as a general endorsement of the range.
Care instructions on each listing describe how a piece behaves over years, not just the first wash. Linen softens, matte glaze can craze, palm fibre darkens with handling. A reference about durability refers to that stated care routine being followed, not to a piece used outside it.
We do not publish ratings, review scores or volume figures we have not verified. If a maker, studio or cooperative is named, it is because we buy from them directly and can point to the order. Anything outside that stays off this page.
These notes come from people who ordered, unpacked, and lived with the pieces for a while. We ask what held up, what surprised them, and what they would change.
The four mugs arrived wrapped in paper, no plastic. Two months of daily coffee and the glaze still looks even, no crazing on the rims. I use the smaller one for tea because the wall is a touch thicker.
I ordered the linen runner for a guesthouse dining room. It washed cold, line dried, and came back softer without losing the olive depth. Six tables, six runners, no colour mismatch between them.
The palm basket holds a full week of laundry and the lid still sits flush. I keep it out of the afternoon sun like the care note said, and the fibre tone has not shifted.
I style shoots for a few interiors clients and asked for samples before committing. The studio sent three glaze variants and a swatch of the linen. That made the selection straightforward.
Bought a serving board and two storage jars as a housewarming gift. The listing told me the wood type and how to oil it, which I passed on. The recipient still uses both daily.
We restocked enamelware for a small retail shelf. The bulk enquiry was handled separately from the regular catalogue, and the packing held up through courier delivery to Durban.
Most of our trade comes through people who handle objects for a living. Interior stylists, guesthouse owners and small retailers order from the catalogue regularly, and their notes are the clearest record we have of how the range holds up in real rooms.
Interior stylist, Cape Town
"I source stoneware and linen for guesthouse shoots around the Western Cape. The listings carry the details I actually need: dimensions, glaze notes, who threw the piece. It saves me a round of emails before every install."
Marlize van der Walt
Guesthouse, Greyton
"We replaced our breakfast crockery with the speckled mugs and bowls two winters ago. They have been through daily washing and a few drops, and the glaze still reads evenly. The care notes on the listing were accurate."
Die Pastorie Guest Rooms
Small retailer, Observatory
"The woven baskets and wooden boards move well for us because customers can see the maker line on the tag. We order in small runs and the lead times have held every time so far."
Lower Main Road Home
Studio and supplier relationships
Woodstock stoneware studio, two throwers, working with us since the first mug run.
KwaZulu-Natal ilala palm cooperative, supplying baskets in seasonal batches.
European flax mill, mid-weight linen woven and stonewashed before it reaches us.
Local woodworkers producing serving boards from offcut hardwood.