“Since working with clay is physical, I can’t take it home. Home is home for the first time, and I love it”

~ SIMONE

a particular style of bowl, she chose to create one, and with that, her label was born. The name Winterwares embodies her mother’s maiden name, Winter, and also Simone’s love of the season. “Families tend to gather in the kitchen, and meals are considered more in winter,” she says.

Simone’s own family background signalled the beginning of her creative journey. She grew up in the remote Aboriginal community of Manyallaluk, an hour’s drive from Katherine in the Northern Territory. Also known as ‘the dreaming place’, at the time Manyallaluk was a ‘dry’ community, with only 80 residents. Simone’s family worked three weeks to produce, with variations in size, curve and speckle making each piece unique.

Her range – comprising beautiful rustic plates, spoons, bowls, mugs and vases in soft whites or demure shades of charcoal – is largely monochrome, and draws on the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi, the muted beauty of imperfection as well as the Danish custom of hygge.

Considering the ethos behind Winterwares is to enjoy a slower pace, Simone has no plans to expand her boutique business. Instead, she wants to revel in the life she has right now.

“I want to maintain that philosophy,” she says.