Commissions and made to order
Made for one room. Yours.
Paintings, vessel groupings and lighting made by hand for one space, one palette and one brief. For interior designers, architects, hotels and private homes, in South Africa and abroad.
Takes about 3 minutes. No cost and no commitment.
West Coast Dreaming, original watercolour
- 1
- maker, start to finish
- Fixed
- quote before anything is made
- 3
- disciplines: paint, clay and light
- SA + abroad
- delivered ready to hang or place
Why commission
Your client wants a space that feels like nowhere else. Stock art and catalogue ceramics can’t give you that. A piece made for the room can.
Nothing off the shelf
Every piece is made once, for your project. No editions of your commission, no lookalikes in the next hotel.
Sized and coloured to the room
Built around your plans, your palette and the light in the space, not squeezed into it afterwards.
A story your client can tell
Colour gathered from West Coast rock, sea caves and forest, made by one artist’s hands. Work with a source.
What Ruth makes to order
Three ways to finish a space
Choose one, or combine them. Paintings, vessels and light are made in the same palette, so they belong together in a room.
Original paintings
Watercolours built up in layered washes, granulated gold and trails of hand-placed dots, painted to your palette and wall. A single statement piece or a series across a project.
Best for Feature walls, lobbies, suites, a series down a corridor
Vessel groupings
Hand-built sculptural vessels with spiked, combed and bark-like surfaces, made as a family of forms to style a shelf, a console, a plinth or a reception.
Best for Shelving, consoles, reception desks, plinths
Lighting
The same textures, made to glow. Lighting is in development in the studio now, and designers can ask about early and made-to-order pieces for a project.
Best for Ask about early pieces
Who it’s for
Made for the people who shape spaces
A maker who works to your scheme
Send your mood board and palette, and Ruth works inside it. You get concept studies to show your client, a fixed quote to put in your budget, and progress photos to keep them excited.
- Concept sketches, colour studies or clay samples before you commit
- Fixed quote you can pass straight to your client
- Progress photos for client updates
- Trade terms: [Trade pricing or designer discount. Confirm with Ruth.]
Art that is part of the building
Pieces planned from your drawings, scaled to the wall, the niche or the void, and coloured from the materials already in the project.
- Works from plans, elevations and material samples
- Sized to the space, not the other way round
- Clear lead time for your programme: [LEAD TIME]
- Packed and delivered to site, ready to hang or place
A sense of place guests remember
Lobbies, suites and restaurants with work that could only belong there: a palette drawn from the landscape, made by a South African artist, and a story staff can tell.
- Statement pieces or a series across many rooms
- One palette across paintings, vessels and lighting
- For projects in South Africa and abroad
- Delivery and installation abroad: [Confirm with Ruth.]
A piece made for your home
For the wall you have never found the right painting for, or the shelf that needs a family of vessels. Ruth makes it for your room, your light and the colours you live with.
- Talk directly to the artist
- See the idea before it is made
- One of a kind, never repeated
- Studio visits: [By appointment, or not offered. Confirm with Ruth.]
How it works
From brief to wall in four steps
A clear path with no surprises. You see the idea and the price before anything is made, and you see it take shape along the way.
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Step 1: Share the brief
Use the brief builder below to tell Ruth about the space, palette, sizes, budget and timeline. Plans and mood boards are welcome.
About 3 minutes
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Step 2: Concept and quote
Ruth replies herself with sketches, colour studies or clay samples, and a clear fixed quote. Nothing goes ahead until you are happy.
Reply within [X] working days
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Step 3: Made in the studio
Your piece is made by hand, start to finish, with progress photos along the way so your client sees it take shape.
Typical lead time [LEAD TIME]
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Step 4: Delivered to site
Packed with care and delivered ready to hang or place, in South Africa or abroad.
Shipping quoted with your project
Every commission includes
- A conversation with the artist herself
- Concept sketches, colour studies or clay samples
- A fixed quote before work begins
- Progress photos while it is made
- Careful packing for safe delivery
- A one-of-a-kind piece, never repeated
Proof in the work
Every palette has a source
West Coast Dreaming began on the coast, up close to folded rock and mineral veins. Ruth takes the same approach to your project: find the colours of a place, then slow them down into paint, clay and light.
Questions designers ask
Before you send a brief
How much does a commission cost?
It depends on the size, the medium and how many pieces are in the project. Tell Ruth your budget in the brief and she will shape the concept to fit it, then give you a fixed quote. Commissions usually start from [MINIMUM BUDGET].
How long does it take?
Typical lead time is [LEAD TIME] from approved concept to delivery. If you have a hard opening or handover date, put it in your brief and Ruth will tell you straight away if it can be met.
Is there a deposit?
[Deposit terms, for example a percentage on approval of the concept and the balance before delivery. Confirm with Ruth.]
Can we change things along the way?
Yes, at concept stage. The quote includes [NUMBER] rounds of changes to the sketches, colour studies or samples before making begins.
Do you offer trade pricing?
[Trade pricing or a discount for interior designers and architects. Confirm with Ruth.]
Can you deliver abroad?
Yes. Ruth makes work for projects in South Africa and abroad. Every piece is packed with care and shipping is quoted with your project. [Installation abroad: confirm with Ruth.]
Can I visit the studio?
[Studio visits by appointment, or not offered. Confirm with Ruth.]
What if I don’t know exactly what I want yet?
That is normal. Send what you have: the room, a few photos, the feeling you are after. Choosing “Not sure yet” in the brief builder is fine, and Ruth will suggest options.
No risk in asking
You see it before you commit
Free to ask
Sending a brief costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Concept first
Sketches, colour studies or clay samples before any making starts.
Fixed quote
One clear price, so your client knows exactly where they stand.
Seen as it’s made
Progress photos from the studio, then careful delivery to site.
Your design brief
Build your brief in three minutes
Answer a few quick questions and Ruth receives a complete brief she can quote from. Skip anything you don’t know yet.
Ruth replies to every brief herself, usually within [X] working days.
Prefer email? ruth@houseofnektar.com