Muckware Ceramics Studio

Muckware Ceramics Studio is the Newrybar-based practice of Grace Chaplin, a ceramicist who grew up in Byron Bay and launched Muckware in 2020. Working from a studio in the Byron Bay Hinterland, Grace makes wheel-thrown stoneware with an emphasis on form, function and everyday use. The pieces are designed to be lived with rather than kept solely for display, bringing handmade character to the table, kitchen and home.

The collection includes durable tableware, kitchenware and homewares, with custom dinner sets available in Wood Ash, Liquorice, Pecan and Butter finishes. Sets can be built around main plates, side plates, dinner bowls and breakfast bowls, allowing customers to create a combination that suits their table. The dinner sets are made to order and high-fired, with food-safe materials; the website notes that they are dishwasher and microwave safe. Individual handmade pieces can vary slightly in size and colour, making each set distinct.

The Lotus Vase is one of Muckware’s signature pieces. Inspired by ikebana, the Japanese practice in which space and intention are central, it is designed to give individual flowers a considered place rather than simply acting as a container to fill. The range also includes one-off ceramic art pieces and special items of interest, with custom orders welcomed. For shoppers, the online collection offers a direct way to explore Grace’s current work and commission tableware for a particular home or occasion.

Muckware also offers private pottery workshops in the Byron Bay Hinterland, with one-on-one wheel-throwing or hand-building sessions tailored to a participant’s experience and goals. That makes the studio particularly suited to a solo introduction to clay or a more focused opportunity to develop existing skills. For visitors interested in handmade design, the studio’s work connects local making with practical use: these are ceramics shaped in Newrybar, grounded in a simple, considered style and intended to be used every day. The business also acknowledges the Arakwal people of the Bundjalung Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land where Grace lives and works.