CASSANDRA ELLIS
The colour aficionado and founder of paint company Atelier Ellis on her enduring love of calm tones and celebrating beauty in the home
FORMATIVE YEARS
I grew up in New Zealand, where I spent my childhood creating small-scale homes. I retreated into a world centred around decorating dolls’ houses, or my playhouse in the garden, taking pictures and even making my own magazines. From a young age, it has always brought me such joy to create beauty in the home. I studied economics at university, which still feeds into everything I do. After graduation, I fell into event and set design for the television industry and was given a great deal of creative freedom, which was very liberating as a young woman. I can still walk into any space and tell you how big it is, where the light falls and how to make it ‘feel’ right.
CREATIVE JOURNEY
I’ve always mixed my own paint shades – and by that, I mean seven-years-old always! In my early twenties, I studied paintmaking and effects and wanted to set up a paint business then, but it took me another two decades and a varied career path to get there! We make a lot of choices based on colour, from clothing and interiors to cars, and I think about colour – and paint – as something with a lot of emotion attached. I wanted Atelier Ellis to function as a conduit for people to tell their own stories at home. Our latest collection, called Wonder, recaptures the joy of what it is to be childlike and the simplicity and freedom of those days.
MAKERS AND MUSES
In design, I really admire Ilse Crawford – there’s nobody else quite like her. Mostly, though, I’m influenced by independent artists and makers – people who choose to live creatively. I love collecting pieces of art that bear the hand of the maker – we’re lucky to have some beautiful paintings and ceramics in this style. I also adore Noguchi lighting, and an Elliott Erwitt photograph would be the very best thing to have at home one day. I find pleasure in visiting places where you can feel the essence of the people who have lived there – that slightly giddy feeling of knowing you are inside something utterly unique. Historic properties such as Kettle’s Yard, Charleston house, Monk’s House and Kelmscott Manor are some of my favourite spots.
LOCATION, LOCATION
My husband and I live between south London and East Sussex. For us, two small homes in our favourite places, rather than one big family home, works best. Both are very calm yet both stimulate me. In Battersea, our apartment is filled with beautiful north-facing light and is close to the river. We’re also undertaking a new project in Lewes, which is currently derelict, but will eventually become the perfect studio. We’ll be able to step outside the front door and onto the South Downs, which is an area that brings me enormous stimulation and freedom. I don’t live with strong colours – although I love making them – and I don’t like things to be too ordered. I much prefer a home to feel like a workshop for living, with endless possibilities for change. FOR STORE DETAILS SEE WHERE TO BUY PAGE