Ellei Home is an online homewares boutique based in Edinburgh, Scotland, curated and run by Nina Plummer. I offer a collection of ever-changing vintage and antique pieces alongside handcrafted home goods made from natural materials. The items in my shop are selected for their character and their ability to create expressive, personal interiors. Sitting outside the mainstream, as the proprietor of a small business, I offer a more individual approach; from my product selection, which focuses on the unique and the handmade, to a more personal customer service.

Products

Whether through the haptics of natural materials, the evocativeness of colour combinations, the richness of an aged patina or the skill in the craftsmanship that created them, the products I select share an expressive character and a sensibility that connects the past and the present across cultures.

Vintage pieces stand somewhat in opposition to modern consumer culture. They embody new uses for what is already around, bypass the extraction of additional resources, reduce waste by extending a lifecycle, and tie us into an economy of using and passing on that binds us, not only to one another, but to people from the past and hopefully those yet to come.

Handcrafted objects preserve the rich and soulful human culture of making. Because artisanal skills are passed down through practice, once they are lost, they can be difficult to revive, erasing something of beauty and of value from the human cultural repertoire. By valuing and purchasing handmade products, we not only acquire more unique pieces for our home environments but also support small makers and artisans, ensuring that traditional production methods and diverse ways of earning a livelihood can continue to flourish.

Most of the items I offer in my store are made from natural rather than synthetic materials. Rich in texture and warmth, natural materials age beautifully, acquiring a unique character with time and use. When they are no longer in use, natural materials can decompose and be reabsorbed, leaving no harmful traces for future generations.