
Mother Stories
Meet Chloe Brookman: Mother Of 3 & Co-Founder of Olli Ella
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Photographed by Bridget Wood
Sep 18, 2018
If you haven’t already thought about dropping everything and moving to Byron Bay, Australia, this profile might just make you consider it. Any wanderlust can be blamed on Chloe Brookman, the co-founder of rustic-chic kids’ brand Olli Ella—makers of the very photogenic wicker “luggy basket,” amongst other things. Today the mother of three (Tennyson, 9, Arlo, 6, and Nell, 2) shows us around her beautiful home while talking about going from 1 to 2 (and 2 to 3), what her ideal day looks like, and her relaxed take on parenthood.
- "We call her Hilda, or at least, the kids did, because she proudly sits on the top of a hill overlooking Byron Bay and the sea. We bought our home a year ago, originally a redbrick 70’s beach bungalow, with beautiful bones, but it was a bit of a rabbits' warren. We lovingly renovated the house being sympathetic to the time period in which she was built, while breathing fresh life into our new home."
- Rug by Olli Ella.
- "Warm, layered, with a nod to the 1970s."
- "The kitchen!"
- "Yes! We designed our home around the kids to be fun, open, and comfortable. Keeping in mind that while we love beautiful things and are big collectors of treasures from around the world, we have been mindful that we didn’t want our home to feel like a museum where the kids could not run around for fear of ruining or breaking things. And so with that in mind we have sort of held the philosophy that there should be nothing in our home that can get broken! At least until the kids are a bit older. That said, since bringing two puppies into the home we have been challenged daily. Everything from house plants to baskets has fallen to the peril of our two pups!"
- "You can never go wrong with layers. We love rugs, and mismatched chairs, and baskets. Lots of baskets because there is no end to all the trinkets and treasures that the kids bring home and who has time to organize it all? Into the baskets they go!"
- "Our kitchen. My husband Charlie built it himself and I love nothing more than cooking with him while our kids clamber around the bar chattering."
- "A pair of vintage Arne Norell safari chairs from eBay, a pair of 1950s Ercol school chairs from a flea market in England, and some Olli Ella baskets."
- Oldest and youngest.
- "Oh gosh, well we are talking about nine years now! I have really, really learned to appreciate what I have, and to slow down. I have always been very driven and goal oriented as a person and having children has really taught me to let go and enjoy the ride. I think I've learned a lot about myself through motherhood, and that’s certainly been interesting and unexpected."
- Sharing is caring.
- This light.
- "Those fleeting moments when you feel like you are absolutely nailing it, which are usually shortly replaced by the feeling that you have absolutely no idea what you are doing!"
- "The thought of my kids being grown-ups and flying the nest."
- "I think before having kids I thought I had it all figured out, and it’s been surprising and humbling to learn time and time again that I really, really don’t."
- "Fun, playful, clueless."
- "Quite hectic, but also fun. I come from a big family, we moved and travelled a lot."
- Say cheeeeese.
- "I think my mother wanted to be a great mum, I think she tried a lot but she at times put a lot of focus on how things looked rather than how things actually were. I lost my mother when I was eighteen and so never had the chance to really delve into the ins and outs of motherhood with her, and so I have navigated mothering on my own. It’s been wonderful and wild and humbling being a mother. I don’t worry about appearances, I have a lot of fun with the kids, and really get silly with them, which is something I remember well about my mum, she was silly and spontaneous, something that has happily seeped into my mothering."
- "I draw so much inspiration from women I know, from friends, from my sister."
- "I should probably start reading some of those!"
- "To not try and do everything perfectly. To get rid of mama guilt."
- "Spinach and basil-pesto pasta. Bean and cheese burritos. And smogasboard—where we cut up vegetables, cheese, some cold cuts, and whatever dip we can whip up."
- Mama-son love.
- Inside Chloe's room.
- "Don’t worry so much about doing things 'right' or perfectly; just enjoy it and figure it out as you go."
- "I don’t know if I am the anomaly here, but I found going from one to two really easy! I wasn’t as worried about getting things right the second time around, felt more relaxed and really enjoyed the whole experience. My advice from one to two: make sure you have one-on-one time with your eldest each day, even if it’s 15-20 minutes of undivided attention. Going from two to three I found much more of a challenge, it might have been the age difference of four years, where I basically forgot everything! The house is crazy nowadays, with kids running around everywhere, but it is so fun and full and I wouldn’t change a thing!"
- Chloe's beauty must-haves. More on this later...
- Peekaboo.
- "Tennyson is into writing (he’s writing a novel called Mr. Switch), Arlo loves archery and soccer, and Nell is into clothes and shoes—at the ripe old age of two."
- "The day usually starts around 6am, we all get up, have breakfast, and hang out until it’s time for the big boys to go to school. Nell and I hang out most mornings until her nap, we go for walks on the beach, catch up with friends, or just putter around the house together. I go to the office when she goes down for her nap and then Charlie picks me up with the kids' after-school run. The afternoon is usually spent at the beach, going to sports, or hanging out at home together. We all have dinner together, Charlie cooks most nights and I hang with the kids. It’s a full day, some smooth and others bumpy, but it’s pretty wonderful."
- "Tennyson is charming and brilliant. He challenges me daily and I have grown so much through being his mama. Arlo is our little wild card, our free-spirited, funny, creative, bright little star. Nell, our baby, is a force of nature, she is wild and spirited and funny, and quirky and completely her own person and she makes me laugh and laugh and laugh."
- Wicker love.
- "I wish!"
- "The two boys share a bedroom, and pretty much always have. They can be heard chattering away into the night, well past their bedtimes, it’s so special (unless it bleeds into 10pm!). Nell has her own room, and probably as a result doesn’t spend too much time there except for sleep time. She likes to be where the action is!"
- "In the boys’ room I love the artwork that they have created and their old vintage school desk. In Nell’s room I love her collection of tiny dolls and trinkets."
- "We don’t keep toys in the living room, except for small toy animals and some magnetic building blocks, but every room is very much the kids' space. They play differently in the living room as a result. They play piano here, hammering out clumsy tunes, they build forts out of the sofa cushions, they wrestle or play games on the rugs. Whereas downstairs in the rumpus room is where they build works out of their toy figurines. Interestingly enough, a lot more play actually happens in the living room as its mostly where we are and it opens on to the kitchen."
- "Classic, a bit bohemian, simple."
- "I choose comfort first!"
- Olli Ella's "strolley" push-cart.
- "My Dôen dresses—they are so stylish, effortless, and comfortable and they transcend seasons, which I love."
- Olli Ella's "Big Luggy" shopping cart.
- "I don’t know if it’s a trend, but it’s winter here in the summer hemisphere and I'm getting a lot more mileage out of my sandals by wearing chunky wool socks underneath them!"
- Olli Ella's "Holdie House" dollhouse.
- Basket case.
- "At flea markets, mostly."
- "It’s very simple and hasn’t changed since I was 21; I use a black algae face cleanser by Osea and the Osea atmosphere protection cream."
- "A sunset or sunrise once a week, and a full submerge in the ocean."
- Living room shelfie.
- "For me self-care is making the time to spend with friends, or to share a glass of wine with my hubby on the porch, cooking together, or taking a hot bath while the kids are still running around."
- "I am the co-founder of Olli Ella, wares for nomads, homebodies, and small folk."
- "My background is in television production; I used to work for ABC network in Los Angeles on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show."
- "My husband recently left his career in post-production, and we moved to the sleepy creative town of Byron Bay. Through doing this we really have slowed down from our fast-paced city lives and have been able to spend more quality time together as a family, which for us with young children, really has been the greatest."
- "Ahh. Well I’ve come a long way. I used to try and do everything really well, all the time, and eventually I just got too tired and stopped doing that, because it’s not fair to you. There are no awards for being the best at the juggle. So, nowadays I do the best that I can on that day or that week, and treat myself kindly if and when I fall short. I love my husband so much, and he has been the biggest supporter of me as a mother and through my work. I make sure he knows how grateful I am and don’t take him for granted for a second. As for my career, I really, really, really love what I do and that makes everything easier, when I feel enriched and inspired by what I do."
- "It was through becoming a mother that I started Olli Ella."
- "That I get to create beautiful products that are made ethically, that people love. And I get to do it with my sister!"
- "We love it! It’s the most Easterly point in Australia, with turquoise water, white beaches, and overflowing with creative, alternative people, mostly city folk, who moved here in search of a sea change."
- "I think the place, the nature, the incredible beaches, and hiking. We have 2 acres of land on top of a hill and the kids just run wild here—a far cry from urban living. I love that the kids are getting this slow living and with us here with them through all of it."
- "I do! My hubby is amazing and we have made some wonderful, lifelong friends here."
- "A day on the weekend will always start with homemade pancakes or waffles. We usually have different friends coming in and out during the first part of the day. Afternoons are usually spent at the beach, swimming or on a bush adventure. We cook a lot and so will usually make a big family dinner at night and snuggle down for a family movie (we are currently doing all the Harry Potter films for the second time!)."
- "Belongil Beach, with it’s gentle waves and access to a lovely cafe. Protesters Falls, a incredible waterfall and swimming hole in the hinterlands. For hanging out with other adults, I love going to a friend's house or our home with wine and chocolate. I love getting cozy and catching up with pals and sharing a laugh."
- "I imagine that we will."
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