Olive Ateliers
Kendall and Ben Knox, talk about their love for “Objects with Old Souls”.
Olive Ateliers ©VincentElejorde
FAME: Where are you from and how did your passion for home decor and old objects start?
OA: Est. in 2021, Olive Ateliers is a home decor importer, experiential retailer, and lifestyle brand born from an adoration for found objects and one-off furnishings that conjure charisma and tranquility. Our mission is to inspire curious living by creating access to one-of-a-kind objects from around the world, awe-inspiring spaces, and innovative experiences.
The brand began its journey in June 2021, dropping exclusively on Instagram and selling out within minutes. By January 2022 we took on 5,000 sq ft worth of warehouse space and launched our signature in-person shopping experience. In January 2023, we opened doors to our new flagship location, a 22,000 sq ft space in the iconic Arts District of Los Angeles, allowing a larger-scale shopping experience, fueling the possibility of an online experience, additional locations, and more.
FAME: What brought you to California?
OA: Adventure. Laura and Kendall are Australian natives, and both intuitively felt the need to flap their wings and experience something new. Nearly ten years later, they’re lucky to call Los Angeles AND Australia home. Originally from Ohio, Ben has been in California for over 12 years. He made the move to work for Red Bull, and has been on the entrepreneurial hustle ever since; surfing, hiking and riding whenever he gets the chance.
Kendall, Ben & Laura from Olive Ateliers
FAME: Why did you start Olive Ateliers?
OA: We started Olive Ateliers as a passion project and it was born through a genuine adoration of Objects with Old Souls. We felt strongly that there was a gap in the market for fairly priced antique, vintage, and one-of-a-kind objects. We wanted to create a brand that inspires folks to live curiously by offering a unique assortment of one-of-a-kind objects, at fair prices by way of an awe-inspiring shopping experience.
FAME: What makes you different from other home decor shops in your area?
OA: Our company operates a disruptive and innovative shopping experience, "dropping" exclusive collections of imported and curated home decor and furniture, on a first-come first-served basis. Due to limited opening hours and a unique, ever-changing assortment, upwards of 400 customers line up to shop each drop at our LA-based Atelier. In just over one year, we’ve organically garnered the business and attention of LA's top influencers, celebrities, interior designers, and design fanatics alike including Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Elsa Hosk, Kristen Bell, Aimee Song, Melissa McCarthy, Courteney Cox and more. Forbes recently dubbed Olive Ateliers’ as “Los Angeles’s Most Coveted Lifestyle Brand, Taking The Home Decor Industry By Storm” and the company is being honored within Apartment Therapy’s 2023 Design Changemakers list. Our company’s rapidly growing community of over one hundred thousand followers is made up of highly engaged brand loyalists who trust & celebrate the Olive Ateliers lifestyle. Without any e-commerce presence or shipping offered, we achieved 16X growth in our first full year of business and thanks to efficient operations we’re able to self-fund growth initiatives.
We’ve disrupted the industry with our innovative retail model, and elated consumers with our fairly priced approach to vintage and one-of-a-kind goods. Our unique approach to merchandising and content-driven storytelling has heavily influenced and inspired partnerships with the likes of Jenni Kayne, and various Interior Designers including but not limited to Jake Arnold studio, Scott Shrader, Athena Calderone, Lauren Piscione and many more. A highly curated assortment of items previously only offered by the likes of marketplaces such as First Dibs, Chairish, Etsy, or traditional antique stores, are regularly made accessible to the general public for 20-40% less at an Olive Ateliers drop.
At Olive Ateliers, we’ve found a unique way to offer one-of-a-kind products, at fair prices, via an awe-inspiring in-person shopping experience. Our brand engages and inspires customers and fans alike to its lifestyle and way of thinking about design through content creation and transparent storytelling across social media.
Olive Ateliers ©VincentElejorde
FAME: What are the three common misconceptions people have about old objects?
OA: They are bound to be super expensive. They will break easily. You can’t style old with new.
FAME: How big is your team and who is part of it?
OA: We are a rapidly growing team of six, led by our co-founders:
Kendall Knox (nee Sargeant) was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. Knox graduated Macquarie University, Sydney with a Bachelor of Media before launching her fashion career and moving to Los Angeles in 2014. For the past 15+ years, she has launched, nurtured, and built brands to iconic status. Notably, leading public relations and celebrity talent partnerships for REVOLVE, successfully taking the lifestyle brand public in June 2019. Most recently, Knox entered the world of entrepreneurship as Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Olive Ateliers, the coveted lifestyle brand taking the home decor industry by storm. Knox confidently projects her vision and leads the creative genius behind the Olive Ateliers. The brand catapulted onto the scene in 2021, quickly catching the attention of clientele such as Kendall Jenner, Elsa Hosk, Kristen Bell, and Kim Kardashian and regularly engaging a loyal audience of over 100,000 on Instagram. Kendall has also been selected for Create & Cultivate’s annual CC100 list in the Arts & Culture category.
Ben Knox is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Olive Ateliers. He is a natural-born leader and a beacon of integrity for his team. Ben studied Finance and International Business graduating Cum Laude from Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2010. An experienced entrepreneur and operator in the consumer products industry, Ben previously served as SVP of Digital for Super Coffee and Co-Founder of Keto Farms, a startup making snacks for the keto and low-carb diet markets, which he exited to an undisclosed acquirer in 2022. Prior to founding Keto Farms in 2018, Ben held e-commerce, marketing, and strategy roles at beverage companies including notably Red Bull from 2010-2016.
Laura Sotelo studied Arts & Science at Sydney University, graduating in 2009. By 2013, Sotelo had completed her Interior Design degree at Enmore Design Centre, Sydney. A natural creative and adventurous soul at heart, Sotelo moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to expand her career, gather new lifestyle perspectives, and diversify her cultural knowledge, at which point Sotelo entered the world of Estate Management. For the past nine years, Sotelo has continued her passion for real estate and design through a range of diverse side projects. Sotelo is now Co-Founder and Chief Merchandising Officer of Olive Ateliers, a coveted lifestyle brand, where her commercial awareness and project realization skills shine. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and newborn baby boy.
Olive Ateliers ©VincentElejorde
FAME: What are some of your brand’s principles?
OA: A handful of our leadership principles are Think Big, Far From Average, Better Together, Do Good, Experience Obsessed, Details Matter, with some of our Brand values being Curious, Conscious, Transparent, Inclusive, Friendly, Unpretentious & Mindful. We strive to exceed these standards everyday.
FAME: What is your curating process?
OA: We’ve changed the interior retail game by operating on an innovative “drop” model. The limited and curated release of unique collections of imported vintage objects from Turkey, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Greece, and more are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, consistently selling out every drop.
Every drop offers a new assortment and feel with vintage Turkish pots, antique marble sinks, and terracotta planters hand selected and sourced by our team. We offer fairly priced objects, striving to provide access to one-of-a-kind, special, and 'of age' objects without inflated markups. Items range from $15 to upward of $4000 depending on age, and material, and from there the object is sourced.
Olive Ateliers ©VincentElejorde
FAME: What do you love the most about what you do?
OA: The biggest inspiration for us is seeing our Objects rehomed by our community. There’s something so special about the journey these objects take to get here, and the way in which each individual interprets and styles their chosen objects in their space.
FAME: What are the top three most popular items in your shop?
OA: The quintessential Olive Jar, a vintage object we source from Turkey, traditionally used to store olives & olive oil. Our raw, solid Onyx side tables from Indonesia. Currently, we’re crushing over our vintage French confit jars too.
Olive Ateliers ©VincentElejorde
FAME: What is next for your brand?
OA: Everything. We just moved into our new flagship 22,000 sq ft Atelier and we’re excited to grow into the space, focus on improving our in-person experience, and investigate new ways to serve our community. Whether that be an online experience, additional locations, establishing philanthropic relationships in the regions from which we source, or expanding upon our lifestyle brand, we are excited about what the future holds.
Olive Ateliers ©VincentElejorde