Le Jardin – Behind the Scenes
Le Jardin The Poetry of the Garden
Le Jardin began in the garden.
Not the perfect, manicured kind, but the in-between spaces. Seedheads past their bloom. Petals thinning. Stems leaning into one another. I have always been drawn to that quiet moment when a flower becomes structure.
As a printmaker, I look for marks.
When I start carving, nature shifts. It becomes simplified. Reduced to line and form. Negative space becomes just as important as the ink itself. Every mark is intentional, cut, inked, pressed. There is something grounding about that process. Slow. Physical. Honest.
Le Jardin is my interpretation of the garden, shaped through the language of printmaking marks. Organic yet intentional, delicate yet confidently bold.
And from this language of branches and stems, the idea of a Celebration Tree grew.
I wanted to create something that feels like gathering around a living form. A small, sculptural tree for the table, where guests can hang words, wishes, and memories. Like tying ribbons to a branch. Like leaving notes in a garden.
The Celebration Tree is not just decor.
It is participation.
It is ritual.
It is a moment shared.
Just like a print holds the memory of the carving, the tree holds the memory of the people gathered around it.
Each piece in Le Jardin carries that same intention:
to slow down, to notice, to celebrate the everyday.
Illustrated, designed and made here in our Stellenbosch Studio.
By Heni Andrag, Owner & Creative Director – Elsje Designs
Follow @elsjedesigns | @heniandart | @henizcreative
The Beauty of Handmade Soap: Finding Meaning in Everyday Rituals
Modern life often encourages us to move faster. We rush through our mornings, tick tasks off endless lists, and fill
Elsje Designs to Exhibit at SARCDA Christmas 2025
Elsje Designs to Exhibit at SARCDA Christmas 2025 Elsje Designs will be exhibiting at SARCDA Christmas 2025, a major trade