Three makers. Three materials. One shared obsession.
Some people walk past the little things. Others build entire practices around noticing them. In this second instalment of Obsessed with the Details, we speak to three makers who prove that the smallest decisions carry the most weight: ceramicist Milo Mckeand, homeware and furniture duo Dan and Lulu of OINK, and painter Sarana Haeata. Different materials, same instinct — the details are never an afterthought.
Milo Mckeand | @milo.made.ceramics.
The Craft 🏺
I make ceramics — there's a brilliant spot for anyone looking to take it up, at Hackney City Farm. You're handed a ball of clay and told to do your worst (or best). A few friends and I went most weeks just to hang out, but we fell in love with it and took the leap to build our own studio, @clay.collective, so we could play with clay whenever we wanted.
The Detail 👀
I'm pretty obsessed with handles. One of my first projects was 100 mugs, each with a different handle, back in 2018 — I've never stopped thinking about them since.
The Process 🫖
I love when my things are used. It makes me happiest to hear one of my mugs is somebody's favourite. To earn that, it needs to fit and feel right, as well as look good. That feeling is the "done properly" I'm chasing.
The Inspiration 💡
I'm currently absorbed by the list of dying crafts, and the V&A storehouse is endlessly inspiring — but I often come back to Soviet bus stops and Spomeniks, just to feel transported somewhere else entirely.
The Hardware Edit →
- BOBBIN Handle – Playful, obviously
- SQUIGGLE Handle – Same energy, different wiggle
Dan and Lulu | OINK, @thisisoink.
The Craft 🪑
At OINK, we make homewares, furniture and bespoke commissions from our Dorset workshop. Dan is a furniture designer and Lulu a graphic designer, so our skills complement each other well. After over a decade working in the creative industries in London and Melbourne, we wanted to channel that into something of our own.
The Detail 👀
We love the patterns within our Timbre bowls. They're often mistaken for inlays, but they're actually formed by the material beneath emerging through the surface — revealing the wiggly joinery hidden underneath.
The Process 🛋️
For us, it's simple: "done properly" means making something as well as we'd want it made for our own home.
The Inspiration 💡
Inspiration usually turns up when we're out exploring in the countryside, switching off, and giving our brains a chance to wander.
The Hardware Edit →
- Lulu: BOBBIN Ball Knob – Light Blue, paired with ADA Flower Knob Backplate – Polished Nickel – All the '60s charm
- Lulu: ASTER Flush Mount Light – Unlacquered Brass – Uniquely different, in the best way
- Dan: REVILL Knurled Knob – Brass – Inviting tactility
- Dan: LOVELL Circular Hook – Simple, bold, does the job
Sarana Haeata | @saranahaeata.
The Craft 🎨
I'm a painter but was previously a ceramicist, and before that I only worked with pencil and paper — so I've changed course a fair bit over the years. My time drawing gives my paintings a sketch-like detail, and ceramics gave me a love of texture. I'm constantly searching for the best way for my paintings to communicate with their viewer, and I don't know if that's a journey with a finish line.
The Detail 👀
The backgrounds and undercoats. If I don't have the right undertone in the base, it throws the whole piece out for me — which is funny, considering most people don't notice it at all. I look for it in other people's work too: the undertones that change the colour and feel of everything on top.
The Process 🖌️
Done with care. Sometimes a piece happens quickly, sometimes it's slow and painful — either way, I commit to caring about the work.
The Inspiration 💡
Music is my saviour. I'll listen to the same album on repeat while making a body of work — it's almost like I'm having a conversation with the songs, in the form of paintings.
The Hardware Edit →
- VESPER Conical Pendant Light – So sleek, so tasty
- ADA Star Knob Backplate – Polished Nickel and ADA Flower Knob Backplate – Polished Nickel – A small detail that makes a massive difference
Why Details Matter.
Clay, timber, canvas — different materials, same instinct. The right thread colour. The joinery you're not meant to see. The undertone nobody notices but changes everything.
Good design rarely shouts. More often, it whispers in the details. Once you start looking for them, you won't stop.
