At Home with
Orit Elhanati

Rodebjer dress, 3.095 kr.

If you haven’t found yourself looking longingly for a piece of Elhanati jewelry, you haven’t been looking the right places. Orit Elhanati set up her eponymous jewelry brand in 2012, creating small handcrafted pieces of storytelling in 18 karat gold. Her designs leviate between Nordic and Middle Eastern taste, and has become synonymous with jewelry you keep and treasure for a lifetime. We visited the designer in her Hellerup home to learn more about the person behind the jewelry.        

 
Tell us a bit about yourself in your own words:
I have always had a curiosity that draws me towards creation and beauty. Not traditional beauty, but the smaller things that aren’t noticeable at first. The more raw and asymmetrical beauty. I love moving down paths that I have not stepped on before to challenge my own ideas and conceptions. I am infatuated by my environment, and need the deep connection with people, my handcraft and surroundings.
 
 

Do you have a daily routine?
I always sneak downstairs before my husband and kids wake up. I love the silence. I open all the windows. My home should always be filled with fresh air. I can’t function properly without a cup of coffee and the silence. After that I am ready to roll, but no other routines can find their place. I don’t have any routines in my life, I wish there was room for them, but they just seem like impossible projects. They’re not meant to be. I am difficult, and forget almost everything. 

What drew you to jewelry design?
I love the gold, texture, rawness, and softness. I love how it is something beyond time, and the pieces become part of the bearers story. Like miniature pieces of art, that will be passed on through generations. I had one goal when I started the goldsmith education; I wanted to become skilled to the point where I could tell stories with gold without using precious stones. If I could not get to that level, I would probably have thought of something else like designing cars or handcrafting vases. 
 

Your designs are small stories inspired by your Danish and Israeli heritage – how do you combine the two cultures into a common tale?
It is the most natural thing in the world to me. I am addicted to Middle Eastern energy and mysticism, but have an urge to work within a minimalistic framework. Magic only occurs in the mix. So I work at my best when I am walking on the fine line. I love balancing the masculine silhouette and the feminine curves, the chaos with order, and symmetry with asymmetry.

How do you keep a balance between work and life? 
I don’t have a clear separation between my work and life.  My way of living, my atelier and showroom, my evenings with our dearest friends, my life with husband and three children –  everything merges into one. It is easiest for me, otherwise life is not nice living. 

What inspires you when it comes to home design and interior?
Lines, shapes, colours, curves and forms. I love how you can use elements to create unique spaces, something that is a true reflection of yourself, and expose who you really are.

What’s something in your home you would never get rid of?
I love everything in our home, but I have always been a nomade, so I can leave everything in an instant. My sofa is very dear to me; a sofa in dark brown skin from Italian Flexform. Maybe it will stay with me forever, maybe it won’t.

If we had a look in your wardrobe what would we find?
A lot of the same things. Black jackets, a lot of shoes, lingerie that never matches, and a bunch of Missoni socks. 
 
What’s your favorite spot in Copenhagen? 
My mornings at Atelier September are hard to go without. I always start my day with a stroll through Kongens Have. And I cannot imagine a life without my little local Italian restaurant. It’s truly a gift. The owner is the kindest soul and always comes to my rescue. 
 
What will you be enjoying most this summer?
Denmark – I’ve never spent any vacations here. This summer will be unforgettable, all the late nights with family and friends, good wine and sizzling barbecues. It will be incredible.

Editorial staff

Photographer: Polina Vinogradova