about

STUDIO

Hatchet Studio designs and fabricates brass, copper, and zinc letterboxes and architectural hardware. Founded in 2020.

The work began from a simple observation: there was a gap in the market. Thought goes into every detail of a home, yet the letterbox—often the first thing people see when they arrive—was an afterthought. Either custom (and expensive), or mass-produced and forgettable. Nothing that was both considered and accessible.

Brass letterboxes were particularly scarce. The opportunity to make something for my own house became the catalyst to make something for others.

On Making

The studio is intentionally small. Every piece is designed and fabricated in-house by Dominique, from initial concept through to finishing. This isn't about scale; it's about control—over design, quality, and the integrity of the work.

Each piece is individually stamped by the maker—a mark of accountability and care.

Working with hands is fundamental. There's a tactile satisfaction in feeling the material respond as it's folded and formed.

Years spent working in kitchens and galleys, and then studying fine arts and later design, deepened that understanding of craft, materiality, and process. Metalworking skills developed through practice and learning from makers and trades gave form to that understanding.

On Materials & Durability

Brass, copper, and zinc were chosen deliberately: they perform in coastal climates, they're recyclable, and they improve with age. Patina isn't a flaw to prevent; it's the material responding to its environment—a protective layer that self-repairs, a record of time.

Nothing is coated or artificially patinated. The material does its own thing. This philosophy extends to design: understated, timeless, resistant to what's temporary.

Every offcut is recycled or repurposed. Waste is minimised.

On Place

The studio is based in Sydney's Inner West—a community that is egalitarian, creative, and genuinely engaged with craft and sustainability. It's home, and it shapes the work.

Acknowledgment

Hatchet Studio acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of our country throughout Australia & their connections to land, sea and community. We pay respect to their elders past & present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people today.