Care Guide

Handmade pieces are more robust than most people expect. Nearly all of what shortens their life is heat, sunlight or impatience.

Ceramics

High-fired stoneware and porcelain, fully vitrified.

Dishwasher safe. Hand washing keeps a matte glaze looking newer for longer, but the machine will not damage the piece.
Avoid thermal shock. Let a hot piece cool before rinsing, and never move a cold piece straight into a hot oven.
Not suitable for direct flame or the microwave if the piece has any metallic detail. None of ours currently do.
Unglazed feet may mark the table over time. A damp cloth with a little bicarbonate lifts most marks.
Fine crazing in the glaze is cosmetic on a vitrified body and does not affect strength or water-tightness.

Washed linen and handwoven, naturally dyed cotton.

Cool machine wash, gentle cycle, mild detergent. No fabric softener -- it coats the fibre and stops linen softening naturally.
Line dry in shade. Direct sun will lift natural indigo faster than anything else you can do to it.
Wash naturally dyed pieces separately for the first two or three washes.
Warm iron while slightly damp if you want a crisper finish. Most pieces are designed to be left alone.
Linen strengthens when wet, so it handles washing better than it looks like it should. It genuinely improves for the first fifty washes.

Soy and rapeseed wax, cotton wick.

Let the first burn run two to three hours, until the melt pool reaches the edge. Wax has a memory and the first burn sets the pattern.
Trim the wick to about 5 mm before every burn. This is the single thing that most affects how cleanly a candle burns.
Never burn for more than four hours at a time, and never leave one unattended.
Stop burning when about 10 mm of wax remains, then wash the vessel in warm water and keep it.

Reclaimed hardwood, oak and unlacquered brass.

Hand wash wood in warm water and dry immediately. Never put a board in the dishwasher or leave it soaking.
Re-oil with food-safe linseed or mineral oil two or three times a year, or whenever the surface looks dry.
Unlacquered brass darkens with handling. That is the intended finish.
If you want the shine back, lemon juice and bicarbonate will do it in a minute. It will darken again, which is fine.