Eli Manekin is the designer and founder of Loop Living, an online plant-ware studio. After killing many plants, rather than feeling discouraged, Eli decided she would become the best plant parent possible, no matter what. Hours of reading online and studying books about indoor plants led her to understand that many of her plants were dying because of their poorly designed pots. Eli launched Loop Living with a mission to design beautiful plant wares that were modern and looked amazing in different homes, while also helping plants thrive.
Using her background in industrial design, Eli takes each plant’s needs into consideration when choosing materials and shapes as well as the needs of her customers, resulting in thoughtful and innovatively designed pieces that set you up for success. Each piece is crafted in her Jerusalem studio, with the help of skilled craftspeople.
Luna wall planter: An elegant and serine hanging planter provides the perfect combination of function and beauty.
Andrew Joseph: If you could live in any home in a movie or television series, what would it be?
Eli Manekin: I loved the home in “Girlfriends Guide to Divorce”, a midcentury modern dream house in California. I would google all of the furniture after every episode and imagine myself looking out of the huge windows into what seemed to be a forest right outside. It was so well done I couldn’t stop thinking about it through all the seasons that the show aired.
AJ: If you weren’t a designer, you’d be a ….?
EM: A psychologist. I actually signed up for it every year during my years studying Industrial Design as I was struggling with the fact that the profession I was learning seemed superficial. I thought that as a designer I would just try to make things look nice, when I could be helping people. It was my Mom that pointed out how much good design had helped me as a kid who moved around a lot, just creating that sense of home. I’m so glad I stuck it out.
Propagation Cones: Combining function, color and form, each cone is handcrafted aluminum made from a centuries-old spinning technique.
AJ: What’s the best thing that happened to you this month?
EM: We had our biggest wholesale order to date from a very large retailer that I look up to very much. I must have listened to every podcast ever made with their founder, I look up to her immensely. I had reached out to them and they declined, and it took a full year for them to reach out to me and say they were ready. That was a huge milestone for me, and I can only hope that partnership thrives.
AJ: What are three words to describe where you live?
EM: Welcoming plant oasis.
AJ: What about your design style has shifted post-quarantine?
EM: While a lot of people seem to be embracing the work-from-home aesthetic, I’ve actually begun to put a lot more effort into my work clothes post quarantine. Even though it’s just me and two employees in the studio, we all dress nicely. It makes coming into work feel important, and I love that.
The simple but well-crafted planters are perfect for plant enthusiasts looking for a canvas to show off their greenery.
AJ: What’s a guilty pleasure you have?
EM: I am known for my deep knowledge of celebrity gossip and love of niche reality tv shows. I just love to be entertained and will not feel ashamed by it. My recent favorite was “Selling Sunset” season two, I finished it in one night, and got upset with myself for finishing so quickly the second the last episode ended.
AJ: Which room in the house do you find yourself working from the most? Why? How does this inform your thoughts about architecture?
EM: I love working from my living room sofa. We have an open-plan apartment so I can see the entire shared living space – dining, kitchen and living room. It’s easy to keep an eye on my three kids and feel connected to what’s going on, and it’s also very comfortable and cozy. I think work is so intertwined with everyday life, it makes sense to me that that manifests itself through architecture – no real boundaries or separation between the two. I know a lot of people think the two should be separated and well-balanced, but there’s something to be said about the flexibility that comes with mixing the two.
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