Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Tripp.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have been an Interior Designer and furniture dealer for 20 years. I grew up with a mother who had an antique store and started the Mississippi Craftsmen’s Guild, so I have always been around craft and handmade art and furniture. I have lived in New Orleans, New York, Mexico, and California before moving to Cincinnati, so I have a very eclectic aesthetic and love for all things handmade or that have a sense of place. Five years ago, I decided to move to Cincinnati for the rental market – I also have my real estate license and renovate multi-unit apartments. I am the Operations Manager at Design Lab, which is a modern furniture dealer, as well. I have a small space in Pendleton Arts Annex for my vintage furniture, and travel to vintage fairs and markets across the country with my mom!
During the Pandemic lockdown, my mom encouraged me to rediscover ceramics, so I also make ceramic wallhangings and sculptures.
I cannot stay still and am passionate about all of these jobs, which all revolve around home. The things that we choose to surround ourselves with, the places we live, the design of our interiors, and our homes. I am a single mom to a 7-year-old, and we are living a beautiful life making art and vintage hunting all over Ohio!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life is never smooth as a single mom, juggling multiple jobs and the logistics of a busy child. But I am happiest with a full schedule and making my checklists. The most difficult thing is scheduling, trying to attend vintage and antique shows while having a full-time job, making ceramic commissions, and attending my daughter’s activities.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My vintage look is somewhere in between Santa Monica and Rome. I love mid-century European to postmodern, but that look is not as popular here in Cincinnati as it is on the Coasts. I travel to Texas twice a year to sell at Roundtop Antiques and get my finds out to a wider market. On the ceramics front, I sell online, and designers reach out to me on Instagram most of the time. I have sent pieces all over the country and even several times to Australia. I have been featured in several publications in Australia, and I love the design vibe happening there.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I moved to Mexico by myself at age 18 and stayed for six years. I have since moved across the country 4-5 times alone and then with a small child. I don’t consider myself a risk taker. It is more risky to stay in a situation that is not the best one for you. There is so much opportunity in reinvention. Most people are terrified of change – I am terrified of everything staying the same. Life is so terribly short, and I just want to do as much as I can! That being said, I am scared of flying, so that is pretty miserable!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emersonceramics.com and www.rareandimportant.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rare_and_important/ and www.instagram.com/emersonceramics/
