Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the web’s best products. If you purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. Our editorial team is independent and only endorses products we believe in.
When I decided to move into my first solo apartment, starting fresh to design and outfit a new space was overwhelming. When it comes to design, I’m an organic, Wabi Sabi-esq, almost primitive and earthy fan. Give me raw, unfinished wood pieces! Give me a house that screams, “she could be from Provence, France” and “she’s giving me beige baby vibes.”
Enter Olive Ateliers’ newest LA warehouse — a space outfitted with incredible antiques, vintage vessels and more to start my sun-soaked Santa Monica spot.
How Olive Ateliers Works
Olive Ateliers is a home decor importer, experiential retailer, and lifestyle brand housing “objects with old souls” — unique, one-of-a-kind decorative bowls, side tables, breadboards, tables, chairs, pots, sinks, and more — sourced from markets in Morocco, farmhouses in France, alongside teak treasures from India and beyond.
Every two weeks, the Olive Ateliers team teases ‘what to expect at the Drop’ to their cult-followed community via Instagram, email, and text messages. Now, the brand’s community is upwards of 100,000+ made of engaged brand loyalists who trust and celebrate the custom finds. With no shipping and no ecommerce platform, the warehouse acts as a one-stop-shop for home decor lovers, opening only to the public when the drops occur.
While prices range, I found that most tabletop decor items ranged from $25 to $150, with more sizable tables and extra large olive pots or planters running north of $500. On Instagram, a helpful highlight describes what prices you can anticipate.
Once you enter, you can grab tape and a Sharpie marker where you’re able to reserve your findings on a first-come, first-serve basis — and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Pro tip: Bring a bigger carry-all bag (or a friend!) to hold your smaller finds with you while shopping, and label any large or heavy items with your name via tape to secure them as your own. If you change your mind, just promptly remove your name from the item to allow a fair experience for others.
For those large or heavy items that you reserved, once you’ve checked out, a staff member can help you carry items to your car. Alternatively, if you require a home delivery, an on-site third-party delivery professional can quote local drop off for larger purchases.
The Opening Experience
As I walked up to the door, more than 300+ people were waiting in the opening line, peeking into the hand-painted downtown warehouse, earmarking their spot in line to reserve their finds. The energy was buzzing, set against the backdrop of a downright downpour plaguing downtown Los Angeles, as men, women, children, and plenty of puppies waited in an organized line. Co-founder Ben Knox held a microphone and gave the crowd a truncated “what to expect” to help ease the experience, warning that at capacity, they’ll employ a “one in, one out” method.
Co-founder Kendall Knox reports that the drop model elicits energy and excitement for the next drop; the “dropping” of exclusive collection of imported and curated inventory, available on a first-come, first-serve basis drives a disruptive shopping experience. After the limited opening hours (open every other Saturday for a four-hour window), the ever-changing assortment of over 1,000+ unique finds find a home to Los Angelenos.
The Result: My Favorite Finds
Each corner is merchandised beautifully and the gorgeously-designed warehouse was an experience in itself — here are some of my favorites I found:
Large Vintage French Breadboard: $120
Small Vintage French Breadboard: $70
Small Wood Riser: $45 + Mid-Size Vase: $110 + Mini Pot: $25
5 more reasons to love Olive Ateliers:
- In just under a year, the start-up has organically garnered the business and attention of LA’s top designers and celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Elsa Hosk, Jenni Kayne, Jake Arnold studio, and more.
- Founders Kendall Knox, Ben Knox, and Laura Matthews built the business from a Venice-area garage and transformed the tiny space into a hand-painted 22,000 square foot warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles (address: 1201 Mateo, Los Angeles, CA).
- A+ customer service, they respond to DM’s in under 30 minutes, and they go above and beyond to ensure customers have all the information they need to shop the drop with ease.
- Fairly priced one-of-a-kind items. No inflated markups!
- Each drop is different — and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Before each drop, they offer sneak peeks on Instagram of ‘what’s to come,’ alongside price ranges. Their next drop is February 11, 10am-2pm.
.jpeg)
