Elke Kramer is one of those kind, open and creative women who you can’t help but instantly warm to. Or be inspired by. Starting with the décor inside her Sydney home, which is artfully decorated with an eclectic mix of interesting objects...
Then there’s her boundless talent as one of Australia’s most respected jewellery and accessories designers. Over the years, her brand Studio Elke has developed a cult following for its tribal-inspired jewellery. While her ultimate influence is her own mother – an accomplished designer and painter— it was also a trip to Morocco in 2000, which spurred a career as a designer. “I was mesmerised by Tuareg pendants and talismans. I came home and enrolled in jewellery as an elective at uni. I am still really passionate about vintage tribal jewellery,” says Kramer. Three years ago, she gave birth to a baby boy Cedar. Kramer is now pregnant with another baby boy. On motherhood, she says it has taught her everything: Patience. Surrender. Selflessness. Suffocating intoxicating love. “Everyone has their own unique experience with motherhood,” says Kramer. “Their own journey, but the one truth is that your life will become equally harder and richer. Entirely exhausting and difficult, yet also fulfilling and deeply abundant. A beautiful catastrophe! You will lose so much and gain even more. It’s the best and worst, longest and shortest time.” 2016 is set to be a huge year for Kramer. Aside from another baby, there’s a lot in the works: “a new business partner, a new business name, a new incredible office, some amazing new staff and some big new dreams. It’s a big year 2016!” she says. We caught up with the stylish mother to find out more… Photography: Grace Alyssa Kyo
Advice to my younger self? I wouldn’t know where to start…
I was such a self-conscious, self-critical teenager with terrible self-esteem. I am so deeply comfortable with who I am now, but it took forever to find myself. I wish I could assure my younger self and encourage more self-kindness. It is such a shame my youth was wasted on such a troubled mind, but it also makes me grateful for how relaxed I am now in my skin.
Before I had Cedar I planned on being a ‘baby-led’ mother...
I was ready to be that smug, natural mother that followed her baby’s cues and never forced her child into structure. I read up on the benefits of co-sleeping and the harm of controlled crying. When we hit the six month mark, I had gone so long on zero sleep, that I was completely drowning and falling apart in our lack of routine. I barely knew when my last feed was, how long he napped, or day from night. Routine was my last resort and Cedar just flourished from it. When I realised sticking to a simple yet strict routine would bring back sleep, I became completely obsessed with structure and schedules. It just worked well for him and we were both so much happier for it. But there is a place of compromise that is healthy also, you need to know how to let go and break routines too. There really is no right or wrong.
I thought I loved pregnancy, but this second time around has been wretched…
I may have eradicated it from my memory, because I am totally shocked at how awful the first trimester was this time. When I finally emerged from the queasy haze and got my head back, then I started complaining about my growing waistline and swollen ankles! The clarity achieved from not boozing much for nine months is probably the best part of pregnancy. Plus being able to be guiltlessly lazy. But my favourite part of pregnancy is feeling my baby kick. It’s like a secret high five between you and your joey.
My Pit Bull needs an hour walk a day…
So most days I start off early and head down to Blackwattle Bay to try to wear her out and give her some fresh air. I love yoga, but must admit my practice has dropped dramatically since Cedar arrived. I swim 2km every Tuesday morning at the Annette Kellerman Pool and it’s my absolute respite. I get there flustered, frustrated and overwhelmed with life, and leave calm, grateful and renewed. Water is a strong healer and although it’s not a natural body, it still offers me a chance to restart and rebuild.
My beauty routine consists of very little…
I am very, very, low maintenance. I wash daily with the amazing soap my sister-in-law hand-makes – her Church Farm soap is 100% natural and hand made, cold-pressed joy. I then moisturise with Aesop face cream and a lemon myrtle body cream. That’s about it! If I have time also have a soak with Amanda’s Church Farm bath soak that leaves my skin soft and replenished.
“ Everyone has their own unique experience with motherhood. Their own journey, but the one truth is that your life will become equally harder and richer ”
Cedar just turned three and it has taken almost three years to get the balance right…
I have a lot less hours at work than I did before, but I have gotten used to walking away from an unfinished day and not letting it eat me up. My parents are incredible and support us by looking after Cedar when we need, two days of day care are a gift from god and Christopher works from home and is very hands on, so I am blessed in that way. At the end of the day, my role as a mother always takes ultimate priority. Once I learnt to surrender and to be available to the unpredictability of parenthood, it all became much easier.
For kidswear, I love internationals like Bobo Choses…
Nico Nico and Tiny Cottons. I just found this great knitwear brand based in Melbourne called Fable Baby. A Mouthful of Teeth is super kooky and amazing and I can’t get over Misha and Puff. I am a knitaholic and have just downloaded their new pattern book! I tend to trawl obsessively online, for crazy African wax print baby clothes, or vintage knits, Etsy (as daggy as it is) has some serious treasures if you take the time to really trawl.
There’s a lot happening with Studio Elke right now…
I just merged my jewellery and design business with my long term colleague and friend Kate Hurst’s creative strategy company, and we are now running Studio Elke as one of our projects, under the umbrella of our new company, called Common Knowledge. We are juggling a lot of exciting creative projects and growing rapidly. It has been great to take on a partner and to have a fresh set of ideas and motivations behind the wheel. As a creative, my focus is always to express ideas, and operate in an innovative way – rather than to build systems and to operate in a sensible, sustainable way. Kate comes from a practical and organised place and we are already reaping the huge benefits of putting her way of thinking in place.
I studied design at COFA and fell in love with design as a practice…
I focused my studies on jewellery, ceramics and textiles as I loved the materiality of those practices, rather than the screen-based digital world of graphics and web. Despite that I found myself working in graphic design roles in my years after graduation, starting at Oyster magazine, then Sass & Bide, while juggling a myriad of freelance graphic projects for fashion clients. I was drawn back to jewellery though, and launched my own brand about nine years ago, and revelled in the joy of exploring real form, texture and surface again.
These days I live for practical clothes…
Gone are the days of structured, waisted and impractical fashion. It’s all stretchy and sensible right now. Marni flats, oversized kimonos with loose sack dresses, or leopard print loungewear, are a bit of a uniform.
My approach to jewellery radically changed once I became a mother…
Your body is only 20% yours afterwards, its predominately there to serve another person, and an oversized piece of impractical jewellery does little to address their needs. Hence my fine range was designed for hands of mothers that need to wrangle little bodies, without spiking and scratching them. For summer, I love our latest Tassel Earrings, they look great hitting a sun-kissed shoulder and neck.
The hardest part of motherhood is…
Having hugely less time for yourself. I wasn’t prepared for it. I was totally naïve going in, to the sheer dramatic loss of time. Which on the flipside also leaves zero time to wallow, overthink and complicate life. You are forced to surrender, simplify and let go, because there is simply no time to be selfish or indulge in bullshit. The best part is that amazing, heart-quenching feeling, of nosediving and plunging into love with the perfection of your child. I am blown away every single day at how completely mesmerized and filled with love I am for Cedar. I can’t fathom to joy ahead in having two boys in my life.
Our home is eclectic, warm, considered, colourful, happy and neat…
I like to cultivate a comfortable environment, but also a space that allows me to display beautiful things, objects with meaning, like collectables or art from friends, or travel. Texture, surface and ornament are really important; I battle my tendency to be maximal (cluttered!) in order to maintain some clean spaces, to create a balance with the rich patterns and decoration.
Elke’s little list of loves:
My partner’s kitchen prowess. He is a devoted cook and puts in so much effort, sourcing the hard to find ingredients, always making everything from scratch, like fresh pasta, sourdough breads or his own Fijian Indian spice blends. I am very spoilt! Knitting and quilting. I just made a super detailed patchwork baby blanket with a mix of Aboriginal and Japanese shibori fabrics. It’s a bit odd but it works perfectly. My business partner Kate Hurst. After working in parallel for 10 years, we have just united forces, merged businesses and taken on a new exciting venture, which is growing rapidly. She is so motivated and visionary; I am really blessed to have her. Baths. Anyone who knows me knows that I can bathe up to three times a day. Most days. I have a non-stop scattered mind, and a hot quiet bath grounds and settles me. Sunday kitchen time. My weekends are for pickling, fermenting and baking. While Christopher potters in the garden and Cedar fights imaginary pirates and superheros in the backyard, I make kim chi, onion jam or pickled eggplant chutneys, or trial a new cake recipe. My Tuesdays with Cedar. It’s our dedicated day together – no work and no chores. It always includes a picnic, a swim and compulsory visit to the local fire truck and train station – Cedar takes his trainspotting very seriously. My parents. I don’t know how people get by without grandparents on hand to help carry the load. It really does take a village! My brother (Uncle Bunny) is also indispensable. Marrickville markets. Particularly that smoked salmon and mussels stand as you walk in! Negronis. I’m counting down the days till this pregnancy is over! The silvery pink Protea that just flowered in our garden. Took us over 5 years to get it to flower and we are so bloody proud of it. Go to www.studio-elke.com
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