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Step Inside the Personalised Homes of 6 Jewellery Makers

See six artisans' handiwork and home studios in these inspired live-and-work interiors

Janet Paik 7 October 2018

Houzz Associate Editor. Passionate about creative homes and the people behind them. Loves thoughtful design, improving her family's 1950s fixer-upper and VW buses. Former designer at the San Jose Mercury News.

Houzz Associate Editor. Passionate about creative homes and the people behind them.... More

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Making jewellery is a delicate and intricate art that requires precision and creativity. For these six jewellery makers, that handcrafted touch also appears in their homes, which double as their studios. Get inspired by their eclectic and creative work spaces, and their organisation and jewellery display ideas.

Tamara Armstrong

Australian jewellery designer Celeste Twikler at work in her home studio.

1. A Bohemian Beach Home in Byron Bay, NSW
Who lives here: Celeste Twikler and Chris Cain
Location: Byron Bay, NSW
Size: Two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an attached studio

Artist and jewellery designer Celeste Twikler lives with her partner, Chris Cain, in the beachside town of Byron Bay in northern New South Wales. Twikler enclosed her studio, which was originally an open veranda, with the help of her father and a friend.

Tamara Armstrong

Twikler and her father worked on the siding, windows and doors, and her friend helped with the framework. “Dad and I are pretty similar: We’re resourceful and good at fixing things, because we’re also good at breaking things,” Twikler says.

The jewellery designer grew up with five siblings in Flinders, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, and learned from the many renovations her family’s home went through. The windows and doors in her jewellery studio are secondhand; one of the frames was found on the side of the road. “It just needed some glass and putty,” Twikler says.

Tamara Armstrong

Potential clients can visit Twikler’s home studio to view her line of rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and anklets.

She also offers other bohemian-style accessories from countries including India, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Nepal.

Tamara Armstrong

The textured glass of the secondhand windows provides privacy without blocking the generous morning sunlight.

Tamara Armstrong

Having a separate workspace allows Twikler to balance her home and work lives. “There’s a door I can close, which is integral to keeping me sane and allows me to switch off,” she says. “Otherwise, I would work all the time.”

Many of Twikler’s friends stop in for a chat and a cup of tea during the day, so her creative work often happens at night.

Tamara Armstrong

A vintage bedroom dresser holds a display of Twikler’s own jewelry.

“I fell in love with the brass-detailed handles,” she says of the dresser. “It was secondhand and stained in dark brown, but everyone knows me and my desire to sand all of my furniture back and just paint it white.”

The dresser is on her list of things to fix, as some of the bottom drawers don’t open as easily as they once did. “I just can’t bring myself to part with it,” she says.

My Houzz: A Byron Bay Home to Satisfy Wanderlust

Rikki Snyder

2. Second-Hand Market Finds in New Jersey, US
Who lives here: Joanna Madden, her husband and two sons
Location: Point Pleasant, New Jersey, US
Size: 232 square metres, three bedrooms, two bathrooms

Joanna Madden has a degree in fashion merchandising and a love of visuals. She fulfilled both these passions while running a vintage homewares business with her mother, and she now uses her skills as owner of her jewellery line, Findings. Madden started her jewellery business in 2007 after taking a class in New York. She opened a retail store in the quaint beach town of Manasquan, New Jersey, in 2017.

Her family’s home in Point Pleasant includes various collections of artfully displayed finds from second-hand markets.

Rikki Snyder

Madden’s home studio is located next to the dining room. Her workspace includes a stainless steel table with a vintage form that displays her one-of-a-kind finds.

Upper shelves hold her collection of green and blue McCoy pottery. Madden painted the refrigerator with chalkboard paint to create a place to jot helpful and encouraging notes throughout her workdays.

Rikki Snyder

Packaged necklaces ready to sell await Madden’s next trip to a trade show or jewellery fair.

Kayla Stark

3. Eclectic Charm in a Renovated US Cottage
Who lives here: Madeline and Dawson Ellis, owners of Mimosa Handcrafted; their children, Charles and Lillie; and their dogs, Willie and Lucy
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US
Size: 125 square metres; three bedrooms, one bathroom and a detached backyard studio

Kayla Stark

Madeline and Dawson Ellis are the husband-and-wife team behind Mimosa Handcrafted jewellery. Their family’s renovated cottage includes a wrap-around porch, on which they’re pictured here.

Madeline was a landscape architect before she turned her passion for jewellery making into a full-time business. The couple enjoy using their porch to relax and host parties and for impromptu gatherings with friends.

Kayla Stark

This walkway leads from the house to a dedicated backyard studio. Dawson originally built the detached space for doing metalwork and woodworking, but as their jewellery company grew, the couple moved their studio into the space. “We both work from home and are able to just walk out the back door and be at work in no time,” Madeline says.

The couple intentionally designed their yard with minimal plantings so their two children could have space to run and play on the grass. They planted cypress trees, oaks and rows of clumping Alphonse Karr bamboo for privacy.

Kayla Stark

Mimosa Handcrafted currently has three artisans working in the shop full-time, as well as a communications director.

Kayla Stark

Customers come by daily to pick up orders. The jewelry line is named after the mimosa trees found in Madeline’s neighbourhood when she was growing up. It includes handcrafted, 14-carat sterling silver and bronze jewellery, with all materials sourced in the US.

Kayla Stark

Dawson is seen here working on an intricate jewellery mould to be cast. He owned a landscaping business when he and Madeline bought their home, but he eventually sold it to start working full-time on Mimosa.

The couple sell their jewellery online through their website and at festivals and trade fairs.

Kayla Stark

Mimosa’s popular Pelican Cuff bracelets embody the brand’s aesthetic, with a dash of Louisiana flair.

Design Fixation [Faith Provencher]

4. Jewellery Hobbyist Finds Inspiration at Home in Cape Cod, US
Who lives here: Claire Hannafin
Location: Orleans, Massachusetts, US
Size: 334 square metres, four bedrooms, three bathrooms
Year built: 1994

Claire Hannafin lives in a traditional New England Shingle-style home in Orleans, Massachusetts, built in 1994. She works in the financial services industry but spends much of her free time creating jewellery.

Hannafin, seen here, converted one of her upstairs bedrooms into her hobby space. Her desk overlooks a pond, and the view of nature provides an inspiring backdrop.

Design Fixation [Faith Provencher]

Hannafin’s signature style includes a mix of geometric shapes and unusual colour combinations. She uses two framed cork boards to display some of her finished necklaces.

Design Fixation [Faith Provencher]

The studio is decorated in mostly black and white. Hannafin uses an Ikea bookshelf to organise her jewellery-making supplies.

Sarah Greenman

5. Sleek and Chic in the Texas Countryside
Who lives here: Ben Wilson and Sarah Briggs Wilson; their two children; and their dog, Munchie
Size: 251 square metres, four bedrooms, three bathrooms
Location: Waxahachie, Texas, US

Sarah Briggs Wilson operates her Sarah Briggs jewellery line from a bright home workshop and studio. It’s a beautifully organised space. “When it comes to creating jewellery, it’s so important to keep materials well labeled,” she says. Her line includes necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets.

Sarah Greenman

Briggs Wilson considers herself a city person after living much of her adult life in small apartments across the US, including in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Dallas. She and her husband found an 8-acre parcel of land in Waxahachie, Texas, and worked with contractor Joe Zadwick of Vintage and Custom Homes to build their dream house.

Sarah Greenman

“I can’t believe the view from my desk,” Briggs Wilson says. “I look out my window and see cows.”

The jewellery designer worked with Always Greener in Oklahoma City to have a custom-made artificial turf rug designed in the shape of her logo.

Sarah Greenman

Briggs Wilson’s decorating style reflects her love of clean lines and contemporary furniture. The living room includes laminate flooring and a serene palette of pale neutrals. The front door, guest suite, front office and kitchen open into this central living space.

Sarah Greenman

Briggs Wilson’s walk-in robe features open shelves that keep all her clothes and accessories easily visible and accessible.

Kayla Stark

6. Eclectic Style in a 1906 Home in New Orleans, US
Who lives here: Ashley Porter, Martin Holly and their French bulldog, Gaston
Location: New Orleans, US

Ashley Porter and Martin Holly of live in a 1906 shotgun-style home with six-metre-tall cathedral ceilings. Porter wanted to expose and accentuate the home’s existing features and worked with architect Mark McDavitt to update the interior and yard.

McDavitt also made the wooden coffee table in the living room. It’s shown here topped with an indigo-dyed textile and a small glass jar filled with a collection of chicken feathers.

Kayla Stark

Porter, originally from California, launched Porter Lyons in 2012 as a belt line. It has since evolved into an accessories and jewellery brand.

She works on her jewellery designs and sketches from this industrial-style desk that overlooks the expansive yard. Porter has a larger studio space, also in New Orleans, where she makes her jewellery.

She’s seen here working on a necklace, with her French bulldog Gaston by her side.

Kayla Stark

Porter bought the painting on the wall from a street artist in Colombia. The yellow rug is from Peru.

Porter and Holly had the original longleaf pine floors restored to their original state when they moved in.

Kayla Stark

Inspiration for Porter’s designs comes from a variety of sources, including the alligator bones and dried roses displayed on her worktable. “My aesthetic ethos for my home is modern, minimal, with a hint of Native American,” she says. “My mum has trained my eye from a young age to notice details. I’ve always believed the beauty is in these small nuances.”

Kayla Stark

In the yard, a plaster wall painted red features a teak gate. Porter often goes to Arizona to source gems for her jewellery and is inspired by the native plants there. Two large planters with tall cactuses flank the gate.

McDavitt designed and built the tall privacy screen with wood sourced from Sequoia Outdoor Supply. He also created the brick paths and patios.

The green chair is a find from Round Top Antiques Show, while the glider bench came from McDavitt’s childhood home in Texas.

The yard is also home to a flock of chickens and three cats.

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Susan Jones

This is as organized as it gets for me. I have a ton of tools and other supplies under the table cloth, but my jewelry supplies share a room with two parrots. The dust from their feathers is crazy, so I have to keep my space covered when not in use. But thanx to The Container store for all the tubs and Elfa shelving!