My Story
The hands and heart behind every planter.
The Object
The first thing you notice is the smell of raw Western red cedar, still carrying the forest. Every choice is made with consideration, from a durable thickness that doesn't feel too heavy, to the cedar itself, chosen for the naturally occurring oils that repel rot and insects without chemical treatment. The inside of every planter is treated with tung oil to help the wood last longer. Regular retreatment is an easy step in winterizing your planter, and over time it helps the wood develop a natural patina that writes your story into the surface.
The Maker
After college, I moved to a small village in Sweden called Skattungbyn with a population of 350 people. This is the village where my grandmother grew up, and I had the opportunity to live there, study organic farming, and practice growing much of my own food. My next-door neighbor was a carpenter, and he let me use his shop. For the first time in my life, I began building the drawings I had been making since I was a little girl, the ones my dad used to turn into real objects for me. After returning to the States, I started Esme Made This and spent six years building custom interiors for homes across Atlanta. These planters are the newest chapter.
The Vision
The smallest box began as the most obvious and approachable solution to the need. The Two by Four was a natural progression, offering more space for bigger needs. The Arbor came from bringing structure and intention into the design, giving plants a place to climb. And the Sunset came from a moment where I thought, what if I used horizontal lines to simulate an arch. That would be beautiful. Every product in this collection exists because it fills a gap or takes advantage of an opportunity to bring something meaningful into the world.
A planter is an object you live with. You water it, you choose what grows in it, you cut herbs from it, you bring friends outside to see what's coming in this season. I build these because what we make with our hands can bring real change into the world, and because the things we tend to and care for become a part of who we are.