Where It All Began
The Story Behind Our Freshwater Glaze
A Glaze Born from Summer by the Sea
There’s something about summer by the sea that stays with you. The warmth of the sun on your skin, salt in your hair, slow mornings, and sandy feet. That feeling — relaxed, textured, golden — is what inspired our Freshwater Glaze.
When I moved from Western Australia to Freshwater Beach, I was chasing sunshine — but I found something deeper. Like Perth, Freshwater had a slower vibe than other parts of Sydney. A little pocket of calm where life moved gently — barefoot, sun-drenched, and full of light.
It was there, in that rhythm of early swims and long coastal walks, that I first discovered pottery. Freshwater was where it all began. I’d spend my days soaking in the summer palette — seafoam greens, sandy neutrals, stormy blues — and my evenings throwing clay, completely captivated by the process.
The Palette of the Coastline
The coastline became my muse. I knew I wanted to create a glaze that captured that feeling:
• The softness of worn stone
• The shimmer of a tidepool
• The lightness of summer mornings
It took dozens of tests to get there — some too pale, some too glossy. But we kept going, layering and experimenting until it felt right.
What makes this glaze even more special is that it didn’t just spark a collection — it started a whole studio.
What began as a quiet hobby shared on Instagram slowly took on a life of its own. Strangers started reaching out, asking to buy these Freshwater Glaze cups. I wrapped and posted each one from my kitchen bench, not knowing I was laying the foundation for what would become The Sunshine Collective. A simple love of clay and coastal light, shared cup by cup, became the beginning of everything.
Introducing: The Freshwater Glaze
Our Freshwater Glaze is the result. It’s reactive, coastal, and never quite the same twice — just like the ocean it’s inspired by.
Each cup is thrown by hand in our Northern Beaches studio, where the waves are always just a few streets away. They’re glazed, fired, sanded, and wrapped with care — made to bring that summer feeling into your hands, whether it’s the height of January or the middle of winter.
More Than a Vessel
So when you wrap your hands around a Freshwater cup, know this: it’s more than a vessel. It’s a little piece of the coast.
A little piece of summer — made to be sipped, savoured, and lived slowly.
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What a Week in the Studio Looks Like
Coming Soon
