FAQs
Have a question...?
Read some of our most common questions below, or email us at hello@koabykaitlin.com.au
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Dishwasher safe? YES, we make life easy!
Microwave safe? YES, perfect for warming up your hot chocolate or morning porridge.
Oven proof? NO, unfortunately our ceramics are not oven proof. This is due to the natural qualities of the ceramic stoneware. Sudden changes in temperature such as transferring from a HOT oven to a COLD bench can cause cracking.
Shipping.
Please see our shipping policy here, or email us at hello@koabykaitlin.com.au
Returns.
Please see our returns policy here, or email us at hello@koabykaitlin.com.au
Who designs the products?
All of our products are designed by Kaitlin Liddell in her Mornington Peninsula (AUS) studio. Read more of her story here.
Who makes the products?
We work with a small boutique stoneware studio in Bali to bring our exclusive ceramic collections to life. Read more here.
Why Bali?
The region by which the ceramic studio is located is known for producing the finest ceramics for premium home and kitchenware brands around the world. Fertile lands in the surrounding areas, combined with generations of experience, makes for a beautiful synergy between aesthetics and durability.
Since 2013 Kaitlin has built a beautiful relationship with the ceramic studio she works with. Kaitlin has a dedicated team on the ground in Bali all year round ensuring all products are created in a beautiful working environment. People are the beating heart and soul of our brand so their health and wellbeing are an upmost priority.
What are the working conditions like?
Our artisans work in a state of the art ceramic studio with abundance of natural light, playful music, laughter and community. Each day is capped at 8hrs working with a dedicated 1hr lunch break in the middle of the day.
Ethically handmade, our artisans are paid in line with fair-trade practises.
Premiums are paid to run the kilns through renewable energy, along with recycling all paper products, from office material to packing material.
What Clay do you use?
Our products are made from a ceramic stoneware clay.
The clay body is made in house and all Koa products are finished with beautiful glazes developed by Sydney based technicians. All products are then fired to a temperature of 1250C for nine hours.
Where are the candles made?
Koa’s collection of ceramic candles are hand poured in Kaitlin’s Mornington Peninsula studio and are designed so you can re-use the ceramic piece long after the candle is burned out. Made from 100% natural soy wax sourced from Western Australia, Koa candles are toxin free and reusable.
Do you ever go on sale?
Koa products are made in small production runs limiting excess stock, therefore Koa products don’t need to go on sale. This practise honours a core brand value of limiting the amount of ‘stuff’ that goes into landfill each year.
What is your brand philosophy?
Mindful living through products crafted from the earth.
All products made are designed with this core essence.
What makes Koa products unique?
Koa encapsulates the concept of slow living with an emphasis on ethically handmade, multi-functional, toxin free and sustainable products.
What size cup do you recommend?
Coffee cups - 350 mls. Perfect for a BIG cup of coffee or tea, smoothies or water.
Tea cups - 190 mls. Perfect for herbal tea, where you can top up from a tea pot or if you like your coffee strong.
Handle cups- 220 mls. Perfect if you love a handle. Standard 8oz coffee cup.
Do the handleless cups get too hot to hold?
The perfect holding temperature, is the perfect drinking temperature.
65 degrees. So this answer does depend how you prepare your tea or coffee.
Our cups are perfect to hold straight away...If you are brewing a pot of tea, adding milk or making a coffee at home. These processes will bring down the temperature so that you can hold the cup and enjoy your beverage.
If you are using a tea bag and pouring boiling hot water direct from a kettle you will have to make sure you find the right balance. Your cup will heat up initially and you may find it too hot to touch. This is a good opportunity to find a quite place to place your cup and enjoy the down time while you wait for the tea to cool a little. Once the tea is ready to drink (temperature wise, so you don't burn your month) the cup should be good to hold. If you do drink a lot of tea from tea bags and don’t add milk, we would suggest buying the tall Coffee Cup as the height in the cups allow you to fill whilst leaving a gap at the top. The cup will only heat up where the boiling water is touching, so if you leave a gap at the top ( approximately two fingers worth) you will be able to find the perfect balance between holding and drinking your favourite brews.
Why is there no handle on the Coffee and Tea cups?
Designed without a handle our cups are versatile to use. People buy them to drink from, eat from… you can even plant them up with a succulent or use them as a trinket bowl. Because they don’t have that traditional handle look we find people come up with creative ways to use them as they LOVE to keep them out on their benches. They become a piece of functional art.
What are your candles made from?
Our candles are made from 100% natural soy wax (no additives or hardeners) and use naturally derived oils.
Can you reuse your cup once you burn the candle?
Yes, our candles are made with 100% natural soy wax which means, as long as your not allergic to soy ingredients, you can re-use your cup once you burn your candle. Otherwise, you can plant your cup with a succulent or use it as a trinket bowl.
How do you clean the cup once you burn the candle?
It is very easy to clean your cup after you burn your candle. Soy wax has a melting point of 65 degrees. This means that you can easily wash any excess wax out of the cup with boiling water.
1. Boil your kettle to 100 degrees
2. Pour boiling water through the cup, this will melt the wax away.
(please be careful not to burn yourself in the process, keep hands away)
3. Remove the wick from the bottom of the cup. This is attached via a sticker so does peel off easy.
4. Use your normal washing detergents to give you cup a really good clean!
How long do the candles burn for?
Small Candles - burn for 40hrs (or longer depending how you burn it)
Large Candles - burn of 60hrs (or longer depending how you burn it)
Do the vases hold water?
Our vases are glazed on the inside so they definitely hold water and wash up really nicely.
What flowers look good in the vases?
Our vases look gorgeous with simple foliage and natives.
How do the flowers sit in the vase?
Designed with a narrower opening our vases hold your flowers at the stems. This means that your bouquet of flowers will always look great!
How do you use the Droplet vases?
We love our droplet vases as they don’t need a massive bunch of flowers to fill. You can simply go out to your garden and pick some foliage. We love that you can always have a little bit of the outside in. They also look gorgeous without flowers and are the perfect size for bedside tables / coffee tables.
What would you style with a Medium Vase?
Our Medium vases look beautiful nested together with a candles. A great combo for dining tables as once the candle burned out you can fill the cup with a succulent and always have a little bit of greenery even when you don’t have flowers.
Looking to create a feature piece in your room?
To create a bigger statement with our vases… nest one of each size (s,m,l) together in a range of colours. This way you get a beautiful range of heights, pattern and colour!
Do you wholesale?
We currently have closed wholesaling of our products. If you would like to join our mailing list for any openings in the future please send us an email to hello@koabykaitlin.com.au with your shop details and we will notify you of any openings.
Do you do custom designs?
We do custom projects for hotels and restaurants, please get in contact with us if you are interested in collaborating or working together on your creative projects.
Do you do custom one off pieces?
Unfortunately we do not offer custom orders for one of pieces. We are happy to work with you on custom designs with a minimum order quantity of 100pcs.
We are however always adding new designs to our collections so please get in touch with your ideas as we may already be working on new items that may be exactly what you are looking for.
Do you collaborate with stylists and photographers?
Yes, please get in touch with as at hello@koabykaitlin.com.au and we can discuss your creative adventures.
Any other questions...??
Please email us at hello@koabykaitlin.com.au and we will get back to you with all the juicy details to your Qs!