The Malabar furniture handle takes its name from Malabar Ocean Pool in Sydney's south — one of a series of Handle & Kate pieces named after the ocean pools that have shaped Sydney's coastal communities for generations. It's a quiet nod to the idea that the best objects are those embedded in place and shared life, used daily and worn in over time.
The form itself draws on the circular geometry of the pool: a disc set into a surface, inviting touch. At 55mm in diameter with a 32mm projection, it sits comfortably in the hand and reads quietly against cabinetry, neither receding nor competing with the joinery around it.
Slip cast on Gadigal & Bidjigal country in Sydney from a local clay with porcelain qualities, each Malabar is trimmed and finished by hand before being bisque fired, glazed and glaze fired in our studio. The circular profile suits a wide range of joinery contexts: it works equally well on flat-front contemporary cabinetry and on the recessed panels of more traditional shaker-style joinery. Designers frequently specify it for kitchen cabinetry, bathroom vanities, laundry joinery and bedroom wardrobes — spaces where hardware is touched repeatedly and quality of material is felt as much as seen.
The Malabar is available in eight glaze finishes, ranging from the gloss depth of Black Pearl and White Caps to the feel of satin matte glazes Salt Spray and Squid Ink Black. The sheer glazes — Lagoon, Deep Sea, Oyster and Crystal Clear — are particularly suited to interiors where the clay body itself is part of the design intention, allowing the porcelain to read through the finish. All glazes are food safe and waterproof, making the Malabar appropriate for outdoor cabinetry and wet areas as well as interior settings.
As seen in Vogue Australia, specified by Pattern Studio for the Yolo house kitchen in Surry Hills — finished in Lagoon on a stainless-steel and Madrona burl island by Élan.
Made to order in Sydney. Expect delivery six weeks from payment, plus courier time.
