Frequently asked questions

Tantri Mustika is a Melbourne ceramic artist of Balinese and European heritage. From her studio in Carnegie she makes hand-carved and coloured-clay vessels, sculptural table and floor lamps and ceramic wall pieces, and takes commissions for homes, interior designers and commercial spaces.

Every piece is made entirely by hand in stoneware clay. About Tantri

• Ukiran is carving; the word is Indonesian. Vessels, lamps and wall pieces are carved by hand into stoneware, drawing on Balinese carving.
• Nerikomi is layering, a Japanese technique of stacking and slicing coloured clays so the pattern runs right through the body of a piece.
• Marmoreal is marbling. Hand-built vessels are covered in strips of marbled clay, laid in checks and stripes over full, curving forms. Marmoreal means like marble.
• Terrazzo is inlay, the work Tantri first became known for, with fragments of coloured clay inlaid through each slab. It is no longer a collection of its own, but the marbled clay she developed for it runs through her work today.

Most new pieces bring two or more of these together.

Every piece is made by hand in stoneware clay, so no two are exactly alike. One-of-a-kind works are made once. Made-to-order pieces are built by hand from the same design after you order, so yours will differ a little from the one pictured.

As Tantri puts it: “There’s nothing exact or perfect about handmade objects which is what makes them so special- they are always one of a kind even when they are made in ‘repeats’.”

Table lamps are priced one by one, and the technique makes most of the difference, so a striped Stellar costs less than a hand-carved Ukiran. Floor lamps are made by commission and priced to the brief.

Prices, sizes and lead times for each table lamp are in the lighting guide.

Vases and vessels in the shop run from $265 to $3,750. The made-to-order Marbled Relic vase is $550. Larger one-of-a-kind vessels, including recent exhibition pieces such as the Panas and Lattice vessels, are $2,200 to $3,750.

Ceramic wall pieces (wallflowers and the carved Ukiran Bunga wall pieces) run from $110 to $420, and fruit bowls are $265 to $300. Gifts gathers pieces under $500. Prices are in Australian dollars.

The lead time is listed on each piece. As a guide:

• Wallflowers and wall pieces: made to order, 4 weeks
• Stellar, Merlin and Charlie table lamps: made to order, 6 weeks
• Ukiran table lamps: made to order, 10 weeks
• Kunji and Kunjirama lamps: limited pre-order, 16 weeks
• Commissions: 16–20 weeks

Yes. Tantri makes lamps, vessels and wall pieces to a brief, with scale, palette and finish worked out around the space. A commission runs in four stages:

• Conversation: your brief, the space, a first concept, and a deposit to hold your place.
• Design: clay, colour, surface and scale worked out in detail, then your sign-off.
• Making: building, carving, glazing and firing, with updates from the studio along the way.
• Delivery: a final check, careful packing, and delivery.

Commissions take 16–20 weeks from first conversation to delivery. How commissions work

A non-refundable 50% deposit secures your place in the schedule. The balance is due before the piece ships.

Yes. Tantri has made commissions for private collectors, interior designers and commercial spaces. Trade pricing is available to designers and studios buying for client projects, and pieces can be borrowed for shoots and styling, subject to availability and terms. Trade

From the shop on this site, and from two stockists: Craft Victoria in Melbourne, in its gallery shop at Watson Place and online, and Kerrie-Ann Jones in Sydney.

Craft Victoria holds a selection of Tantri’s work in its gallery shop at Watson Place, Melbourne. She has also shown new work at Melbourne Design Week in 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026. Exhibitions

Yes, within Australia and worldwide. Pieces vary a lot in shape and size, so overseas shipping is quoted for each order. Please get in touch for a quote before you buy. For a commission, packing and delivery are arranged in the final stage.

Yes. If you change your mind about a ready-to-ship piece, you can return it within 7 days of delivery. It needs to be unused and in its original packaging, and return postage is yours to pay. Made-to-order pieces, pre-orders and commissions are made for you, so they can’t be returned for change of mind. If a piece arrives damaged or faulty, email us within 48 hours with photos and we’ll arrange a repair, replacement or refund. Read the full returns policy.

Every piece is made by hand in stoneware clay. Handle it with care; a gentle hand wash is advised.

• Vases and vessels: many are marked water safe, and some also food safe. Check the piece’s page.
• Wall pieces: hang each one on a single screw or a mini 3M hook.
• Lamps: for indoor use only.