Tag: deb bibby

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Design DIY RENO ADDICT Shopping

Upcycling for a cause: our Feast Watson Re-Love Project entry

Over the past month, I’ve been getting my DIY on at Interiors Addict and Reno Addict HQ. It’s involved a lot of firsts, the most frightening being that of using an electric sander! However, I can happily inform you that all body parts remain intact!

Screen Shot 2015-04-20 at 10.27.14 am
Olivia on the tools!

However, the reason for doing this hasn’t been my want for a new job (I’ll stick to writing, thank you very much!). Rather, I, along with seven other design personalities, have been upcycling for a cause, as part of the Feast Watson Re-Love Project.

Now in its third consecutive year, the project sees a range of pre-loved timber furniture items given a new lease of life, as they are transformed into unique statement pieces. I’m upcycling a table, but that’s all I can tell you at the moment! Once the pieces are completed, each designer’s creation will be available for sale on eBay from 8 to 17 July, with all proceeds donated to the Salvos Stores.

There’s some very impressive people taking part (I’d be lying if I said I didn’t completely freak out when I found out who!) including iconic furniture designer and maker, Mark Tuckey, leading interior and event stylist, Steve Cordony and Real Living editor-in-chief, Deb Bibby!

In the lead-up to the items being available for sale you can follow each designer’s progress, or find inspiration for an upcycling project at Feast Watson’s website. Also follow our sneak peeks on our Instagram and Feast Watson’s Instagram using the hashtag #Feastwastonrelove2015.

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Interiors Addict

How to get your interior project featured in magazines like Belle and Real Living

Real Living's Deb Bibby

It’s every designer and stylist’s dream: seeing one of your jobs showcased on the pages of a glossy magazine. But trying to achieve it can often feel like hitting your head against a brick wall. I asked the editors of Real Living and Belle – two magazines with very different aesthetics – for their top tips on how to give yourself the best chance of being featured.

Real Living's Deb Bibby
Real Living’s Deb Bibby

Funnily enough, their advice wasn’t that different. Deb Bibby, editor in chief of Real Living, said: “It’s not hard at all if you pitch the right story for the right demographic. Sometimes, for example, the style of photography isn’t suitable for Real Living but sadly the home is perfect. Or it might not be styled the way we like to reflect a home. So your team is crucial and each magazine is different.”

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Styling

The reality behind the glamour, with Real Living’s senior stylist, Sarah Ellison

Sarah Ellison has the job many readers would kill for: senior stylist on one of the country’s most popular magazines: Real Living, where she’s been for more than 2 years. Here she shares what it’s really like behind the scenes and gives plenty of advice for those wanting to follow in her footsteps.

Sarah Ellison Real Living

After fashion college, Sarah Ellison started a small fashion label but to earn some money, she took a job doing visual merchandising for an interiors store. She met many stylists there and started assisting Paul Hopper from House & Garden part-time.

“Fashion and interior styling are very similar jobs,” she says. “The main difference would be that interior styling is much more of a mammoth production. There’s a big difference between calling in some clothing and calling in 6 rooms’ worth of furniture to shoot. Creatively though, the ideas come from the same part of you that gets inspired. Inspiration can be applied to any media.”

Sarah assisted freelance for a couple of years and built a portfolio of test shoots in her spare time. She was assisting stylist Kirsten Bookallil, who had been putting a good word in with Real Living editor Deb Bibby. “I met with Deb and she gave me my first editorial shoot. Unbeknown to me it was actually a bit of a test as there was soon to be a position opening up for a stylist. Deb loved the shoot, put her faith in me and hired me for the job. Great timing too as I must admit there aren’t many jobs out there.”

Sarah Ellison Real Living print on print 1
Photo by Nick Scott

She says the most common misconception about the job of a stylist is that it’s all glamour. “Most of the time you are schlepping furniture around, crawling around on the floor putting Ikea together and being a bit like a courier,” she says.

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Interiors Addict

Real Living, March 2013

I think Real Living nail their covers, and March issue is no exception. I was so excited to tear the plastic off my subscription copy I gave myself a paper cut. Literally. And then fell head over heels in love with the reversible polka dot and floral quilt on the cover. So it should have come as no surprise that the brand of the quilt is… wait for it… Real Living, whose three new bed linen designs are now available at Target. Yes please!

Real Living March 2013 cover

Highlights

  1. The ‘Bring on Prints’ spread was five pages of sumptuous colour. I would love to be brave enough to make a splash like this in my home, but I think I’ll play it safe and just incorporate some of the elements. I particularly liked the mixing of Anna Spiro’s Higgledy Piggledy Stripe wallpaper in Ginger Jar Blue, with Armadillo & Co’s Designer Collection Casablanca custom wool rug in Caribbean/White (editor Jen recently fell in love with Armadillo’s new bright colour options at last week’s Decoration + Design).
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