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Tired Sydney Hills District family home gets complete makeover

Kitchen and dining
Kitchen and dining

It’s a familiar tale – family wants a larger and more functional home but is attached to a particular suburb, and can’t find anything suitable to move into. Thus a renovation ensues. This was exactly the predicament that Janyne Moore and her family were in before they engaged interior designer Penny Middlemiss of Anju Designs to overhaul their Castle Hill home.

Kitchen and dining
Kitchen and dining

The family had lived in the house for 11 years before deciding to renovate but aside from being tired and dated, the family loved many aspects of it, including its swimming pool, entertaining area and block size. “The client trusted me to arrange the whole rebuild, design and furnishing. By only increasing the footprint by 40 square meters over two levels and removing most of the internal walls and reconfiguring the spaces, we were able to create what they needed,” says Penny.

Bedroom
Bedroom

Amazingly, Penny managed to deliver the project from her base in Brisbane, just as the pandemic hit. “Unfortunately, the project started just as Australia went into lockdown with COVID. My location definitely caused a few challenges, but working with an amazing client and team along with many Zoom meetings, everything went well,” says Penny.

Bathroom
Bathroom

And while the project cost $400,000, the home now not only looks unrecognisable from the original but it has two living areas, a multi-purpose room, games room, four bathrooms and a large office. The relocated kitchen features a butler’s pantry and laundry, and the nearby alfresco and pool areas were upgraded too. 

Lounge room
Lounge room
Boyd Blue furniture and homewares feature throughout the home
Boyd Blue furniture and homewares feature throughout the home

“The owners are a very busy family and wanted a home that was their retreat where they can enjoy life and each other in their home but it also needed to function well for them to work from home too. I wanted to create a home that was current, timeless and relaxed,” says Penny.

Laundry
Laundry

The owner, Janyne, is beyond thrilled with the end result, particularly as it come in just under budget, allowing her to spend a little more on furnishings – many of which were sourced from the furniture and homewares store Boyd Blue. “I didn’t have the first clue about renovating so I knew I needed help, but the benefits of having a designer surpassed my expectations.”

Alfresco
Alfresco

Photography: Toby Peet

For more on Anju Designs | Shop Boyd Blue

Melbourne terrace renovation shows monochrome need not be boring

Proving that a monochrome scheme needn’t be boring, layers of white on white create a tranquil, stylish feel in this new Melbourne terrace renovation by Pierce Widera. Located in Fitroy,…
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House Tours

Boyd Blue owner’s home is eclectic and layered with incredible views

When a homewares and furniture company owner and an architect get married, you can bet their future home is going to be pretty impressive! Welcome to the beautiful Burleigh Heads house of Boyd Blue’s Shelley Boyd and her husband Ion.

They built the contemporary cantilever pole house 14 years ago. It took nine months and saw Ion carefully design a ‘’glass bowl’’ on the cliff face of the Burleigh National Park. “Our home is our sanctuary and we love spending time on our balcony admiring the view,” says Shelley, who has been selling furniture and homewares to interior designers and stylists for over 20 years.

“My interior style is very layered, textured, eclectic and comfortable, filled with natural materials and textures,” she says. “I like to layer it up with rich fabrics and rugs, rattan furniture, grass weave wallpapers, beautiful linen curtains, simple luxurious large scale sofas, classic hand-knotted mohair rugs, brass and bronze accents and unique finishes like raffia lamination and faux shagreen.”

With a largely monochromatic scheme, Shelley also loves incorporating jewel colours into each room.

You’d worry that being surrounded by furniture and homewares every day for work would mean constantly being tempted by something new and on trend, but it’s quite the opposite. “I have always had the same taste! It has become a little more refined over the years, more pared back, however still layered. I am more considered about what I bring into my home; pieces that I really love, timeless pieces that I will have for a lifetime.”

Shelley started selling fabric to designers out of the boot of her car in 1999. From these humble beginnings, she has built Boyd Blue into a Brisbane-based, nationwide industry leader, servicing the interior design market with an exclusive range of fabrics, furniture, lightings, rugs and mirrors.

With a focus on nature, scale, texture and finish, Shelley loves incorporating luxe natural materials like linen, cashmere, mohair, alpaca, stone and bronze into her collections. In a world of mass-produced goods, she has remaining firmly committed to her passion for craftsmanship. 

And rather than being an extension of her showrooms, Shelley loves mixing Boyd Blue pieces with antique and interesting treasures she has collected from her overseas travels. “I don’t change things too much. I love every piece in my home and  I would rather be surrounded by meaningful pieces I love.”

Artwork is something Shelley gets particularly sentimental about: “I have some pieces I love by Charles Blackman, Melissa Egan and Marilyn Reeman. I also have a set of beautiful Brazilian framed Agates.”

But her favourite pieces in the home are actually two oversized linen sofas. In fact, she loves them so much they have been re-upholstered more than once!

Shelley loves styling her coffee table and shares her tips for doing so: “I love scaled up coffee tables, breaking these up with trays in various materials and finishes. Being the heart of the living space, you spend a lot of your time around the coffee table. Place pieces that you have collected over the years that have meaning with sculptural objets. Greenery is always a lovely addition too.”

It’s clear she avoids following trends, preferring instead to have an eclectic mix of timeless pieces, with no particular theme or style. 

“Curves and arches are very on trend however,” she says. “Also oversized art and the colour burgundy. We are still seeing a Scandinavian Mid Century feel in interiors as well as a very natural coastal boho look which is big on the Gold Coast and Byron Bay.

“I see curtains are making a big comeback, which I love: voluminous linen curtains really frame a window and give a sense of luxury to a room.”

For more on Boyd Blue, which last year started selling direct to the public online too.

Photos: Dale Napier

Categories
Furniture Homewares

Spacious new home for Boyd Blue’s Sydney showroom

Leading Australian interiors wholesaler and manufacturer Boyd Blue have opened the doors to their new showroom in the thriving interiors hub of Rosebery, Sydney.

Boyd Blue4

The 722 square metre, three-storey renovated warehouse is three times larger than Boyd Blue’s previous premises in Surry Hills and caps off a phenomenal 18 months for the business who have expanded nationally, launched their own handwoven rug brand, Boyd Rugs and created an Australian first designer and handcrafted upholstery label, White Furniture Design.

Boyd Blue2

“This move comes off the back of some major business achievements and the size and creative potential of the building makes for a really magical environment for our thriving Sydney client base,” explains founding director Shelley Boyd. “We were bursting at the seams in our previous showroom and now we finally have the space to do our products, suppliers and clients justice.”

Boyd Blue

Boyd Blue5

The new showroom allows for the display of an extended range of the company’s new and existing furniture, lighting, and accessories and features exclusive product from Arteriors, Skyline Design, Designer Boys, Boyd, Boyd Rugs, White Furniture Design and Lounge Designer Furniture. It also marks the first time Boyd Blue will be open to the general public for one-off retail purchases.

For more information.

Categories
Designers Furniture Homewares

What’s a homewares buying trip to India really like?

Last month, Shelley Boyd, founding director of leading Australian interiors wholesaler Boyd Blue, ventured to North India for her annual 10-day trip with employees Georgia Anderson and Elizabeth Hemlin. They visited the artisans and factories producing the handcrafted exclusive collections for Shelley’s own Boyd brand and to source customised hand-knotted rugs and product for Boyd’s 2016 catalogue. They also managed to squeeze in a trip to the majestic Amber Fort and a celebration with their local friends at the exquisite Bar Palladio.

Screen Shot 2015-04-14 at 11.14.31 AM

In Shelley’s own words:

“The buying trips to India are always deeply inspiring and moving and I am, and have been for many years, passionately in love with the place. It is such a wonderful and diverse destination, filled with colour, magic and greatly talented craftsman. Whilst exhilarating, it can also be a frightening and physically demanding experience. The days are long with vast distances travelled on pretty horrible roads with drivers who have a different interpretation of “safe” to those of us in the western world. Couple this with sometimes uncomfortable conditions and the chance of a tummy upset and you can see why the journey is always what you would call up and down.

Screen Shot 2015-04-14 at 11.12.23 AM

That said, the spirit of the Indian people and their constant optimism in the face of adversity certainly puts things into perspective.

Our trip this time was primarily to source traditional rug makers for Boyd’s new hand-knotted range, to view prototypes for some very special product for our 2016 catalogue, and to catch up with our key artisans, some of whom we have been working with for close to a decade.

As part of this process, we based ourselves in Jaipur and visited a handicrafts trade fair to help source new handmade product for our collections. This involved hours of trawling through stands, looking at product and talking to craftsmen. Some of what we saw was exquisite and some was what I would describe as less than inspiring! As part of this visit I have been able to hand pick unique and globally themed pieces for our clients, which will be available in our 2016 catalogue. We are very excited about what we found; gorgeous new hurricanes in glass, leather and rope, nautical accessories and fabulous timber and glass pendants.

Screen Shot 2015-04-14 at 11.15.17 AM

While staying in Jaipur, we visited my all time favourite entertainment spot, Bar Palladio, with our dear Indian friends. The interior decor here reflects serious style and the attention to detail is breathtaking. The finely hand painted murals and enormous hand carved marble bar sit alongside an absolutely beautiful garden setting, and it was the perfect place to say thank you to our valued Indian suppliers. Catching up with the artisans we have worked with for so many years in Jaipur and continuing to nurture these relationships really makes my heart sing as we have worked long and hard to find the best India has to offer and are so grateful for these connections. On a previous trip, I had the privilege of sharing a fine meal with one of my longest standing suppliers in the private dining room of the Amber Fort. I was pretty thrilled to learn the last guest to entertained in this private room before me was Richard Gere!

Screen Shot 2015-04-14 at 11.12.08 AM

A key highlight of this journey was the discovery of a wonderful group of craftsman in Bhadohi, a small rug-making village two hours out of Varanasi. The rugs are of superior quality and their makers use ancient techniques. We were so moved watching them cycle past us on their push bikes towing wagons filled with absolutely beautiful rugs. The Boyd Blue team and I are really excited to bring these rugs to Australia exclusively for our clients and are also really excited about what will be on offer through our 2016 catalogue.

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All items will be available through interior designers and as one off retail purchases from our showrooms throughout Australia for Interiors Addict readers. We look forward to sharing this trip and others with you via Interiors Addict and our Facebook and Instagram.”

If you’d like the opportunity to buy from Boyd Blue’s latest collection, usually reserved for trade and wholesale customers only, please call your closest showroom and mention Interiors Addict:

  • Brisbane (07) 3254 0877
  • Sydney (02) 9331 0099
  • Melbourne (03) 9509 3332
  • Perth (0411) 135 533
  • Adelaide (08) 8363 6200.
Categories
Designers Interviews

Young Designer: Briana Hayes, Highgate House

Our Young Designer series aims to inspire those who are yet to get their first foot on the ladder in this fiercely competitive industry. Editorial assistant Olivia Shead spoke to Briana Hayes, interior designer at Brisbane’s Highgate House.

Briana Hayes
Briana Hayes

Briana, 25, always knew she wanted to be an interior designer. From the age of 11, every new year saw her change the colour scheme of her bedroom, where with the help of her father, she would add a fresh coat of paint to her childhood walls.

Continue reading “Young Designer: Briana Hayes, Highgate House”
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Interiors Addict

Boyd Blue to open new showroom

Wholesaler Boyd Blue will open a new Melbourne showroom on Monday (11 February). Its home furniture and decor showroom is at at 1390 High Street in Malvern.

With wholesale showrooms in Brisbane, Sydney and the Gold Coast, Melbourne was the obvious next step. “We are growing our business to reach new heights in superior product and beautiful customer service – 2013 will be the year that sets Boyd Blue apart,” says owner and director, Shelley Boyd.

Categories
Interviews

Wholesaler profile: Boyd Blue

Wholesalers don’t often get the limelight but they’re an essential part of the interior design process, often sourcing product from all over the world, presenting designers and decorators with an already edited selection to pick from.

Few wholesalers have the variety, customer service and merchandising skills of Queensland’s Boyd Blue. Shelley Boyd started the company 13 years ago with a vision to create a one stop shop for designers and decorators with “beautiful customer service” and products that differed to what every other wholesaler was offering. And that’s still the case today.

“I love working with professional designers who know what they want,” says Shelley. ”I have tried to build a business that offers exceptionally good service. We really do care about our clients and try to make their job as easy as possible. I am constantly travelling the world sourcing an eclectic mix of products and without companies like ours our clients would have to source from retailers.”

Everything Boyd Blue sells is handmade, another real point of difference, and Shelley loves natural fibres and materials. Handmade grass weave wallpapers, sisal rugs, mirrors, lamps and hand forged iron accessories are among the treasures she imports. “I am really proud of the fact that we are supporting small communities in a variety of countries and keeping these old traditional ways of manufacturing alive,” she says.

Continue reading “Wholesaler profile: Boyd Blue”