Studio sisters

ART AND FUNCTIONALITY ARE EQUALLY PRECIOUS TO WHEEL THROWN CERAMIC MAVENS ELOISE AND SOPHIE RANKINE. THEIR CUDDLE CUPS ARE PURPOSEFUL AND THEIR ICONIC TINY HOUSES ARE PURE JOY

- ANDREA TOMAZ

To find sisters Eloise and Sophie Rankine, the co-owners of Elph Ceramics, one must take a trip to NSW’s Southern Highlands. There, on a five-acre property in Exeter, is a lovely English garden with some chickens, guinea fowls and a border collie named Emily. Wander past all these residents and you’ll soon spot Eloise and Sophie at work in their art studio. This is the enchanting setting of Elph Ceramics’ HQ. Eloise is the artist at the pottery wheel and Sophie is the business ‘navigator’, drawing on her experience in industrial design and interiors. Together, the sisters are a dynamic force – but how did their creative partnership take shape?