Love Milo Homeware Shop in Cape Town

The petite boutique brightening up Loop Street with delightful handcrafted creations

Note: Love Milo's Loop Street shop has closed its doors, and the label will be going entirely online (Lovemilo.com) until a new store is opened in Woodstock in 2014.

After years of watching from the wings while her products flew off shelves that weren’t her own, keen photographer and founder of the popular Love Milo décor range Nicki Ellis finally committed to opening her very own city centre homeware boutique in January 2013.

Perched on Cape Town’s lively Loop Street, the small, light and airy shop – which doubles up as a studio space at the back – stocks her full collection: a contemporary array of ceramics, wooden pieces, fabric products and lights previously only available online or from larger independent retailers.

Handcrafted or -carved by this innovative young entrepreneur and her small team, the range was originally born of Nicki’s desire to find a more practical way of presenting her many nature-centred photographs, most of which were taken while on family holidays in Namibia.

“I got bored with the way photos are traditionally displayed, distantly in square frames on walls,” explains Nicki, who also claims that all her ideas came to her while pregnant with her first son Milo (hence the brand’s name). “I wanted to find another more functional dimension to put them on, so that they take on a life of their own.”

And this dimension took the form of a striking selection of cups and saucers, table runners and cushion covers, tealight lanterns, timber plates, platters and spoons, now all on show on a series of shelves at the front of her clean, bright white Mother City store.

With nature as a key inspiration, each slick black-and-white homeware piece is adorned with simple graphic lines, shapes and elements captured on camera from the surrounding African environment; hence, espresso cups and sugar pots feature tiny processions of ants, napkin sets and runners boast broad dragonfly wings, milk jugs and mugs have sparrow silhouettes soaring over their sides, and tea pots, pitchers and placemats come embellished with vines and tree branches.

But the Love Milo pieces’ appeal doesn’t only lie in their distinct signature design; as they are all handmade, they each have their own unique character and quirks – “for me, it is the imperfections that make something perfect,” says Nicki – and as sustainability is a focus, they are crafted primarily from natural, eco-friendly materials (all wooden products are made from alien trees, for instance).

In this way, the new CBD store, which features a few of the brand’s signature swallows on its blue-grey exterior, becomes a veritable treasure chest for those seeking distinct, stand-out home accessories made with passion and integrity. In its welcoming ambience and eclectic offering, it is a truly lovely space in which to browse, buy and interact with the bubbly creative behind this polished proudly Capetonian collection.

The Bill: Prices are relatively reasonable for high-end design products. Ceramics start at R80 and go up to R350 for a set, wooden items range from R100 (for a small saucer) to R500 (for a large platter), fabric products go for between R120 and R300, and lights, candles and lanterns cost from R80 to R150.

Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm

99 Loop Street | City Centre | Cape Town | +27 (0) 82 522 4921

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Eager to learn more about other Mother City creatives and their marketplaces? Have a gander at our overview of Cape Town designers, design projects and design shops.

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