Answers to questions we actually get asked.
Organised by topic. If your question isn't here, email us.
Ceramic flowers
What are ceramic wall flowers?
Ceramic wall flowers are handmade kiln-fired ceramic pieces designed to hang on a wall via a single small screw. Chive Studio has been designingceramic wall flowersin Toronto since 1999. Each piece is individually shaped and glazed by hand. Colorfast indefinitely. No water required. No maintenance of any kind. They are on the walls of the Getty Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago for the same reason they work in your living room — they are very good at being exactly what they are.
How do Chive ceramic wall flowers hang?
One small screw. Each Chive ceramic flower has a keyhole slot on the back — set the screw in the wall, hang the flower on it, and it sits flat. No command strips. No velcro. One screw and 90 seconds. No tools beyond a screwdriver, which most people locate within four minutes. If you decide to move them, you remove one screw and fill a small hole. We mention this because people ask, and because the answer is genuinely this simple, and we have found that stating it clearly prevents a category of worry that the product does not deserve.
Where are Chive ceramic flowers made?
Designed in Toronto. Made by hand. Chive Studio has design studios in Toronto, Los Angeles, and London. Fulfilment warehouses in Toronto, Rotterdam, New York, and Birmingham. The studio was founded in 1999 and has been making ceramic wall flowers continuously since then — not ceramic flowers pressed in a mold somewhere and shipped by the container, but ceramic flowers designed here and made by hand, in the same way they have always been made.
Do ceramic wall flowers fade or discolor over time?
No. Chive ceramic flowers are kiln-fired at high temperature and colorfast indefinitely. The glaze is part of the ceramic surface, not a coating applied on top of it. It does not fade in sunlight, chip with normal handling, or change color with humidity. The flower on your wall in fifteen years will look the same as the day it arrived. This is one of the more useful things about ceramic as a material, and one of the reasons the Getty Museum gift shop has been restocking the same designs for over a decade.
Where can I find Chive ceramic flowers in stores?
In more than 200 art galleries, museum gift shops, botanical garden shops, and independent boutiques worldwide — including the Getty Museum, SFMOMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Royal Ontario Museum, the New York Botanical Gardens, Denver Botanic Gardens, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We do not sell to big-box retailers. We have never sold to big-box retailers. We find this policy clarifying. You can alsoshop the full range online at chive.com, with shipping to over 40 countries.
Can ceramic flowers from different collections be mixed on the same wall?
Yes — this is one of the things the collections were designed for. TheEnglish Garden,France,Coastal, andJapancollections each have distinct palettes that were developed over 25 years to work alongside one another. Mix sizes — a 5-inch next to a 3-inch next to a 4-inch creates more visual interest than three identical sizes in a row. Many people who started with three now have considerably more than three. We have noted this pattern without drawing conclusions.
How many ceramic flowers is too many?
We have conducted no research that supports the existence of this number. The current record we are aware of is a wall with forty-seven flowers. The person who sent us the photograph seemed satisfied. We remain available for updates.
Ordering & shipping
I entered the wrong shipping address
Once an order is placed, we only have about 2 hours to make changes. After that, it may already be in processing.
If you catch the mistake quickly, email info@chive.com with your order number and the correct address and we’ll do our best to help—but we can’t guarantee changes once processing begins.
Can I change or cancel my order after placing it?
Email info@chive.com as quickly as possible with your order number. We process orders promptly and cannot guarantee changes once an order has been dispatched, but if you contact us before it ships we will do what we can. We cannot make promises about timing, but we can confirm that we will try, which is an honest answer and the best one available.
How long does shipping take?
- Canada: 3–7 business days.
- United States: 5–10 business days.
- United Kingdom: 5–10 business days.
- Europe: 7–14 business days.
- Australia, New Zealand, and rest of world: 10–21 business days.
Orders ship from the warehouse closest to your delivery address — Toronto, Rotterdam, New York, or Birmingham. Tracking is provided when your order ships. During busy periods — holiday season, new collection launches, Chelsea Flower Show announcements — dispatch times may be slightly longer. We will tell you if there is a delay.
How are orders packaged?
Ceramic flowers are packed individually in tissue and nestled in boxes designed to protect them during transit. The boxes are the kind that recipients tend to keep rather than discard, which is less common than it should be in home decor. We changed this because a ceramic flower company sending things in plastic wrap was the kind of thing that bothered us at three in the morning and then continued to bother us at a reasonable hour.
Does Chive ship internationally?
Yes. Chive ships to over 40 countries from warehouses in Toronto, Rotterdam, New York, and Birmingham. Shipping is calculated at checkout. Free shipping on qualifying orders — see the announcement bar for current threshold. If your country is not available at checkout, email info@chive.com and we will let you know what is possible.
FedEx/UPS Shipping
This option is ground shipping, not overnight or 2-day delivery. It’s simply an alternative to USPS.
If you need something faster, please choose USPS Priority at checkout.
If I order today, will my order arrive by a certain date?
We unfortunately cannot guarantee delivery dates, as shipping times depend on the carrier and customs processing. Please review our Shipping Policy to see if the timeline works for you.
Do you have a send as gift option?
We don’t currently offer gift options, but you can include a message in the "Notes" section at checkout.
Once the order is placed, we unfortunately cannot add messages or modify gift notes.
My discount code doesn’t work
Only one promo or discount code can be used per order. If there’s already a code applied at checkout, a second one can’t be added.
Returns & damage
What is the return policy?
Returns on unused items are accepted within 30 days of delivery. The item must be in its original packaging. To start a return, email returns@chive.com with your order number and product code. We will issue a Returns Authorization number (RA) — returns cannot be accepted without one. Return shipping is at the customer's expense. Send returns via USPS only to: Chive Inc., 7648 Lemon Ave., Lemon Grove, CA 91945. A $3 restocking fee applies to all returns. Refunds are credited to the original payment method. Gift recipients without a sales receipt are entitled to a merchandise credit only.
My order arrived damaged. What do I do?
Email damages@chive.com within 7 days of delivery. Include your order number and at least one photo showing the damage. We will send a replacement at no charge. We do not require you to return the broken item. Claims submitted after 7 days cannot be processed — this is a logistics and insurance requirement, not a character judgement. If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, email us and we will tell you.
I received the wrong item. What do I do?
Email info@chive.com with your order number and a photo of what arrived. We will arrange collection of the wrong item and dispatch the correct one at no additional cost. Do not return the item without contacting us first — unannounced returns without a Returns Authorization number cannot be processed, and we would like to sort this out for you in the most direct way possible.
Missing an Item. What do I do?
Well… that’s not ideal, and we’re sorry about that.
Please send a note to info@chive.com with your order number and let us know what item is missing. If you received something different instead, tell us what showed up in the box. Not sure what it is? No problem—a quick photo works great.
We’ll get it sorted out and make it right.
Can I exchange for a different design, size, or color?
Yes. Email returns@chive.com with your order number and what you would like instead. Exchanges follow the same 30-day window as returns — item unused and in original packaging. Free return shipping on domestic exchanges. International exchanges: return shipping is at the customer's expense. We cover outbound shipping on the replacement. The $3 restocking fee does not apply to exchanges — only to refunds.
Wholesale & General Questions
How do I open a wholesale account?
- North America: apply at chivewholesale.com.
- UK and Europe: apply atchiveceramics.com.
You can also open a trade account through Faire — email trade@chive.comif you have questions before applying. We supply independent retailers exclusively. We do not supply big-box retailers, chain stores, or dropship operations. We have been doing this for 25 years and consider the distinction important.
Who is Chive Studio?
Chive Studio is a ceramic design company founded in Toronto in 1999 by Todd Newgren. We design ceramic wall flowers, plant pots with drainage, and Shido Seeds. Our ceramic flowers are in the Getty Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, SFMOMA, the Royal Ontario Museum, and 200+ art galleries and botanical institutions worldwide. We have exhibited at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for thirteen consecutive years and received the 5-star booth award — the highest rating given — every year we attended. We design everything we sell, support independent retailers exclusively, and have never sold to big-box retailers. Always original, often copied.
Where is Chive Studio based?
Toronto, Canada, since 1999. Design studios in Toronto, Los Angeles, and London. Fulfilment warehouses in Toronto, Rotterdam, New York, and Birmingham. US wholesale showrooms in Atlanta and Las Vegas. The studio was incorporated in 2004 but the making started in 1999, which is the year we count from and the year that matters.
Does Chive sell to big-box retailers?
No. Chive supplies independent retailers, museum gift shops, botanical garden shops, and gallery stores exclusively. We have never sold to big-box retailers and do not intend to. This is a deliberate choice that has been deliberate since 1999. The stores that stock Chive are the stores we want to be in. The stores that do not stock Chive are not stores we are trying to get into.
How is Chive different from other ceramic flower companies?
Chive has been designing ceramic wall flowers since 1999 — longer than most competitors have existed. Every design is developed in our studio and made by hand. The glaze depth and surface quality that results from this process is recognisable to trained buyers at the Getty Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago, both of which have been restocking Chive for years. We do not press flowers in molds. We do not manufacture by the container. We do not sell the same designs to everyone. The copies exist because the originals were good enough to copy. We find this clarifying rather than flattering, and we have responded by continuing to make better things.
Where can I find Chive in person?
At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show each May — Chive has exhibited for thirteen consecutive years. At the Philadelphia Flower Show each February. In the gift shops of the Getty Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, SFMOMA, the Royal Ontario Museum, the New York Botanical Gardens, Denver Botanic Gardens, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and 200+ independent galleries and botanical institutions worldwide. In Toronto, at our plant shop at 702 Queen Street West. The full list is on our Where to Find Us page.
Get in touch
Still have questions about your order, or a general inquiry?
