How it all started

Ordinary O was a dream of mine when I was a teenager. I loved making things with my hands and wanted to make a living out of that, or at least give it a try! I actually came up with the brand name, Ordinary O when I was 15. Before really starting this adventure, I thought about changing the name. I didn’t think it wasn’t good enough. I thought people wouldn’t connect with it or wouldn’t get it. That the idea was corny. The list of reasons not to get started, goes on and on. One day I realized all of these stories about the name weren’t really about the name, they were about my own fears. Believe me I still struggle with those self-limiting thoughts, I just don’t pay much attention to them anymore. ‘Ordinary O’ was exactly the right name and I knew it when I was 15, it just took 20 plus years to have the trust in myself to go for it!

I am endlessly inspired and fascinated by our natural world and the beauty found in the everyday. Don’t let the name fool you, Ordinary O is anything but ordinary. My pieces are all about seeing and highlighting the extraordinary in the ordinary. Its about finding and creating joy and moments of intrigue in the home and our everyday lives.

"Ordinary O is anything but ordinary. My pieces are all about seeing and highlighting the extraordinary in the ordinary."

About Me

 

I am a landscape designer, botanical and installation artist based in Philadelphia, PA. I received a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Bachelor’s in Fine Art from Mason Gross School of the Arts. My work, across multiple scales, emphasizes the relationship between urban, natural and built environments. My most recent body of work featured on this website is made of driftwood, metal and dried floral. I have bodies of work in wheat grass, reclaimed bicycle tires and plastic bottles and more. I have shown my work in the North East and Europe. Visit www.oliviakaufman.com to see a gallery of my landscape design and art installation (currently in progress).