forestière (formerly nova lily) is a small, thoughtful collection of artisan jewellery and goods made by hand from carefully selected, honest, natural, and vintage materials. Combining contemporary elegance with a natural, bookish aesthetic, each piece is given careful attention to detail, embracing slight imperfections as part of the poetry inherent in any handcrafted thing. Produced in small batches with an emphasis on composition, all designs are limited edition or one-of-a-kind.

Each piece in the forestière collection is designed and handmade by Sara Kowalski MacLellan in her home studio in the Upper Ottawa Valley, where her husband Andrew works in forestry as a certified tree marker to sustain and enhance forest ecosystems. Sharing his love of the woods but pursuing her own love for material culture, Sara is a PhD candidate in Art History at McGill University, where she explores intersections between art, medicine, and the body, and holds both an MA in the History of Art, Design, & Visual Culture as well as a Bachelor of Humanities (she researches and writes under her maiden name, Sara Kowalski). An artist at heart, Sara’s background in the visual and liberal arts combined with her passion for nature, material culture, practices of collecting, and working with her hands has inspired her to create a unique collection of jewellery that can not only be worn, but also appreciated and respected as small works of art.

PHILOSHOPY

Inspired by tradition, natural history, silviculture, and uncommon artifacts, at forestière we believe in a simple, honest approach to design—one that celebrates timelessness, good craftsmanship, quality materials, and thoughtfulness. We favour the uncommon over the commonplace; the carefully considered over the hurried; the handmade over the mass produced; products with stories behind them and that contain a palpable sense of their maker(s). We believe that the art and objects that a person chooses for their life should be a reflection of these kinds of values, and hope to encourage thoughtful buying by providing our customers with a personal connection to their purchases.

We are also committed to low-impact, environmentally conscious and sustainable practices, making a conscious effort to use ethically sourced, reclaimed, vintage, salvaged, dead stock, and natural materials in the creation of our designs, as well as re-usable packaging materials made from recycled fibres.