I had the pleasure of connecting with Kate, the creator and owner of ENSEMBL earlier this year. As a city-living small space dweller she became frustrated with the small kitchens of her apartments but instead of complaining she set to work creating a sustainable line of stacking cookware. I was so impressed by her passion and ingenuity I asked if she would be open to a conversation here. And luckily she was! I believe what she has created is a game-changer for small space living. I see it on everyone’s Christmas wish-list or wedding registry or graduation present list. Imagine not needing to add an extra cabinet or renovate your small kitchen just because your pots and pans take up less space. Genius.

Anyway I will leave you with my chat with Kate here…

Can you tell me about ENSEMBL and how it came to be?

ENSEMBL was born from my own struggles with storage. My husband and I had moved from apartment to apartment and found it impossible to fit all our kitchen tools, especially cookware. I had looked for solutions but couldn’t find anything that made sense for the way we cooked (and having fewer pots was not an option!).

One day when we were putting everything away I had a moment looking at the way our cookware fit, and realized how much space was taken up by the handles and thought, “what if we took them off!”. From that point, I went down a rabbit hole of cookware design and construction and the idea for building Stackware, ENSEMBL’s first product, really took over my life.

What’s something you love about living small?

I love living in the city (being close to great restaurants, cafes, art galleries) and love being able to walk or bike everywhere (I do not currently own and hope to never need my own car). For me, a big part of living small means being able to live in the middle of a great city and be part of that vibrant, urban life. The second best part of living small is that it takes less time to clean!

It can be really difficult to start a business with strong ethics especially around sustainability. How do you balance it all?

I try to focus on the idea of progress, not perfection, while staying really true to a few core areas of our business. For me, that overarching goal is reducing waste, and right now I think about doing that in two two big ways. First is with respect to using 100% plastic free, 100% recyclable or compostable packaging. I honestly feel that around every corner there is a opportunity to use plastic – it is easy, it is inexpensive, and its everywhere. But that was one of the areas that said from the beginning I wanted to be 100% plastic free, 100% recyclable/compostable. And while there is an added cost to working that way, it’s not impossible, and so far we’ve always managed to find a solution that can work. But I think one of the reasons it is so hard for legacy brands to get off plastic is because it’s everywhere, and if you’ve always been able to use it, it is challenging and costly to figure out how to rely on alternatives. So I feel fortunate to be starting from scratch here and able to build these solutions into our bottom line.

Second, is with respect to the product itself. I’ve been committed from day one to building a product that will last – not for a few years, but for a lifetime. (Or, as I hope, lifetimes!). This means being strict about the materials we use and the factories we work with – they need to be able to work with us to create high-quality, high-performance pieces that can withstand rigorous daily use for years to come.

But, coming back to the idea of progress not perfection, I had to also bring this idea to our removable handle. Since cookware has been made for decades, it was easier to know that we were making something that would last. But what about the handles? These didn’t exist (it is literally a brand new invention) and so there are component pieces that could, conceivably, ware out over time (let’s say in five or ten years). How would we handle that? The approach I’ve taken is through the design and engineering, and ensuring that we created something that could be repaired, not necessitating that the entire handle would need to be replaced. So, the handle is actually really cool because you can take the entire thing apart, then put it back together. And if, for example, there is a spring that ware out, or one of the screws, you can replace that single piece, effectively repairing the handle, and then it will be good to use again.

Besides genius stacking cookware, are there any other storage solutions or small space furniture that you can’t live without?

I’m obsessed with finding design-forward, functional furniture that also has built in storage. I have a cantilever storage bed and love it. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect coffee table that also has built in storage – ideally it would be able to function as extra seating, a coffee table, and storage. If you’ve seen one, please share it with me!

I love magnetic knife strips (free your countertops!) and tiered shelf inserts (I use them to stack dinner plates, side plates, then bowls in my kitchen cupboard, and have them in the bathroom vanity) (ed. note: SAME).

If you work from home do you have any tips for putting the work away at the end of the day and relaxing in your space?

I’ve been doing WFH long before the pandemic started, and I’m militant about making checklists with daily goals. And, once I’ve done the day’s work, I give myself permission to stop. Sometimes I have days where there are 14 – 16 hours of necessary work, and I know that’s what I need to do. But conversely, on a day that you have 4 hours of work? Get it done, and then do something else. WFH can suck you in to 24/7 work, and it’s important to be aware and catch yourself before you end up doing work for work’s sake. When I finish my workday, I put my phone, computer, notebook, and headphones in a drawer. I think it’s important to have “work” out of sight in order to actually disconnect and recharge. (This means I sometimes miss personal calls or take longer to reply to messages, but I think it’s worth it to have that separation from my work, which can otherwise be quite all-consuming).

I also try to avoid working in my bedroom (sometimes this is unavoidable with both my husband and I doing WFH at the same time). It helps me ensure that on those 16 hour days, when I am ready for bed, it’s a place for relaxation, not one associated with the stress or ongoing concerns of work.

Can you share about your recycling program? I love the concept, as responsible recycling can be a challenge and is often a roadblock to editing our possessions.

I am obsessed with this program! For the donation part of the program, we aim to take our customers used-but-useable cookware (the pieces they might be parting with when they upgrade to ENSEMBL) and give it a second life. We are currently working with three charity partners who take the donated cookware and use it either in their community cooking programs (which could be to teach families how to prepare healthy, cost-effective meals together, or teaching new skills to individuals re-entering the job market) or donate the sets directly to families in need.

However, not all used cookware is still useable – non-stick, for example, is more of a single-life product since once the coating starts to chip, it is no longer safe for use. So, we have also created a recycling program. In cases where our customers’ cookware can’t be donated, we’ve partnered with EARTH911 to help locate the correct recycling facilities. Simply putting used cookware in the blue bin does not actually ensure it can be recycled – for example, most facilities can’t remove a non-stick coating or deal with separating metals in clad or disc bottom cookware. We want to make it easy to direct people to the facilities that can actually break down and process these metals, as the unfortunate reality of sending it to the wrong facility is that these pieces will just end up in the landfill.

Right now, the Donation part of the program is mainly for our customers and works best in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and San Francisco (where we have donation partners). When you purchase Stackware, you can use the box and fill it with used pieces, and we’ll provide a shipping label, and send it to the correct partner. My goal though is to expand this offering so that you can send the used but useable pieces to us, our warehouse can sort them, and we can direct them to the partner that needs them most at that time. I’m also hoping to build our own search tool that will allow customers (and fans!) to search for donation partners nearest to them – we would then help facilitate donations that way.

Thank you so much Kate for taking the time to share about your small business journey. I especially loved your tips for working from home in a small space as this is the advice I live by and often give to others. Regardless of the pressures of the job, you need to be able to put your work away at the end of the day, physically and emotionally. Will be following along and cheering you on!

If you want to invest in ENSEMBL there is a sale until midnight with code BLACKFRIDAY_35⁠ HERE.

After tomorrow ENSEMBL Stackware HERE.

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Small Shop Love: Interview with Kate of ENSEMBL (stacking sustainable cookware)