Rialheim produces authentic, handmade ceramic décor, tiles, lighting, serve ware, wall art and accessories. Rialheim is the expression of culture and emotions through craftsmanship and design using African soil, fire and water. The Rialheim ceramic studio is based in Robertson, South Africa, and retailed at the Soko District, Rosebank Mall. Their goal is to produce authentic items that are functional and fun whilst exploring the use of African clay.

Rialheim Product Callout Stories

Ubuntu Mug 

“I am, because we are” this is the true meaning of Ubuntu. It is the understanding that together we are all bound in ways that are intangible. A unity within humanity, we can only be our greatest selves by caring for, and embracing those around us.

The Ubuntu mug symbolises the strength and unity that makes us African. Just as we are from African soil, so are their mugs, forged from soil, water and fire, representing the heart of Africa – the same heart we all share.

Our hearts beat to the rhythm of our beautiful continent. Our veins pulse with the strength and courage of our forefathers. Mother Africa resides in our bosom and we are united as a single heartbeat.

The African Heart is an expression of what it means to be African. To be unified in love. To be brave enough to be you and all that you are, cast in Mama Africa’s image.

The cow skull is visually striking and yet it holds a certain mystery. The cow skull is a riddle of the symbolic, of connection steeped within African tradition. Cows exist in a liminal space, connecting the human and the ancestor, the physical and divine.

The cow skull is a rendering of our connectedness, not only to each other but to the origin of being African.

Frenchie Table Lamp

This is an ode to Frenchie. “He leaped into our arms, and our hearts were bewitched. As he entered our home with an itch and twitch, we knew, this is his forever home and so we named him Stitch.”

Just as Stitch lit up their lives, the Frenchie Table Lamp will illuminate your space.

Pig Bowl 

For this is a tale about a pig named Sarah, she broke free from her pen. She was brave, inquisitive and free-spirited. She roamed the farms of Robertson and the village for months, and when she returned from her time away, she inspired the team at Rialheim and they moulded her into clay. She then went on to travel borders beyond – Australia, New York and Europe.

So let us be like Sarah, find adventure in our hearts, be brave enough to face the unknown and be free from that which keeps us in captivity.

I am Vase 

This is a quirky piece, this is Rialheim. A whimsical exploration of what it means to laugh and experience joy, free from the everyday, the mundane. It is metaphor for our human experience, a symbol of escapism, a hopeful reaction.

When they created this piece, it was the end of a long week of product conceptualisation and they just decided to have fun, create and be creatively free.