About Thornbury Wares

I grew up in Orange, in the Central Tablelands, where my dad ran a small joinery off Ophir Road. He made furniture to order, nothing fancy, just solid stuff that lasted. I went the other way, studied industrial design at Newcastle, then spent about twelve years doing product development for a mid-size homewares importer in Sydney. My wife Cara had been running the operations side of a ceramics wholesale business out of Bowral since 2014. We met at a trade fair in Melbourne, got talking over a shared interest in how things are actually made versus how they're marketed, and stayed in touch. By 2019 we were married and both quietly tired of working for other people's ideas.

Before Thornbury Wares, I was product manager at a company that imported most of its range from three factories in Guangdong. The work was fine, decent money, but every decision went through six people and by the time a product reached a customer it had been focus-grouped into something nobody really loved. Cara was doing better, she had real autonomy at the Bowral business, but the company sold in 2021 and her role disappeared in the restructure. We'd been talking for two years about pooling what we each knew, her background in supplier logistics and small-business operations, mine in product design and material sourcing. The redundancy was the thing that finally made us stop talking and start.

— Thanks for being here. — Richard, Richard Miles Harris

Our team

• Cara Harris — Co-Founder, Operations and Purchasing: Cara spent seven years running supplier logistics for a ceramics wholesale business in Bowral before the company sold in 2021. She joined Richard in founding Thornbury Wares in March 2022 and manages all purchasing, inbound freight coordination, and fulfilment from the Fremantle workshop. She is the main contact for the studio in Kyneton and handles every supplier relationship from first sample to ongoing reorder.
• Devi Rajagopal — Customer Experience and Dispatch: Devi joined Thornbury Wares in October 2022 after four years working in retail and online customer service for a homewares store in Subiaco. She handles all inbound customer enquiries, manages the dispatch queue, and does the final quality check on outgoing orders before they leave Cantonment Street. She brought the process that cut average dispatch time from three days down to one.
• Tomasz Wierzbicki — Product Photography and Content: Tomasz is a Fremantle-based photographer who had been shooting product work for small Perth brands since 2018 when Richard contacted him through a recommendation from the Perth Design Festival community. He shoots all Thornbury Wares product photography in a rented studio space in North Fremantle and handles the still imagery for the website and seasonal campaigns. He works with the brand on a retained basis, coming in for new product shoots roughly every six to eight weeks.

Frequently asked questions

How long will my order take to arrive?

Standard delivery takes 3–8 business days depending on your location. Express shipping via StarTrack is typically 1–3 business days for metro areas. Remote or regional addresses may take a little longer.

Do you offer free shipping?

Yes — orders over $120 AUD qualify for free standard shipping Australia-wide. Orders under that threshold are charged at a flat rate calculated at checkout, inclusive of GST.

Can I return or exchange an item if I change my mind?

We accept change-of-mind returns within 30 days of delivery, provided the item is unused, in its original packaging, and in resaleable condition. Return shipping costs are the buyer's responsibility in these cases.

How do I care for the marble serving platter?

Wipe the marble platter down with a damp cloth and mild soap — do not soak it or put it in the dishwasher. Dry it promptly after cleaning to avoid water marks. Avoid acidic foods sitting directly on the surface for extended periods, as they can etch the stone.

Is the stoneware dinner service food-safe and dishwasher-safe?

Yes, the Speckled Cream Stoneware Dinner Service is fully food-safe and dishwasher-safe. We recommend using a gentle cycle to extend the life of the glaze. The pieces are also microwave-safe, but avoid rapid temperature changes like moving straight from freezer to oven.

Do any products contain allergens or materials I should know about?

The recycled timber desk organiser uses a water-based lacquer finish that contains no formaldehyde. The woven jute placemats are a natural plant fibre with no synthetic coatings. If you have a specific sensitivity or material concern, email us at hello@thornburywares.com before ordering.

Do you do custom or personalised orders?

We don't currently offer personalisation on individual retail orders. For wholesale or bulk orders where custom sizing or branding might be relevant, get in touch directly and Richard can discuss what's possible from the Fremantle workshop.

Do you offer wholesale pricing?

Yes, we work with independent retailers and hospitality businesses. Send your ABN, business name, and a brief note about what you're looking for to wholesale@thornburywares.com and we'll come back to you within 2 business days.

Customer reviews

• 5/5 “Solid platter, genuinely good size” Ordered the Thornbury Marble Serving Platter after seeing it in a friend's kitchen and it arrived in four days — well packaged with no movement inside the box. The 52cm size is exactly right for a big cheese spread. I've had cheaper marble boards before that chipped at the edges almost immediately; this one feels noticeably more substantial.
• 4/5 “Wine stand looks great, minor assembly note” The Brushed Stainless Steel Wine Display Stand arrived faster than I expected given I'm in Sydney — two business days with standard shipping. Assembly took about ten minutes and the instructions could be a bit clearer on step three, but once it was together it's very stable. Holds six bottles without any wobble.
• 5/5 “Stoneware set is exactly what I wanted” I'd been looking for a dinner set that wasn't stark white or covered in a pattern I'd get sick of, and the Speckled Cream Stoneware hits the mark. Sixteen pieces all arrived intact — each one individually wrapped in recycled paper. Four months in and they're holding up well in the dishwasher.
• 4/5 “Placemats are sturdy, colour is accurate” Bought the Woven Jute Rectangular Storage Placemats and they're doing the job nicely. The colour in the photos on the site is accurate, which isn't always the case. One of the six had a slightly looser weave at one corner but it hasn't unravelled and I probably wouldn't notice if I wasn't looking for it.
• 5/5 “Desk organiser cleared up a lot of clutter” The Recycled Timber Expandable Desk Organiser arrived well-packaged and the timber has a clean, consistent finish — no rough patches or splinters. I've had it expanded to about two-thirds of its full width on my desk and it's holding pens, chargers, scissors, and a few other bits without any issue. Really glad I went for the 8-compartment version.
• 5/5 “Good to support a local maker” I live in Fremantle so it felt right to order from Thornbury Wares. The marble platter was ready for collection faster than the estimated delivery time, and the packaging was minimal but effective — no excess plastic. It's been on our kitchen bench every weekend since.

From the journal

• How we ended up sourcing marble from a Fremantle warehouse — The 52cm platter almost didn't exist because I nearly walked past the right supplier twice.
• Setting a table for eight people without overthinking everything — Claire and I hosted her sister's family last month and I finally used all 16 pieces of the stoneware at once.
• What Claire actually does before a new product goes live — The wine display stand took four months from concept sketch to listing, and most of that time was Claire being unsatisfied with the finish.
• Autumn in Fremantle and what we do differently at the table — By April the evening light in Fremantle changes enough that I actually notice what's on the table again.
• Restocking the stoneware dinner service and what we changed — The second production run of the 16-piece stoneware was not identical to the first, and that was mostly deliberate.