There was a store in Double Bay called Made Where.
If you know, you know.
My sister in law Gabby had an incredible eye for beautiful things. She could walk into a room and immediately notice the pieces that made it special. She would disappear into that little store and come out carrying gifts wrapped so perfectly you almost did not want to open them.
Almost.
Inside was always something ceramic.
A bowl.
A platter.
Something beautiful.
And somehow, those simple pieces started to change the way I looked at a table.
I did not realise it at the time, but that was the moment I began to understand that a table is about so much more than what sits on it. It is about the feeling it creates. The care behind it. The moments that happen when people gather around it.
The tables that inspired me
When I married into my husband's Turkish family, I discovered a completely different way of gathering.
His family did not just cook.
They created an experience.
His mother would spend hours in the kitchen preparing dish after dish, and we would arrive to a table that was already set. Beautiful. Welcoming. Filled with mezze before we had even taken our seats.
Every dish had a place.
Every detail had intention.
Every meal was designed to be enjoyed slowly.
Then there was Istanbul.
We would land, barely put our bags down, and somehow find ourselves sitting at a seaside restaurant with impossibly fresh fish and endless plates of mezze arriving at the table.
Dish after dish.
Conversation after conversation.
That is the magic of long meals.
They create space.
Space for stories, laughter and the kind of conversations that only happen when nobody is rushing to leave.
My unexpected journey to ceramics
Here is the part I always find funny.
I could not cook.
Not even a little.
For years, I lived in the fashion industry. I bought collections, ran a retail chain and measured my life in buying seasons rather than dinner seasons.
The kitchen belonged to someone else.
I was always the person arriving hungry, admiring the table, appreciating every detail, but contributing very little to the cooking.
That changed when we started our own family.
Suddenly, the table became mine to create.
Maybe I was not the person making every dish, but I realised I had something else to contribute.
I cared deeply about the pieces that brought the table together.
The bowls.
The platters.
The ceramics that made even a simple meal feel special.
And that was the beginning of Bondi Ev.
A beautiful bowl changes a meal. A beautiful table changes a conversation. And a great conversation changes everything.
The Bondi Ev table
Today, our table is still the centre of everything.
Especially our Shabbat table.
Every Friday, no matter what the week has looked like, the table gets set.
Friends arrive.
Sometimes they know each other.
Sometimes they do not.
But by the end of the evening, strangers become friends and conversations continue long after the last dish has been cleared.
That is the magic of gathering.
And every week, our Bondi Ev ceramics sit proudly at the centre.
The mezze collection comes out first.
The eggs.
The liver.
The cucumber salad.
Every dish placed into pieces designed to be shared.
Then come the salads.
Our bowls scattered across the table.
Platters appearing between conversations.
Everyone reaching across one another.
It is not perfectly styled.
It is better than that.
It is lived in.
It is generous.
It is the kind of table that says there is always room for one more person.
Why Bondi Ev
The beauty of ceramics is that you do not need to change everything you own.
You simply add one meaningful piece at a time.
A bowl.
A platter.
A serving dish.
Over time, your table starts to tell a story.
Bondi Ev pieces are designed to mix beautifully with what you already have. The contrast between old and new is what makes a table feel collected rather than decorated.
They are made to feel substantial in your hands, with a beautiful weight and presence that you notice immediately.
And then there are the glazes.
Rich.
Layered.
Unique.
The kind of colours that make you want to reach for another piece.
Because that is the thing about ceramics.
One piece has a funny way of becoming a collection.
Welcome to Bondi Ev
Bondi Ev was created from a love of gathering.
Of meals that last longer than planned.
Of tables that bring people together.
Of the beautiful, everyday moments that happen when we make time to sit with one another.
Through Bondi Ev, I hope to create pieces that become part of your own stories.
The bowl that holds your favourite dish.
The platter that comes out every Friday night.
The piece that guests always ask about.
Thank you for being here and for welcoming Bondi Ev into your home.
I cannot wait to see the tables you create.
With love,
The Bondi Ev Team 🤍