Gift giving can be tricky and is often fraught with anxiety. Will they love it? Will they hate it? Will they notice I once gave them a similar gift in 2004? Luckily the Jervis sisters know how to gift well. A few years ago Marnie and Gabrielle bought their sister Samantha a pottery course voucher. What was meant to be a short course eventually became a shared passion between the three sisters. They began experimenting with materials and designs, and soon there was no need for pottery course vouchers because they were making their own.
Middle Road is the result of their efforts. Officially launching last month, their first range combines concrete and ceramic homewares and objects with crystals and gold leaf detailing. ‘We’ve been creating, refining and finalising products in our Bondi studio for the last year. It is rewarding to see it come together,’ says Samantha.
Originally from Queensland, each sister travelled their separate ways, with Marnie living in London, Samantha in Milan and Gabrielle in Sydney. By chance they all ended up in Sydney, where they were recently reunited for the first time in five years. Together, the sisters now create all Middle Road products in their shared Bondi studio. ‘Working across both concrete and ceramics means each creative process is completely different,’ admits Gabrielle. ‘We developed a custom concrete mix after many (many!) hours of testing, whereas the ceramics pieces are individually made by hand where each ebb and flow is carefully planned.’
When it comes to successful sibling working relationships, the sisters credit open and honest communication to getting the job done and producing a range that reflects a little bit of all of them. Marnie says ‘I think our ability to respect each other’s individuality results in pieces that have an element of all of us in them’. Their goal was to create homewares with a little bit of glamour that were still functional. ‘We want our products to be used everyday!’
What’s next for this trio? They are currently working on their second range, have their eyes set on taking Middle Road to London, New York and Los Angeles, and have just started a video series documenting their journey and creative processes.
The Middle Road vessels are currently available to purchase online here. Handmade concrete pieces start at $29.95, whilst the gold leafed designs start at $89.95.
