A Perth Ceramicist Bringing Handmade Tiles Into WA Homes
Perth homeowners are rethinking the back-to-back expanses of glossy subway tile that defined local bathrooms for the past two decades. A growing number of renovations across suburbs from Cottesloe to Maylands now feature tiles with visible thumbprints, irregular edges, and glazes that pool unevenly across the surface. At the centre of this shift is a small Fremantle studio whose handmade tiles are quietly appearing behind bathroom vanities, on kitchen splashbacks, and around fireplace surrounds in some of the city's most considered homes.
Inez Whitfield trained as a fine artist before working in commercial ceramics for several years, a background that informs both the painterly quality of her tiles and the studio's rigorous approach to production. Her work has been specified by architects working on Passive House projects in Perth, including a recent home featured for its polished concrete floors, where her tiles were used in the adjoining wet areas to soften an otherwise minimal material palette.
For an industry built on imported porcelain and mass-produced ceramics, Whitfield's studio represents something of a counterpoint: a small-batch practice rooted in the rhythms of a working kiln and the textures of the Western Australian coastline. The following profile traces her journey from a backyard shed to her current role as one of the more distinctive voices in the local design community.
From Garage Workshop to Fremantle Studio
Whitfield first encountered ceramics during a studio elective at the West Australian School of Art, where she discovered how clay could hold both pigment and texture in a single surface. After graduating she spent four years at a commercial tile manufacturer in Osborne Park, producing thousands of identical pieces each week, an experience she describes as technically invaluable but creatively limiting.
The pivot to her own practice began in a shared garage in White Gum Valley, where she borrowed a second-hand gas kiln from a retired potter in Hilton. The first collection, a series of undulating blue-green tiles inspired by the rock pools at Cottesloe, was sold almost entirely through word of mouth to friends restoring bathrooms in heritage homes in Subiaco and Mount Lawley. The demand quickly outgrew the garage, and in early 2024 Whitfield moved into a converted warehouse on Beach Street in North Fremantle, sharing the building with a joiner and a small metalwork studio.
The new space allowed her to install a larger kiln and a dedicated glaze room, where she now mixes the roughly twenty base glazes that appear across her ranges. Stock is made in batches of thirty to eighty tiles, each piece numbered on the back so installers can shuffle them across a wall until the colour variation feels considered. This small-batch approach appeals to architects briefed on Australian slip-resistance standards and the requirements of AS 4459 for wet-area ceramic tiling.
The Handmade Process
Each tile begins as a slab of stoneware clay rolled to a consistent eight-millimetre thickness on a hand-operated slab roller. Whitfield cuts the tiles using a wooden frame and a thin wire, then rounds the edges with a damp sponge, a step that gives her tiles the soft, almost pillow-like profile that distinguishes them from machine-cut alternatives. Bisque firing takes around fourteen hours, followed by a second, longer firing once the glaze has been applied.
The studio works primarily with two clay bodies: a warm off-white that suits pale glazes and a darker terracotta that grounds the more saturated colourways. Glazes are mixed in five-kilogram batches from raw materials sourced from Australian suppliers, including a small family-run operation south of Perth that mines ochres and iron oxides used in the studio's earth-toned ranges.
The table below compares Whitfield's handmade ceramic tiles with the most common alternatives currently specified in Perth renovations.
| Property | Handmade Ceramic (Whitfield Studio) | Porcelain | Glass Mosaic | Natural Stone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical tile size | 100×100mm to 200×200mm | 300×600mm and larger | 20×20mm to 50×50mm | Varies, often 400×400mm |
| Surface variation | High, by design | Very low | Low to moderate | Moderate to high |
| Slip rating (R) for wet areas | R10–R11 achievable | R10–R12 standard | R10 typical | R11–R12 with honed finish |
| Custom colour matching | Yes, per project | Limited | Limited | No |
| Lead time (Perth projects) | 6–10 weeks | 1–3 weeks | 2–4 weeks | 3–6 weeks |
| Approximate cost per m² installed | $280–$420 | $90–$180 | $180–$260 | $220–$380 |
| Maintenance | Re-seal grout annually | Low | Low | Seal every 2–3 years |
The longer lead times and higher installed cost are balanced by a level of customisation that does not exist in the porcelain sector. Whitfield regularly works with clients to develop a single glaze colour for a particular splashback or shower wall, a process taking between three weeks and three months depending on the number of test firings required.
A Palette Drawn from Western Australia
The studio's most popular range, titled Reef Line, takes its colours from the limestone shelves and tide pools along the coast from Leighton to Yanchep. Pale oyster tones sit alongside deeper moss greens and the bruised purples of sea urchin shells, all developed over two years of side-by-side testing in the kiln. Whitfield photographs each glaze test against the same stretch of beach at the same time of day, an obsessive ritual she says keeps her honest about how the colour reads in natural light.
Another range, Laterite, draws on the red-orange soils of the Darling Scarp and the Pilbara, and tends to be specified for homes in the Perth Hills where the colour connects interior surfaces to the landscape. A third range, Salt, is a near-monochrome collection favoured by designers working on minimalist renovations in new builds along the Kwinana Freeway corridor and in developments in Alkimos and Yanchep.
Whitfield is cautious about the trend toward overly coordinated interiors, arguing that handmade tiles should sit in dialogue with other tactile materials rather than disappear into them. Recent projects have paired her tiles with subtle garden rooms in Subiaco, where the same muted greens and terracotta tones flow visually from inside the home to the courtyard beyond.
Bathrooms Reimagined
Bathrooms have become the studio's most consistent source of work, and Whitfield estimates that roughly two-thirds of her output now ends up in showers, behind freestanding baths, or as full-height feature walls. The appeal, she suggests, is partly tactile: handmade tiles have a depth and warmth underfoot and underhand that flat porcelain surfaces struggle to replicate.
One recent project in a 1930s Mount Lawley cottage used a single wall of pale Reef Line tiles behind a concrete vanity, with the rest of the bathroom finished in a lime-wash paint chosen to complement rather than match the tile. Another, in a new Fremantle apartment, wrapped a shower enclosure in a deep, almost-black glaze from the Salt range, the variation breaking up what could otherwise feel monolithic.
Whitfield is quick to note that handmade tiles require slightly different installation practices. Tilers working with her pieces are briefed to mix tiles from several boxes before laying, to allow for a one-and-a-half-millimetre grout joint rather than the tighter joins common with rectified porcelain, and to use a penetrating sealer on the grout lines once installation is complete. These are minor adjustments, but they make a significant difference to how the finished wall reads.
Kitchens as Canvas
Kitchen splashbacks are the second major application, and the studio has produced custom ranges for clients wanting a specific colour to anchor a renovation. A recent collaboration with a cabinetmaker in Osborne Park paired a deep eucalyptus green splashback with whitewashed timber cabinetry in an Applecross heritage home, the colour developed over six rounds of test tiles before the final glaze was approved.
Another project, a new build in Scarborough designed around a coastal palette, used the studio's Salt range across the splashback and inside the open shelving niches, with the same tile continued onto a small fireplace surround in the adjoining living area. Whitfield describes these continuous-tile moments as some of the most rewarding briefs she receives, because they let the colour do the architectural work.
The studio is also seeing growing interest in tiles for outdoor kitchens, particularly in coastal homes where the Mediterranean climate and salt air demand materials that handle temperature swings and the occasional downpour. Whitfield is testing a higher-fired body for this application, expected to reach the Perth market in early 2027, and is working with a Baldivis engineer on a cyclone-rated fixing system.
Collaborating with WA Architects and Designers
A significant portion of the studio's work comes through architects and interior designers, and Whitfield now keeps a sample library of around forty colours for industry clients to browse by appointment. Several local practices specify her tiles as a matter of course, including a Subiaco studio focused on Passive House projects and an East Perth firm that renovates state-heritage-listed cottages.
For larger projects, the studio can produce tiles to a custom size or colour, an option that has been used on several recent commercial fitouts, including a café in Fremantle and a small wellness clinic in Mount Lawley. Whitfield also runs occasional workshops for design students at the University of Western Australia, an arrangement that keeps her connected to the wider Perth architecture and design community and fills a regular roster of emerging collaborators.
Her work has appeared in print publications including the local design quarterly Assemble, and she was a featured maker at last year's Contemporary Wine In Design showcase, where several of her larger-format pieces were auctioned to raise funds for emerging designers.
Pricing, Lead Times and Where to Buy
Tiles from the studio's core ranges retail from around $95 per square metre for unglazed field tiles, with most glazed options falling between $135 and $220 per square metre before installation. Custom colour development starts at $850 for the first round of test tiles, with each subsequent round costing $450, a fee that is often absorbed into the final order if the colour is selected.
Lead times for in-stock ranges are typically four to six weeks, while custom commissions require between ten and sixteen weeks depending on the complexity of the glaze and the size of the order. The studio does not sell directly to the public, but tiles can be viewed by appointment at the North Fremantle studio, or through several Perth showrooms including those in Osborne Park and Subiaco. Tiles can be freighted from the Fremantle warehouse to regional Western Australia, including Margaret River and Albany, with delivery costs calculated per order.
Sample tiles across the full range can be ordered through the studio's website, along with a list of recommended tilers familiar with the installation requirements of handmade ceramic. For readers interested in exploring other aspects of Perth's design scene, the Perth architectural bookshops guide is a useful companion, pointing to several local retailers who stock books on Australian architecture and material culture.
Whitfield's story is part of a broader movement of small, locally based makers reshaping how Perth homes feel underfoot and at eye level. As renovations across the city continue to move away from uniform finishes and toward materials with visible provenance, the handmade tile seems likely to move from a quiet accent to a defining feature of contemporary WA interiors.
Book a visit to the North Fremantle studio through the Contemporary Wine In Design network and see the latest collections in person, or join the next studio open day to meet Inez and discuss a custom commission for your own kitchen or bathroom.
