Yes, The Woodsfolk have done it again with their latest wire wares in store. Love me a bit of good looking storage!
The magazine racks above are $35. So simple yet so effective: wire and pops of colour. Not only do they look good (especially on that dark wall), they’ll help you get organised and tidy! The square crates below are $75 and could be used on their side or on the floor, even mounted on a wall. I think I need some for my office!
And what about this wall candy? The arrow ($30 & $45), heart ($90) and lover ($154) signs are so cool! I love the simplicity of them.
In the early 90s, while still just a teenager, Emma Gale spent 2 years in Cairo teaching refugees how to screenprint their designs onto fabric to be sold. It sparked a love of art and colour which has never gone away.
Photo by Lucy Moyle
Returning to Melbourne, she quickly started to make her mark on the advertising and graphic design industries despite having no formal training, while gradually beginning to paint on the side. “I always dreamed of being an artist,” says now well established Emma, who recently exhibited at one of our favourite stores, fenton&fenton. “I just wanted to draw and play with colour. My style combines drawing, colour, pattern and texture.”
Photo by Sarah Wood
The successful artist and self-proclaimed homebody has filled the space where she lives and works with colourful pieces sourced all over the world, drawing great inspiration from global culture, and particularly ethnic and tribal jewellery.
True to their promise to hold free events in-store, West Elm is hosting a free Etsy craft party on the evening of June 20. Join Sydney crafter and maker Kitya Palaskas and learn how to make beautiful paper flowers. These will then be collected up and delivered to the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. What a fab idea!
Online store Fossik have launched a new range of boucherouite rugs including the Curator’s Collection, which features unique textiles chosen specifically for their collectible value and aesthetic appeal as original artworks.
What do you think? Are these colourful creations your thing? Prices start at $600.
Contestants on the very first series of The Block a decade ago, Gavin Atkins and Warren Sonin, otherwise known as Gav and Waz (and The Designer Boys), have come a long way. And despite moving to Byron to enjoy a simpler life, they’ve never been busier.
Designer boys Gav and Waz and their dog Charlie
Still working as interior designers for private clients, in the last 4 years, it is their wholesale art business, Designer Boys Collections, that has really taken off.
‘’We had always been successful at buying, renovating and selling properties together in Sydney and then we were selected for The Block in 2003 and it literally changed our lives forever,” said Gavin “The executive producers obviously realised that we had a talent for interior decorating and renovation and that we had (and still have) a very solid relationship.’’
Realising the opportunity to capitalise on their popularity, the first same-sex couple to appear on Australian reality TV started their business, Designer Boys, as soon as the show wrapped up. Initially, they focused on styling properties for sale, racking up more than 750 properties in less than 3 years! “The hands-on experience we garnered was just what we needed to take the business to the next level, where we focused largely on interior design and decoration for commercial and private projects.’’
When I grow up (and am no longer saving to pay for a wedding) I’m going to invest in a piece of Andrew O’Brien’s art. I just love it and his latest works are no exception. What do you think?
You may recognise the Melbourne-based artist’s style from the last couple of series of The Block, where contestants Dan and Dani used his work extensively.
Exciting news, folks! We have a fabulous prize for one lucky winner in next week’s 7 Vignettes Instagram challenge (starting on 1 June): two extra large canvases of your choice from Urban Road’s new collection, released this week. Which would you choose? I’d choose these two!
I’m a big fan of Urban Road. I have a couple of their canvases in my home and they always get comments. They’re releasing a new collection tomorrow but I have a first look at the designs for you. These lovely smudgy ikats, called Sienna and Spectrum, are my favourites.
Looking to brighten a dull space with a pretty print? Check out Pep & Me, a new online store showcasing an original collection of limited edition illustrations and prints by husband and wife graphic designers.
Pep & Me are the nicknames of co-founders Joe Puntoriero and Melanie Miles. “Pep is a nickname given to Joe from his first design role. Me is short for Mel,” Melanie explains. She says the name plays on the fun, quirky side of the brand, giving it a bit of character.
Originally creating pieces to act as inspiration for other projects she was working on, it was comments from friends and family on the artwork around the house that encouraged Melanie to take the next step. So she created an original set of illustrations and prints and opened an online store.
One of the coolest things West Elm has been doing in the States for years, is supporting and selling the work of Etsy makers and sellers. And they’ve brought that to Australia, already stocking local Etsy sellers in the new Bondi Junction store.
Not many mega brands would give indie crafters and artists shelf space in their stores and I think it’s awesome! Read more about West Elm’s first Aussie Etsy partners here or visit the store.
Hunting for George is an online boutique by Melbourne sisters Lucy Glade-Wright and Jo Harris. They just released their own range of black and white prints and you know how I like typography and affordable art!
Judging by the number of weddings I’ve been to where an excerpt from Dr Zeuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go is chosen as a reading, I’m guessing the above will be a big seller!
Artist Danielle Cross’s latest exhibition, Catalan Stripes, is a visual journey of her travels through the Catalan and Pyrenees-Orientales area on the border of France and Spain, and you can see her work for one night only in Sydney this month.
“It’s about innovative flair and creativity; the capacity to absorb and tolerate and the co-existence of the Catalan culture,” she told me. “The artworks represent an intersection of cultures and influences through colour, form, balance and process. Catalan Stripes captures an emotive memory in time and is a lesson on the value of earning your simplistic stripes!”
Buying art can be pretty daunting for the inexperienced. It may conjure up visions of snooty galleries and out-of-your-price-range paintings. But there really is so much joy to be had from buying a piece of art you love, whether it’s affordable or whether you save up for it because you know you’re going to have it for a lifetime. I bought my first painting from an older artist friend when I was 21 and I paid it off over six months. I still love it just as much, if not more.
I asked artist Bridget Dolan, who works on many commissions for interior designers and individuals, to share her top tips for buying art.
One of Bridget Dolan’s pieces
The first step to finding the right piece of artwork is to look at as much art as you can. You’ll develop a deeper understanding of your own aesthetic and it will also give you greater confidence in the choices you make.
A quick way to start looking is through websites like www.artwhatson.com.au There’s lots of work on these websites, and once you start looking it can feel overwhelming, so take care and note down your instant responses.
United Artworks is fast becoming a trusted source for affordable, original handpainted artworks and the new collections are already proving to be a hit with designers and stylists.
Here are just a few of the stunning new pieces arriving soon. The new collections represent everything that distinguishes the brand, with their exciting colour palette, textures and authenticity.
You’ll find many more designs, including all the new arrivals, at www.unitedartworks.com.au, where you can pre-order or purchase online. Free shipping on all orders, Australia wide.
I’ll make no bones about it. I’m a huge fan of Blacklist and they’re one of my first ports of call for affordable art. So I was delighted when they shared some exlcusive behind the scenes images from their recent photoshoot for their new collection Cross My Heart.
Almost entirely black and white, it is still instantly recognisable as their popular work and I’m already getting in a panic about which one I’d choose for myself. I love the flexibility of having something monochrome because it usually goes with everything and in any room! And I don’t need to remind you how much I love typography in all its forms. Hello, word nerd!
So why is this collection called Cross My Heart? “We believe in the power and romance of promise,” says Jaynie Johnson, one half of Blacklist with husband Nathan. “Cross My Heart saw us create something that was different from anything we’d ever done; a collection about promise only using a monochromatic palette.” (Well almost all monochrome, we’ll come to that later…).
Nathan and Jaynie, known for being a couple of romantics, were reflecting on the simple things, on contrasts and ultimately what mattered most. “As with everything we create, there is always an element of hope: as with the night, joy comes in the morning. So the final pieces we created were the colourful, hope-filled, ‘peace & love’, they are the lights at the end of the tunnel… the last page of the story.”
You probably already know Rachel Castle’s sellout pokadot pillow cases, velvet round cushions and colourful artwork. If you’ve seen the saying Put The Love In The Coconut around the place, you’ve seen her happy creations for her label CASTLE.
Rachel Castle of CASTLE
I’m delighted to finally interview Rachel for Interiors Addict but it’s taken a while because her life, by her own admission, is a little hectic, like most creatives I’d say. Also, her work is so popular that she can’t make enough of it (“I get really cranky customers writing ‘BUT EVERYTHING’S SOLDDDD,’ which is great, but I often feel so bad I’m not making things quick enough!”).
Whether she’s inspired or frustrated though, there’s never a day when Rachel doesn’t want to just make things. “Inspiration is a funny old thing. It comes in the night time when it’s a complete shag to get out of bed and write it down, why is that?! I think the thing for me is to keep it real, to say what I want to say rather than what I think others might like/not like me to say. Having said that I keep the language well and truly nice, unlike in real life!”
Limited edition teatowels, designed to be framed, are an affordable $59
While her work is always vibrant and colourful, that isn’t a conscious decision. “I just know when something looks right to me. With inspiration I think there is an equal part frustration. I am just as frustrated as I am inspired at times, which I think keeps me busy and making things constantly. Sometimes it works, others it doesn’t. That’s just life and I think being aware of this keeps me moving.” Fashion also influences Rachel hugely and she turns to fashion magazines when her brain “feels dull”.
It’s that time of year when I’d love to collect some more information about you, lovely readers! I’d be really grateful if you would complete my 9-question, multiple choice reader survey, which I guarantee won’t take you more then a couple of minutes!
As a thank you for your time, and thanks to our friends at Dinosaur Designs, 5 lucky readers, drawn randomly, will win a resin Volcanic Vase from their latest black and white range, worth $144 each.
Our friends at United Artworks have announced their most recent offer exclusive to readers, family and friends of Interiors Addict, with 30% off their entire Animal Art series.
