Kindred Lantern was founded by A Little Light and Unearthed Ceramics, two women-led creative businesses driven by a desire to create tactile, intimate objects.
Each Kindred Lantern is made by hand in Melbourne, Victoria, by Jo Schoof (A Little Light) and Katrina Carling (Unearthed Ceramics).
For more than 25 years, Jo Schoof has explored wax as both a functional and artistic medium through her candle studio, A Little Light. Her work is known for its organic forms, tactile surfaces, and enduring quality.
Through Unearthed Ceramics, Katrina Carling has spent the past 12 years developing her distinctive handmade ceramic practice, informed by her background in Interior Design and a fascination with texture and surface.
Kindred Lantern also brings together the talents of other local makers. The bespoke storage tube, designed by Claire Quirk of Clan Collective, is individually painted by hand, while every assembly and care booklet is hand-sewn and thoughtfully crafted using sustainable materials.
…The idea of wax and clay meeting in a single object began to take shape—an object of light, connection, and ritual.
—Jo Schoof, A Little Light
How Kindred Came to Be
“I came to candle making through a fascination with using wax as an artistic medium. I have always been drawn to texture, pattern and tactile forms, and candle making gripped my curiosity when I realised it could approach functional sculpture.
More than 25 years later, I still love working with wax—reading its surface, understanding how it will pour, how it will set. In recent years I have felt a yearning to move beyond hand-pouring my signature textural candle range, reflecting more deeply on how wax might evolve into functional art.
During this time I discovered Unearthed Ceramics and felt an immediate connection to the raw, grounded, unapologetic work of Katrina Carling. When I approached Katrina to commission a ceramic form using her distinctive hand-etching technique, she saw my vision and expanded it - suggesting that rather than translating her texture into wax alone, our two very different materials could exist together.
From that conversation, the idea of wax and clay meeting in a single object began to take shape—an object of light, connection, and ritual.
The Kindred Lantern project was born.” —Jo Schoof, A Little Light
“The contrast between clay and wax—earth and light—opened a new way of thinking about form and function.”
—Katrina Carling, Unearthed Ceramics
“My work with clay is grounded in a deep respect for the raw material itself. I am drawn to surfaces that carry the marks of the hand - texture, rhythm, and imperfection - allowing each piece to reveal its own character through the making process.
Etching has become a defining language in my work, a way of carving movement and energy into the clay. These marks speak of time, touch, and the quiet dialogue between artist and material.
When Jo approached me with her vision of working with wax, I was immediately intrigued by the possibility of bringing our two practices together. The contrast between clay and wax - earth and light - opened a new way of thinking about form and function.
The Kindred Lantern grew from this shared curiosity, bringing our materials into conversation and creating an object that holds both texture and light.”
—Katrina Carling, Unearthed Ceramics
