In its final online event of the year, The Finders Keepers is hosting a three-day Christmas Online Market from tomorrow (Friday 19) to Sunday 21 November to promote a season of shopping well and supporting small.
More than 200 small creative businesses on the Finders Keepers Online Marketplace platform are taking part, offering market-only specials across the long weekend event to give mindful shoppers the chance to get their festive season gifts sorted. And there’s plenty of homewares on offer.
With promotions across every category from ethical fashion and jewellery to baby and kids, handmade homewares, local art, and gifts for him, the Christmas Online Market is the opportunity for conscious consumers to choose mindfully made this season.
Check out some of the amazing products and gifts on offer:
Furniture and homewares retailer Freedom is working with Australian designers and artists on a series of unique collaborations, kicking off with Sydney-based ceramicist Stephanie Phillips.
The three-piece limited edition collection, which is exclusive to Freedom, consists of a vase, lamp, and candle and will be available at select Freedom stores and online until stocks last.
“Freedom is committed to designing and creating beautiful products for our unique Australian lifestyle,” says Kate Hopwood, head of design. “As part of this, we love to support independent artists and designers such as Stephanie, who also happens to be one of our very own talented Freedom team mates.”
Stephanie’s work has been featured in Vogue Living and on The Design Files, she has hosted solo exhibitions and it was her selection in the 2019 Paris Design Week that saw every piece of her collection bought by fashion designer Jacquemus to display in his chic Parisian restaurant, Oursin.
“I was so excited when Kate asked me to collaborate,” says Stephanie. “I went straight into the studio for nearly four weeks straight, just sketching, making prototypes and going back and refining them.”
From a young age, Stephanie developed an affinity with the Australian bush which has largely influenced the forms and colours of her work. Drawing on her love of plants, she creates curved vessels to house a modern take on Ikebana using driftwood and bromeliads.
The Galina Lamp
The Galina Lamp is an earthy polyresin base paired with a natural Raffia shade that when combined are a match made in textural heaven. The glow of a lightbulb peeps through the knotted palm leaf features and light bounces off the playful curved details of the base, reminding the owner of the designer’s intent to create a moment and a mood.
The Stephanie Phillips Candle
The Stephanie Phillips Candle has a tactile finish and the Paulo Santo scented soy wax will provide 40 hours of burning time. Once burnt through, the vessel can be used to house the cutest of succulents or whatever you like!
The Obelia Vase
The largest in the collection, the Obelia Vase is not the kind of piece that stays in the cupboard until filled with flowers. A piece of décor in its own right, this ceramic vessel was designed by Steph to hold its own on your mantle or house your favourite garden blooms.
I have a thing for ceramics. There’s something about art which you can hold in your hands, knowing that the artist who lovingly made it, also did so with theirs.…
Lux Aestiva may be known for their beauty products, but it’s their new lifestyle offering we can’t get enough of. Just like their natural artisan hair and skincare products, their homewares are handmade, small batch products, created using only the finest, ethically sourced raw ingredients. Thanks to their Abode Homewares Collection it’s so easy to add a touch of luxury – at affordable prices – to your home! Below are our top picks:
Lux Aestiva’s Brazilian Agate Coaster: Made from the naturally occurring stone Agate in a range of show-stopping colours, these coasters will compliment a wide range of interiors. Hand selected to ensure the highest quality, each coaster is unique, cut from natural crystal and varying slightly in shape and size. A set of four retails for $90 and a set of six for $120.
Lux Aestiva’s Agate Bookends: Guaranteed to enhance any bookshelf in your home, these bookends are also made from hand selected Agate, in a variety of whimsical colours. Agate is a popular stone long remarked for its beauty and healing properties. Said to help balance and direct energies, whilst providing a calm and uplifting feeling, it’s the perfect stone to keep close when reading. Prices start from $99.
Lux Aestiva’s Ceramic Hand Crafted Incense Holder: Made for the purpose of holding and burning incense sticks (also available from Lux Aestiva), each ceramic piece is lovingly hand thrown, trimmed, buffed, high fired, sanded, glazed and high fired again, all by hand. A functional piece of art, no two pieces will ever be the same. Available in four colours for $39.
Lux Aestiva’s Ceramic Palo Santo Smudge Bowl: Made for the purpose of burning palo santo, which is a fragrant wood derived from the palo santo tree (also available from Lux Aestiva), each piece is made by hand, from scratch. One of a kind, the bowl is also food and dishwasher safe, so it can easily be used as a stylish serving platter. $42.
Royal Doulton has once again partnered with HemingwayDesign to produce a gorgeous, contemporary-looking range of ceramic plates, bowls and mugs in a striking combination of sorbet tones and bold citrus hues. A prominent UK design firm, HemingwayDesign was founded by Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway and the latest collaboration with Royal Doulton was designed for everyday use by their daughter Tilly, who has a strong affection for mid-century design. It’s a predilection that is plain to see in the collection.
“We are thrilled to be continuing our successful partnership with Royal Doulton, once again combining our distinctive design aesthetic with the British brand’s iconic heritage. I’ve worked with Royal Doulton to design a new tableware collection with embossed textures and a complementary mix of bright and subdued colours, a contemporary aesthetic with a slight nod to mid-century design that can fit into every home,” says Tilly.
Available in white or grey, as singular pieces or in a 16-piece boxed set, the collection incorporates plates, cereal bowls, mugs and serving bowls. In addition, there are also plates, bowls and mugs in on-trend colours including yellow, pink dark and light grey too. We love the idea of mixing up the colours for an individual feel.
The range also boasts some gorgeous vessels – namely vases and jugs that we think would make fabulous gifts. We also love how the combination of embossed textures, sorbet tones, bold shapes and Scandinavian influences make the pieces perfect for styling up a vignette. They could almost pass as original mid-century heirlooms too.
“As avid collectors of ceramics, we are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Royal Doulton. The new range of vases and jugs work brilliantly as stand-alone items but also beautifully complement our bowls, mugs and plates which boast similar textures and finishes,” says Tilly.
Hepburn hardware is a gorgeous one-stop-shop for decorative home accessories, supplying ceramic and resin cabinet knobs along with a range of leather and rope handles, hooks and knobs.
Stocked across Australia and also available online, they can be used for all sorts of things, from refurbishing tired furniture to decking out a boutique restaurant or hotel. With a style that is stylish yet eclectic, all products are made with organic and handmade materials and high quality craftsmanship, sure to individualise your space. And with prices starting from $8, they’re also an affordable way to give your home an update.
While they’ve already got a beautiful range on offer, the next few months will see more goodies arrive, including a new contemporary glass range and a kitchen range, which will include polished chrome, antique brass and bronze finishes.
You’re in the midst of a bathroom renovation and after spending considerable time, effort and money on bathware products, you find your leftover budget for floor and wall tiles is looking a bit bruised and battered. No need to panic, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover you can still achieve a luxurious look without the high price tag normally associated with glamorous tiles. The trick is knowing which tiles to choose and how to place them in your bathroom.
Subway tiles
The classic white subway tile has been around since the 1900s yet is still well loved today, mostly due to its inherently simple design style and timeless allure. Subway tiles remain as one of the most economical tiles on the market and are so versatile as they can be dressed up in several ways to achieve various effects. Traditionally, subway tiles have been applied in a brick bond pattern, but if you’re going for a more modern look, consider laying tiles vertically, stacking (one on top of the other), diagonally or in a chevron pattern. Applying different colour grout is another popular technique to accentuate and highlight each individual tile whilst creating a grid like effect on the walls.
Image: Urbis Magazine
The resurgence of subway tiles means there are now a myriad of colours, sizes and finishes available. Prices will vary once you drift away from plain white and will be determined by a number of factors including colour, size, finish, and where the tiles are manufactured.
Image: Perini Tiles
All eyes on the floor
Bathroom floors are generally smaller spaces to tile than walls, so spend a little more here and keep wall tiles simple and low budget. This is your opportunity to introduce personality to your bathroom and create a design statement with strong visual interest that makes the floor the hero of the space. Select tiles that are patterned, colourful or textured.
Darren and Dea’s bathroom floor tiles in their first Block
Create a feature wall with pattern
Select a wall in your bathroom that would make the perfect feature wall and use patterned tiles to highlight the space. This wall may be behind your vanity, inside the shower or the first wall you see as you walk into the bathroom. You could even get creative and tile part of the wall (instead of the entire wall) to play up specific bathroom features. Ensure the remaining walls and floors are tiled in a simple colour to not only keep costs down but to also ensure there’s not too much competing with your feature.
Image: Perini (featuring their Arcade tiles)
Classic monochrome
Use the same neutral or classic monochrome tile on floors and walls and allow fixtures and accessories to stand out. Select a tile with minimal movement and variation in a soothing tone to act as a simple backdrop while towels, flowers, candles and even vanity units take centre stage. No need to go fancy or high end with your tiles, just be sure to select the correct colour tone that will complement other colours in your space.
Image: Shareen Joel Design. Click for further info
Black beauty
A beautifully bold bathroom with black tiles on floors and walls will create a striking effect, not to mention a little wow factor. White bathware will pop against the black backdrop adding drama and sophistication. Use the same black tile on floors and walls, but vary the size to create a balanced space. Select a mid range tile with little or no surface movement that will amp up the opulence yet won’t break the budget.
— Kate Fuller works in product development for Perini Tiles in Melbourne.
Inspired by her recent trip to Turkey, Geneine Honey of LoveHate has created a Spring/Summer collection reminiscent of the azure waters of the Mediterranean, the pink hues of a European sunset and the brilliant shapes found in foreign architecture.
Bringing these themes to light through the use of raw materials and industrial processes, LoveHate’s latest edit features ceramic homewares, jewellery, leather bags and their first foray into fashion.
However, it is the ceramic homewares that are particularly worthy of note, with this season’s offering featuring entirely new shapes and designs. Made from strong earthenware clay, and finished with high quality glazes, the collection includes new hanging round planters and sitting round planters in various sizes and a collection of gorgeous ceramic bottles – The Polka Dot, Braid and Sea Anemone – in shades of cream matte, fairy floss, charcoal and limited edition gold.
All products are available to purchase online. For more information visit their website here.
Struggling to find tiles that worked for her projects with exotic, cultural references, interior architect Georgia Ezra, decided to take matters into her own hands.
Clay Collective
A lover of authentic, high quality products, she created Tiles of Ezra, a label inspired by Mexican tile design. “The vibrant, romantic aesthetic of the Spanish revival architecture in Mexico and California is very appealing but we don’t experience it in Australia,” she says. “I love that these tiles bring a taste of that history and sensibility to people who live here. That spirit and look blends harmoniously with our environment and culture.”
Enlisting the help of her sister, New York based designer Micaela Ezra, and a boutique team of artisans in Mexico, much of the tile-making process — from preparing the clay to painting the final design — is performed by hand, with the final result creating three distinct ranges.
Ceramic Classics
“The Ceramic Classics (above) are all derived from traditional Mexican tile designs,” explains Georgia. “Here we would never want to augment the patterns, as the aim is to offer an authentically Mexican, artisan product.
“We decided with the Ceramic Modernist range (below) to fuse two aesthetics. Technically the material choice, a glazed ceramic, references the Hispano-Moresque ‘azulejo’ aesthetic, meaning ‘polished stone’. However, we have applied graphic Moroccan designs to this traditional surface.”
Ceramic Modernist
Lastly, there’s the Clay Collective range, a series of terracotta tiles in various shapes. A personal favourite of mine and arguably their most unique, customers can choose from a huge range of colour and shape options to create anything from a clean modern aesthetic to an exotic ethnic vibe.
“This series was a way for us to allow customers to really personalise the way they incorporate tiles into their space,” says Georgia. “While the Ceramic Classics and Ceramic Modernists are very much about their surface design, the Clay Collective allows you to focus on shape and colour. As a result, there is incredible versatility in the mood you can create with this product.”
Clay Collective
Since all tiles are hand painted, they evoke a particularly warm and authentic feeling which Georgia believes: “you simply cannot get from more manufactured tiles.” Versatile, hard-wearing, low maintenance and easy to clean, these stain-resistant colour-fast tiles are the perfect statement for bringing a little bit of Mexico to your home.
Have You Met Miss Jones (HYMMJ) is a force to be reckoned with. Opening back in 2006, the homewares brand has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Today, it launched its biggest range yet, featuring over 650 products that span from bowls to wall art to lighting. Famous for its vintage style and use of white bone china, this year’s range has expanded to include a modern geometric influence as well as featuring new materials.
“We have pushed the bone china into a different direction this season with some more streamlined, contemporary designs,” explains creative director Jennifer Sampson. “We are exploring brand new mediums in coloured porcelain, stone and earthenware with exciting new glaze techniques we haven’t used before.”
These new glazes focus on an Australiania chic theme, with rich indigo and oceanic blues being a feature; a watercolor theme is also a prominent aspect of the range.
But with such a large collection, even if blues and watercolor aren’t your thing, you are bound to find something that meets your aesthetic. “So many looks can be derived from all our collections,” says Jennifer. “We like to cater to different tastes and make updating your interior effortless and fun – we do all the hard work for you!”
For HYMMJ, it is all about striving to maintain an accessible aesthetic, creating unique and affordable designs that can lift your interior, and as Jennifer sums it up: “We simply wouldn’t put our name on a design we wouldn’t own.” Her favourite would have to be the geometric ceramic wall art (below), a novel idea that allows the owner to play designer at home.
“You receive six triangular pieces in a box and can hang them however you like on your wall, we hope people embrace the idea and run with it. It’s called our DNA chain and customers can collect several sets and form unique wall art, tailored to their needs and space.”
Every week, you ask me where you can buy things you’ve seen on The Block’s Sunday night room reveals. Well today I’m giving you the chance to win Matt and Kim’s gorgeous dining table, worth almost $4,000, from last night’s winning room!
I don’t know about you but it’s the sleekest looking cooktop I’ve seen. This month, Siemens will unveil its most innovative creation yet, the freeInduction. Unlike other induction cooktops that are restricted by predefined cooking zones, the freeInduction cooktop offers unlimited freedom when it comes to pot size, shape and position.
48 heat micro-conductors operate below the glass to form one continuous cooking surface. Placing a pot anywhere on the ceramic surface activates a cluster of inductor modules that can be controlled as one entity.
The intelligent hob automatically detects and heats up to four pots or pans at a time, whilst accommodating the size, shape and position of each individual piece of cookware. If a pot is moved, pan sensors immediately detect and transfer the selected heat settings to the new cooking position. Pretty clever huh?
But you really must eat off these Markey & Lockyer creations because it’s totally safe to do so and just look how good they look with cake on them!
You may have noticed a bit of a theme emerging on Interiors Addict recently, of handmade and upcycled products from small, independent businesses. I just love the idea of owning one-offs and things made with love and by hand. I won’t pretend I don’t own my fair share of mass manufactured “stuff” but I also love to pay a little extra for something I know is worth it. And there’s nothing like knowing the story behind something too.
