Kate & Kate have teamed up with New Zealand retailer Superette on a stunning new ‘Co-Lab’ blanket. In 100% knitted cotton, combining a hint of gold with muted tones of pink and grey, it’s perfectly on trend and comes in a beautifully screen printed, limited edition carry bag.
These special blankets are super exclusive here in Oz but we have one to give away to a lucky reader. To enter, just comment below what you’d do with yours if you won, by midnight tomorrow (Friday 7 November 2014).
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
RRP $169. Buy online here in Australia or here if you’re in NZ.
We’re loving this video which gives a great insight into how handcrafted local furniture comes to life, from one of our favourite Australian brands, Mark Tuckey.
Mark at work
“I wanted to be able to show people who don’t know what we do what Mark Tuckey does, and a picture is worth a thousand words,” Marks says. “A film is even better!” And he’s right…
Mark Tuckey is a bespoke timber furniture company on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. They make furniture from recycled timber and sustainably managed forestry sources. They aim to create furniture that has integrity, simplicity and strength.
If you have even a passing interest in design, you need to see WORKSHOPPED 14 — the single largest event as part of Sydney Design 2014, to be held at the Supa Centa Moore Park, Sydney, from Thursday.
Now in its 14th year, the WORKSHOPPED exhibition is nationally recognised as one of the most important public platforms for both emerging and established product and furniture designers. Since 2001, WORKSHOPPED has presented the work of over 300 Australian designers through 13 exhibitions and been viewed by over 500,000 people.
This year’s exhibition asked designers to share their thought processes in developing ideas, designs and products — from a clean slate! Director Raymond Scott, said: “Design thinking is going to have a huge impact on Australia’s future prosperity. It’s core to innovation. Our exhibition is a great opportunity for the wider public to look at the design development process — imagination, research and concept to prototype development.”
David Cummins’ The Pat Spratt armchair
WORKSHOPPED’s’ influence on Australian design is evident. With designs in production with local and international manufacturers, winning international design awards and the subject of local and international acclaim. The exhibitions aim to do more than just show great design. WORKSHOPPED facilitates commercial relationships between designers, industry and the marketplace.
Omvivo are renowned for creating bathroom products that are at the forefront of bathroom interior trends. Their Motif basin range is no exception, offering a subtle way to introduce pattern into your bathroom with distinctive hand-etched designs. Isn’t this gorgeous?
The result of experiments with material, pattern and light, Motif is designed from a combination of solid surface and glass. The materials fuse together, elevating the product to a functional piece of art in your bathroom. Manufactured in Australia, every Motif basin starts with the piece of hand-etched glass, which is formed in a kiln. Coming with a polished chrome pop-up plug and matching spacer, the basin floats above the bench top, creating impressive reflections on the surroundings.
The basin is available in three patterns: Pebble, Forest and Kaleidoscope. Whether part of a new bathroom plan or providing a stylish update to an existing space, the Motif basin will provide a striking, yet subtle, point of difference.
If you love this blog and you love Frankie magazine, get excited, because they’re about to publish volume two of their interiors book, Spaces, full of more all-Aussie homes belonging to local creative types. It’s been four years since the first book, which of course sits in my own extensive collection! Volume two is available for pre-order now and you can learn more by watching this short video.
You can expect lived in homes and work spaces which are decidedly not fancy! “With a focus on resourcefulness and individual style, Spaces celebrates the importance of home to a creative bunch of Australians.”
I’ve been looking forward to this and can’t wait to get my hands on a copy: Loni Parker’s crowdfunded interiors book full of colourful Aussie homes. It’s looking great! Smart move on the gorgeous gold cover too, which will nicely decorate your coffee table when it’s not providing a great read and visual feast!
If you were part of the crowdfunding movement and pre-ordered, your book will be arriving next month. If you didn’t, don’t worry, you can buy one now! Adore: A Book of Colourful Interiors is a beautiful hard cover book and has been a labour of love for Adore Home online magazine editor Loni.
The book is divided into 10 chapters according to room type, with plenty of inspiration and eye candy to get your inner designer excited! Adore breaks down why a room works and offers styling tips and colour theory facts you can file away for future DIY projects.
There’s even chapters on creative walls and entertaining, to help you get the most out of your space. At the end of each chapter, a panel of home owners and interior designers share their helpful hints and words of wisdom on a whole gamut of decorating topics.
Well done, Loni! I know how hard you’ve worked on this project and it has paid off!
To coincide with the upcoming exhibition of Iconic Australian Houses at the Museum of Sydney, Karen McCartney’s bestselling book 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses has been re-released in paperback.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy, which contains a carefully curated collection of 15 of the finest examples of homes from the period. Each designed by a different architect; they’re all designed with a timeless integrity that has a seamless connection to the landscape.
More than anything, this link to the outdoors seems to define the period, with the end of the war breaking down boundaries and bringing about an engagement with the surrounding environment. Think flowing spaces and large glass areas with none of the boxed rooms and corridors that were present in earlier architecture.
The Rosenburg/Hills House designed by Neville Gruzman in 1966
The work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Alvar Aalto and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, strongly influences the young Australian architects seen in this book, with the economic boom of the time heralding a new approach to domestic design and modernist principles.
For those unfamiliar with Karen McCartney’s impressive resume, she was founding editor of Inside Out magazine for 10 years, has also written 70/80/90 Iconic Australian Houses and currently works as an editorial consultant to online brands including Temple & Webster.
Picking my favourites from Salt&Pepper’s new Autumn/Winter collection was a major challenge. The new collection is absolutely huge; spanning from monochromatic colours to natural wood to Marie Antoinette-inspired high tea sets.
Just like fashion accessories complement an outfit, Salt&Pepper believe in creating accessories for the home that truly express your personality. And with a collection so large, Salt&Pepper is bound to please all of you!
It was hard to pick my top eight designs, but I’ve managed!
Round Cheese Board, $99.95
Chip and Dip Plate, $19.95
Star Milk Bottles, Set of 4, $24.95
Noodle Bowl, $34.95
Metal Table Lamp, $49.95
Cupcakes & Stripes Patty Pan, $6.95
Wooden Conversions Board, $49.95
Black Bakers, $39.95
For more information and a list of stockists, visit Salt&Pepper here.
A big thanks to Shoestring for putting my name on their list of the top 50 Aussie female entrepreneurs under 40 yesterday. I was extremely flattered!
If you’re interested, read the full article and list (I made 37!) here. Safe to say this is the first and last time I will ever be seen in the same list as Miranda Kerr 😉
From using epoxy grout to avoid mould, to not having a freestanding bath unless you really have space, to embracing shallow basins and making good use of lighting, Darren Genner knows a thing or two about creating stunning bathrooms, and he shares his tips with us today.
1. Find a designer you like/love, employee them to design and create a plan and then stick with it. It is not as expensive as you may think. Remember, designers have the experience as they do it day in, day out.
Designer Rugs has collaborated with celebrated Australian fashion designer Akira Isogowa for the third time on a stunning new collection and I’m excited to attend the launch tonight.
In this collaboration, HIRAMEKI (meaning inspiration), Akira’s striking rugs reference his current catwalk collections. They showcase his love of exploring the juxtaposition between his traditional Japanese heritage and Australia’s love of colour.
