Australian House & Garden – September 2019

H G INSIDER

66 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN

Therangehasgrowntomorethan 80 shapes

in 20 colours,fromsaltdishestolighting.

T

his year marks the 25th anniversary of one of this

country’s biggest ceramics success stories, Mud

Australia. Founder Shelley Simpson began making her

wares in a small shared studio in inner Sydney in 1994. The

products were handpainted earthenware and sold at fairs,

markets and direct to retail. And the name? “A very good

friend came up with ‘Common as Mud’ but it was a little too

obtuse, so it was changed to Mud Australia,” says Shelley.

She had never run a business before. “It was a steep learning

curve. Establishing a ceramic production environment,

finding and training staff, locating suppliers,

technicians, admin, marketing. The advantage

of being small is that you can afford many little

instructive failures without being destroyed.”

She now runs the business with her partner

James Kirton. In the early 2000s Mud

Australia transitioned from earthenware to

porcelain made from French Limoges clay, a

stronger, finer material that can be tinted with

pigments (as opposed to surface glazing); this

gave rise to the signature glazed interior with

matt exterior. The range has grown to more

than 80 shapes in 20 colours, from small salt

dishes to large-scale lighting. The tableware is

dishwasher-, oven- and microwave-safe.

Production at the Marrickville, Sydney,

factory is broken down into three areas:

making, trimming and glazing, and kilns.

It’s conducted by a mix of professional and

amateur ceramicists. “Approximately half our

team are trained ceramicists from a fine-art

background,” says Shelley. “The amateurs

AUSTRALIAN STORY

Mud Australia

have an instinct for the product and process

and refine their skills on the job.” Softer tones

such as Milk, Dust, Mist and Ash are most

popular, with bolder colours such as Slate,

Plum and Yellow featuring as statement pieces.

The company currently has seven stores

across Sydney, Melbourne, London, New

York and LA, employing some 75 people.

It also recently developed Matte, a matt

finish available as a special order on all

pieces in the range. “We showed the

collection at our first appearance at Milan

Salone del Mobile 2019,” says Shelley.

“The exhibition was exceptionally well

received with lots of attention from the

global press and design community.” >

mudaustralia.com

Photography by Nikki To (Shelley Simpson) & Petrina Tinslay (products).

ABOVE Clockwise from top left The Mud

Australia store in New York. A sample of the

lighting, plates and bowls in Mud’s collection.

Shelley Simpson. LEFT The new Matte range.