BREAKING THE MOULD

Both these entrepreneurs love getting their hands dirty. The result? Functional homeware pieces that are uniquely unconventional.

Meet two ceramicists who have found success by sticking to their unconventional styles

‘ The aim of Love Milo is to find beauty in nature and bring it to you through our accessories,’ says Nicki Ellis, owner of Love Milo, a homeware range that stocks everything from plates and bowls to picnic blankets, ceramic candles, tote bags and teacups sitting atop hand-carved wooden saucers.

Nicki got her start in the film industry. ‘But I felt like I was working towards someone else’s vision and what I really wanted to do was create my own stuff.’ So in 2014, she rented a studio in Bree Street in Cape Town.

‘I bought a kiln, made some ceramic products, then approached buyers,’ Nicki says. ‘I experimented with different shapes, and threedimensional objects that we use daily. So when you look at our cups, for example, it kind of brings the art off the wall and into your daily life.’

She’s grateful that she didn’t study design, she says. ‘That’s been, in many ways, why Love Milo has done well. If I’d studied design, I would have learned what everyone else was learning, and I would have done it in exactly the same way. But I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, so I did it in weird ways and the product didn’t always come out perfectly.’

Love Milo’s products are eco-friendly, and all the materials are sourced locally. The company also prides itself on using sustainable wood: the wooden saucers are made of blue gum, which is sourced through alien clearing. ‘Olive trees take about 50 years to grow. It doesn’t feel right to cut them down. That’s why we use blue gum, which isn’t indigenous and causes a lot of environmental damage. It helps the environment to take them out.’

Nicki works half days in order to spend time with her three kids. ‘I could probably have grown my business a lot faster if I worked a nine-to-five job,’ she says. ‘It’s still growing; it just grows slower. But at the same time, I can still be there for my kids. That’s gold for me – and, of course, being able to do something that I love without having to make it fit somebody else’s criteria.’

Website: www.lovemilo.com Instagram: @lovemilostudio Facebook: facebook.com/lovemilostudio

The idea for the name of her homeware range, Love Milo, came to Nicki Ellis while she was pregnant with her eldest son, Milo, pictured here with her.

Right: Love Milo’s range extends to accessories like slingbags, totes or large carriers such as this Star Bag.

Right, below and bottom: You can shop the range on Love Milo’s website by product or by design. Nicki’s various designs have names like Wild Cat, Dragonfly, Branch and Zodiac.