From hand-cast Jesmonite to poetic silhouettes, Alkaline’s work sits at the intersection of art, utility, and quiet presence. It all began with soap, curiosity, and a deep love of process.
Alkaline didn’t begin as a design studio. It started with Chelsea Makin (née Kunhardt), a curious maker with a deep appreciation for material, process, and quiet form. What began as a hands-on soap-making experiment evolved into a family-run studio producing sculptural homeware that’s as grounded as it is graceful.
In 2020, Chelsea Makin was craving stillness — something tangible, slow, and satisfying to make by hand. So she began crafting soap. Then, almost incidentally, she designed a soap dish. That dish caught attention, and everything shifted.
“It suddenly caught people’s attention,” she recalls. “That was the moment I realised I’d found something meaningful – a way to merge function with form, and to explore material and shape in a more sculptural way.”
Alkaline wasn’t the plan, but it quickly became the path. Chelsea’s background in English and Art History gave her an eye for shape and balance. Her years living in Vietnam, originally to teach English, offered a vibrant, contrasting lens on texture and material culture. “Vietnam didn’t directly shape my aesthetic,” she says, “but it changed how I see the world.” It also gave her the space and savings to start something of her own.
Chelsea’s curiosity is what powers Alkaline. “I’ve always been curious about how things are made. Working with your hands teaches you patience and presence. It forces you to slow down and pay attention.”
That ethos is present in every Alkaline piece: soft curves, thoughtful proportions, a balance between function and form. There’s no excess. Just deliberate design.
“Beauty often lies in craftsmanship – in the imperfections, the marks of making, the traces of time and touch.”
What began as a one-woman studio has grown into a small but mighty team. Today, Alkaline is a family affair. Chelsea leads the design and experimentation, her husband Andrew brings structure and calm, her mum adds energy and support, and longtime team member Bongi contributes her own perspective and skill.
“When others learn the craft, they also find new solutions, new ways of seeing. That’s been the most inspiring part.”
The studio is based at The Old Mushroom Farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. It’s a creative hub nestled in quiet countryside, full of independent makers and possibility. A fitting home for a brand that values simplicity and slowness.
Alkaline’s small team reflects the slower pace they value. Every product is made in-house. Every finish is tested and considered. There’s a steady rhythm to the work, one that leaves space for intention and discovery.
Andrew officially joined full-time in 2024 after years of quiet behind-the-scenes support. His eye for detail complements Chelsea’s intuitive approach. “He brings structure and calm,” she says. “That’s allowed me to focus more on designing, experimenting, developing new ideas.”
Alkaline’s signature material is Jesmonite. It’s a lightweight, eco-friendly composite that looks like stone and behaves like clay. Everything is cast, pigmented, and finished in-house, giving each object its own quiet identity.
There’s intention in every piece, but never overdesign. Each object feels elemental, distilled down to its most essential form.
“I like finding that balance – the tension between simplicity and function, and how small shifts in proportion or line can completely change the feeling of a piece.”
Whether it’s a wall hook or a coaster, each object feels calm and quietly sculptural. Built to be used. Built to last.
Chelsea and Andrew’s side project, WAYST, reimagines construction waste as design material. Brick rubble, terrazzo offcuts, and other discarded fragments are cast into lights, tabletops, and objects with new life. Like Alkaline, it’s thoughtful, slow, and full of material storytelling.
“Sustainability, for me, isn’t just a label. It’s a mindset. It’s about patience, experimentation, and responsibility.”
We cover WAYST in more depth here.
Alkaline is still a small studio by design. Growth happens slowly, intentionally, with care at the core.
“Running a studio is also a kind of craft. It’s about shaping systems so creativity can flow.”
And it shows. In every object made by hand and built to last, in the rhythm of the team, and in the evolving material language of a brand that never stops learning.
Alkaline is design you can live with. It doesn’t need to shout. It just needs to feel right – in your home, and in your hands.
Visit Alkaline
- Address: The Old Mushroom Farm, 11 Karkloof Road, Howick, KZN Midlands, South Africa
- Website: alkaline-shop.com
- Instagram: @alkaline_designs
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Diane Wilson
Diane Wilson is Co-Founder and Curator of Fox & Craft. After years spent empowering small businesses and shaping creative spaces, she brings an instinct for beauty rooted in interior design and fine art. She grew up among makers and artists, and she has never lost her eye for the work that feels alive.
