The Things You Notice When You Spend Time in the Studio

By Liezl Owen, Studio Coordinator

After seven years, it feels like a good time to tell you something you might not know about Atlantic Soap Co. Not how the company started. You can find that story on our About page, and Yankee Magazine recently shared a wonderful feature on Caroline and the journey that brought Atlantic Soap Co. to Cape Cod.

This is a different story.

It's about something I only discovered after spending time in the studio with Caroline.

People often ask where the inspiration for Atlantic Soap Co.'s soaps comes from. The colours. The landscapes. The little details that somehow make a bar of soap feel like more than just soap. I'll admit, I assumed there was a sketchbook somewhere. Maybe pages of drawings or paint swatches pinned to a wall. There aren't.

Instead, I learned that the answer starts years before Atlantic Soap Co. even existed.

Before Caroline became a soapmaker, she studied the history of Art. She earned her undergraduate degree in Art History, followed by a Master's in Fine and Decorative Arts from Sotheby's Institute of Art in London. Now, before you picture someone standing in front of an easel with a paintbrush, that's not Caroline at all. She'll actually tell you she's not much of a drawer. What she is, though, is someone who has spent years learning how to look.

How artists solve problems. How colour creates mood. How materials behave. Why craftsmanship matters. Why the smallest design details often become the most memorable. Once you know that, you start seeing Atlantic Soap Co. differently.

One afternoon we were chatting about the little "wings" on the round soaps. If you've ever held one, you've probably noticed them. Those tiny ridges on either side aren't decorative; they're created by the seam of the mould used to make the soap. Naturally, I asked the obvious question. "So... why don't you just cut them off?"

Caroline smiled. "I like them." Then she explained why.

During her studies, she became particularly interested in the British Arts & Crafts movement, where furniture makers and artisans celebrated the marks left by the maker instead of hiding them. Exposed joints, visible construction details and evidence of the craftsman's hand weren't imperfections to be removed. They were part of the finished piece. Now every time I see those little wings, I think about 19th-century furniture makers. Which is not where I expected a conversation about soap to end up.

Suddenly they weren't just mould lines anymore. They were a reminder that each bar was made by hand.

That conversation also explained something else I'd always wondered. Atlantic Soap Co.'s soaps don't look manufactured because... they're not trying to.

Caroline doesn't sit down with a detailed drawing and recreate it perfectly in soap. In fact, she told me she rarely sketches her designs. She prototypes directly in soap instead. Sometimes a swirl behaves differently than expected. Sometimes a colour changes during the process. Sometimes the soap does something completely unexpected. And rather than fighting it, she works with it.

I loved hearing that.

There's something wonderfully refreshing about someone who has spent years studying art, yet is still happy to let the material have a say.

Of course, inspiration comes from all sorts of places too. Sometimes it's an ingredient she'd like to use, like indigo, rose clay or black sand. Other times it's a scene she's trying to capture. The colours of a salt marsh. Layers of dunes. The sky over the Atlantic. Pinterest boards might help pull ideas together, but the final design usually evolves once the soapmaking begins.

And then there are the customers. If you've ever visited Atlantic Soap Co. at a market, you've probably seen little kids making their way along the table, smelling every single bar. Apparently that's one of Caroline's favourite things.

She loves hearing people's reactions: the smiles, the surprised little "mmm"s, and the stories that sometimes follow. One customer once shared that a particular scent reminded her of visiting the ocean during a difficult time in her life. She'd gone there every day because it brought her peace. It's funny how scent can do that. It doesn't just remind us of places. It reminds us of moments.

After spending time in the studio, I realised that's really what Atlantic Soap Co. has always been about.

Yes, the soaps are made with Cape Cod seawater. Yes, they're inspired by the coast. But beneath all of that is someone with a deep appreciation for design, history and craftsmanship. Someone who believes everyday objects can be both useful and beautiful.

Maybe that's why the soaps feel different. Not because they're trying to be works of art. But because every decision, from the colours to the ingredients to those tiny little wings, has been made with thought and intention.

As Atlantic Soap Co. moves into its next year, I think that's something worth celebrating too. Not just the business Caroline has built, but the way she's quietly brought a little more beauty into something as ordinary as washing your hands.

And once you know the story behind it all, I have a feeling you'll never look at those little wings the same way again.