The Kleilat story

Kleilat Pottery was born from the shared dream of two friends that met by chance in Portland, Oregon, to create unique, functional pottery. Being born and raised in South Africa, we strive to create from our South African heritage, using earth tones and patterns applied to rustic form.

We also have an admiration for handmade European lace and often use imprints on our work.

Continued education ensures that we keep our work fresh with a steady flow of new designs. We seek to combine art, culture and nature with functional stoneware, thereby creating an artwork for daily use. Every piece is one-of-a-kind, made by us alone. We hand-build, and then decorate each one with our own unique blend of processes. Because of the time and passion put into each one of our pieces, they are priced accordingly to bring you the highest quality in handmade elegance for everyday use.

Our name is as unique as our pottery. Kleilat ( pronounced clay-l’at), is an Afrikaans word for an old farm game played in South Africa, whereby clay is propelled by a whippy length of stick known as a claystick or “kleilat”. This game is still enjoyed today.

Our work is intended for your use and enjoyment. Handmade pottery can need (and happily, deserves) a little more love to prolong its life than contemporary manufactured ware, so while durable and microwavable, hand washing is recommended, but our pottery can be placed in the dishwasher if so desired. Most of our pieces are oven safe.

Orders can be personalized to suit your style and taste, otherwise just order from our wide variety of products. Thank you for visiting Kleilat Pottery, we’re glad you stopped by. Please leave us your comments and questions on our contact page, we’d love to hear from you.