Tag: design twins

Homewares to revamp your home for under $100

Post author By Olivia Shead
Post date October 28, 2017
No Comments on Homewares to revamp your home for under $100

Styling your home can get expensive, especially when you’re eyeing off a candle that’s triple digits and a lamp just shy of $1000 (and that’s on sale!). Here at Interiors Addict we believe some items are worthy of spending that extra bit of cash, but that doesn’t mean you can’t transform your home for less… and when we say less we don’t mean cheap knock-offs, but beautiful, original and affordable pieces by local and emerging designers. Below are our favourite homewares to revamp your home for under $100.

Country Road’s Aila Round Platter: I’m an absolute sucker for a pop of pastel colour when it comes to homewares! Crafted in stoneware with a glazed glossy interior, this platter in quartz (baby pink) is perfect for mixing and matching and playing with colour and form. Designed for everyday serving it retails for $44.95.

Wall Style’s Les Fleur #2: Soft in colour yet dramatic in appearance, this contemporary photographic image of a chrysanthemum makes a striking impact in any interior. Professionally printed with the finest quality inks on heavyweight archival paper, the small print (40cm x 40cm) retails for $89.95.

Design Twins’ Stripe Pot: Concrete homewares are having a major moment and the Design Twins have a lot to do with that! Their lightweight pot range is all the rage and for $90 you can get your hands on an extra small (28cm x 27cm) stripe pot. Black and white with a metallic twist, it is the ideal way to add some life and greenery to your home.

Amigos de Hoy’s Splash Mat Round: Digitally printed onto low pile soft chenille, the rugs are non slip, washable and non allergenic. The perfect small area mat, they are ideal for kitchens and bathrooms, indoors and out. Available in a variety of textured-looking patterns for $79, my personal fave has to be the Quill design.

West Elm’s Monte Mirrors: On special for $99.95 the plated brass mirrors bring shine and style to any room. Available in three shapes, pair them together or mix and match with other art for an instant gallery wall.

White Moose’s Sleeping Frenchie: Not allowed a pet? Then this may be the next best thing. This French Bulldog is the model companion, it doesn’t even require walks! Available in black and gold for $79, it was featured on The Block so you know it’s on trend.

Hunting For George’s Lola Clock: Currently half price at $89.50 (win!), this stylish and handmade bamboo clock is perfect for a Scandi-inspired home. Beautiful and minimalist in colour it comes in pastel lilac and yellow.

Beacon Lighting’s Raika 1 Light Table Lamp: I’ve been eyeing off this lamp for years and it’s finally below the $100 mark… just. Now for $99 (that’s a saving of $150!) you can get your hands on this beautiful piece designed by The Block’s Josh and Jenna. Made from a combination of cork, amber glass and woven cloth it gives off a natural, industrial look.

Beacon Lighting’s Raika 1 Light Table Lamp (right)

For more affordable homewares

Tags affordable homewares, Amigos de Hoy, art, beacon lighting, country road, design, design twins, homewares, hunting for george, styling, the block, west elm, white moose

Homewares Kitchens Styling

10 of the best canisters to style up your kitchen

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date June 12, 2017
No Comments on 10 of the best canisters to style up your kitchen

With open-plan living pretty much the new normal, and the kitchen one of the most high-traffic areas of the home, there’s increased focus on the benchtop. Aside from keeping clutter at bay, and adding in a smattering of fresh greenery, a lovely looking canister can be just the finishing touch that the kitchen needs. Here are our top 10 picks.

Design Twins tribal canister: I love the world traveller vibe of this chic storage option. $29.

Anna Gare blackboard canister: A fan of pantry organisation, I love that you can re-label this on a whim. $22.95.

Orla Kiely multi stem storage jar: The Irish designer certainly has a signature style and a host of loyal fans who love her modern take on retro colours and motifs. $53.

Country Road Arlo canisters: Available in matte black and grey glass iterations, these timeless canisters would dress up any kitchen. From $24.95.

Robert Gordon Hardware Lane mint canister: Inspired by vintage cut glass, this is elegant and (given the colour) contemporary at the same time. $27.95.

Big W Design House classic eco discovery small canister: This geometric print canister is an absolute steal! $2.50.

Linen House brass canister: Super luxe and multi-purpose, it’s hard to go past a metallic option. $44.95.

Zakkia handmade speckle seagrass container: Made by Vietnamese artisans, each one of these stoneware vessels is completely unique. $69.

Marble Basics ‘The Essential Box’: While not the most affordable option, this all-purpose solid marble canister is a weighty, heirloom-worthy piece. $150.

Kmart large black embossed canister: I personally have a couple of these and can vouch for their quality and good looks. $5.

Tags anna gare, big w, country road, design twins, homewares, kitchen, kitchen canister, kitchen canisters, kmart, linen house, marble basics, orla kiely, robert gordon, zakkia

Designers Homewares Interviews

Get 20% off Design Twins’ new Palm Springs pots

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date April 16, 2017
No Comments on Get 20% off Design Twins’ new Palm Springs pots

A departure from their signature monochrome wares, Design Twins release a gorgeous new peach and navy pot range this week titled ‘Palm Springs’ which is not only inspired by the American destination but Art Deco and terrazzo too.

“Basically, we really wanted to create something a bit different. We’re known for our striking monochrome and metallics but we wanted to do something a bit more laid-back. Some of the pots are quite simple but they complement our more out-there designs,” says Crystal Lindsay, one half of the Design Twins duo.

I love the simple Art Deco motif on this pot design

And in very exciting news for the Aussie brand, they’re about to tackle the US, starting with a workshop in the Los Angeles suburb of El Segundo which is just 10 minutes from LA airport and home to Google and Uber too. “We’ve been planning to go to the US for a couple of years now. We’re starting with a workshop but customers will be able to purchase pots from there also,” says Crystal, whose US customers have been paying than $150 in shipping until now. “We didn’t really think that was fair so this workshop will allow us to ship within America,” says Crystal.

The move to the US inspired the brand’s latest collection too. “We’ve been planning to go to the US for a while now so we looked to US design and more specifically, Palm Springs. When we created this range, we designed the pots to suit homes in Palm Springs but we also added a bit of Art Deco and we’re really fascinated by terrazzo too.”

The range also features limited edition mosaic pots, with a new collection of just five pots released every month. “All of the mosaic pots are going to be one-offs,” says Crystal.

“Our pots suit any style of home. They’re not too out-there but they still make a statement. It all started with the intention of bringing indoor greenery into the home and giving our customers something that they get complimented on – a hero piece,” says Crystal.

To celebrate the Palm Springs collection, Interiors Addict readers will get a 20% discount when the code ‘ADDICT20’ is entered at checkout.

Shop online

Tags design twins, homewares, painted pots, pot plants, pots

Expert Tips Furniture

How to create a home bar with The Design Twins

Post author By Olivia Shead
Post date November 16, 2015
1 Comment on How to create a home bar with The Design Twins

It’s lovely to be able to entertain friends and have a nice drink at home, but when your bar situation consists of a mini fridge and some disposable cups, well you probably won’t be having your friends round for many more visits!

To make entertaining this summer that little more glamorous, creative duo, The Design Twins have teamed up with Woodford Reserve to show how simple and easy it is to create a stylish home bar with an essential drinks offering. All you need is a few hours, DIY enthusiasm and some timber pallets.

Tools required: Drill, saw, hammer, clamps, tape measure, sander, jigsaw and 60mm screws

Materials required: Timber pallets, structural pine (4 x pieces high, 4 x pieces long, 4 x pieces wide), marine ply and washed sand.

Step 1: Use the hammer to remove the palings of wood from the pallets

Step 2: Remove the nails from the wood using the hammer

Step 3: Sand down one side of the palings

Step 4: Build a rectangular box frame using the structural pine and simply screw together

Step 5: Fix the palings to the box frame of the bar, from one side to the other with the sanded side facing out.

Step 6: To make the top of the bar, ensure there is a 200mm overhang over the front and sides of the bar. Once in place it can be screwed in and puttied over. Apply two thin coats of concrete by hand. Mix water with washed sand in a 3:1 ratio. Add water until you have a yoghurt like consistency. Allow two hours drying time in between each layer.

Tags bar, design twins, diy, free, home bar, interiors, masterclass, Stylish, the design twins, woodford reserve

Homewares

Ivy Muse evolve stylish third collection beyond plant stands

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date September 21, 2015
1 Comment on Ivy Muse evolve stylish third collection beyond plant stands

IVY MUSE have launched Calypso, their third collection of limited edition plant stands and botanical wares, featuring seven brand new Melbourne-designed and made products. With the trend for houseplants definitely still on the rise, we think these are fantastic! And the range has now evolved far beyond the plant stand, allowing you to make a real statement with your greenery at home.

Calypso14

There are four brand new plant stands, each available in black and white as well as a limited edition colour unique to that design: Harlequin (Sage), Daisy (Summer Yellow), Button (Sky Blue) and Chameleon (copper plated). The Chameleon is also available in small and medium.

Calypso11

This collection also sees the release of handmade ceramic table tops enabling you to turn any IVY MUSE short plant stand into a side table or plant platform (or both!). Clever!

Calypso19

Also new to the lineup is the plant shelf (my favourite). Made from Victorian Ash and powdercoated steel, it offers flexible options for use as it can be easily flipped so the pot plant sits to the right or left. It comes with a handmade porcelain pot and features grooves for displaying art. That’s great design for you: good looking and useful.

Calypso12b

To further celebrate their third collection, IVY MUSE have collaborated with Sydney-based Design Twins on a hand-painted lightweight concrete pot. The Harlequin is available in grey and green and available exclusively through IVY MUSE and Design Twins.

Calypso15

IVY MUSE also commissioned Victorian ceramicist Ana Maria Jensen to produce an exclusive range of handmade limited edition pots to complement the Calypso range. Wheel-thrown from iron-bearing stoneware, each pot has been combined with unique glazes to allow the clay to gently reveal its natural character. Available in Summer Yellow, Matt Black and Pearl Green.

Calypso01

The brand is the brainchild of longtime friends Jacqui Vidal and Alana Langan. Jacqui, founder of art retailer Signed & Numbered, together with Alana, an interior stylist and owner of online boutique Hunt & Bow, launched the business with a mission to produce beautiful, functional stands that allow people to get creative with their greenery.

Calypso04

Designed by Jacqui and Alana, the stands are made from steel for durability and strength then powdercoated or copper-plated to add beautiful colour and a perfect finish. They are made from start to finish in Melbourne.

IVY MUSE botanical wares can be purchased directly via www.ivymuse.com.au or from over 30 stockists across Australia.

Tags alana langan, ana maria jensen, botanical wares, design twins, greenery, house plents, ivy muse, jacqui vidal, plant pot, plant stands, pot, signed & numbered

Designers Homewares Interviews

Design Twins open one-of-a-kind homewares store in Sydney

Post author By Olivia Shead
Post date August 7, 2015
5 Comments on Design Twins open one-of-a-kind homewares store in Sydney

For many, it will come as a surprise to hear that Design Twins has only been around for a year. So well-known is its name, and so synonymous is the brand with gorgeous, affordable, concrete homewares, you’d easily be mistaken in thinking couple Crystal Bailey and Mitchel Lindsay, were veterans in the industry.

However, while the business may be young, it’s anything but small, with Design Twins about to start its most challenging and exciting chapter yet: a Sydney homewares store! “Since we started Design Twins we’ve just been continuously inspired by the homewares industry and all the designers we’ve met while working on our business,” explains Crystal. “Subsequently, as Design Twins continues to expand, we wanted to create a space where we could make our signature pieces while celebrating the best of Australian designers and local artists. A homewares store, featuring our in-house studio, was just the perfect combination for this next step in our journey.”

Opening tomorrow, the store, located in St Peters’ Precinct 75, will feature Design Twins’ exclusive handmade homewares, alongside some unique designers and limited edition pieces. Expect a store where you will not only be able to shop a beautifully curated selection, but where you can actually see Design Twins products being made. Also on offer is a kids’ corner, so parents can shop while kids play and every three months an art exhibition featuring local talent will take place.

With the aim to present Australian brands and designers in a fresh, unique and interactive way, Crystal and Mitchel are determined to create a homewares store unlike all others. “In many cases, homewares stores just have shelves and items casually displayed, leading people to be unsure of how to style them within their homes or spaces. We’ve set up our store as if it’s an actual living space, providing people with an atmosphere that inspires them to be creative with the pieces they purchase! Plus, since we will be creating our own products in the back section of the store, it will allow us to meet and greet our shoppers on an entirely new level. It’s not just about shopping, but about an experience that excites people about homewares, art and creativity.”

Opening a homewares store, you would think Crystal and Mitchel would have their hands full. Yet somehow, they’ve still managed to design many more products and even have a baby! “In the new store, we will be creating unique pots, where shoppers can literally come in, speak about a pot design with us, grab some lunch, come back and pick their one-of-a-kind lightweight pot up! We’ve also just recently collaborated on a special edition candle with Candlelit & Co and stay tuned for an upcoming collaboration with Ivy Muse. Oh, and we had a little baby boy, London! We are now the proud parents of two lovely little ones!”

Design Twins Store opens tomorrow (Saturday) at 10am.

Warehouse 7.02 | 75 Mary St | St Peters | NSW 2044 | Shop online.

Photography by Jacqui Turk

Tags candlelit & co., concrete, concrete homewares, crystal bailey, design, design twins, homewares, interiors, ivy muse, mitchel lindsay

Homewares Outdoor & Exteriors

Design Twins’ new pots are perfect for indoor plant trend

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date February 4, 2015
6 Comments on Design Twins’ new pots are perfect for indoor plant trend

While indoor plants used to be seen as a bit uncool, they’re now anything but and the trend for them seems to keep on growing. In response to this, some seriously great pots and planters are springing up on the Australian market, not least these lightweight beauties by Design Twins, launched this week. The good news is, Interiors Addict readers can get $30 off for the next 24 hours!

One of half of the duo, Crystal Bailey, said they’ve been heavily inspired by Scandinavian and industrial design, which is very similar to their popular concrete homewares.

The Design Twins' initial concrete homewares have been flying off the shelves — The Design Twins’ initial concrete homewares have been flying off the shelves

“Our favourites are our Dot and Cross pots, because they suit any space of any home and will guarantee life to any room, once a beautiful plant is added. They also have uses for storing toys in children’s rooms, in the pool area for holding towels, or for storing linen in the bedroom.”

The pots are hand painted in Sydney and made from fibre clay, designed for indoor and covered outdoor areas. You should allow four weeks for delivery.

Available in 28 styles and three different sizes, there is sure to be one to suit any interior. The hardest part will be choosing which.

Crystal and her partner (in life and business) Mitchel Lindsay, will be holding a DIY Concrete Party class at Megan Morton’s The School next month. Be quick if you’re interested, as her last two sold out.

READER DISCOUNT

Get $3o off any order of the new lightweight pots for 24 hours only, until 4pm AEDT tomorrow (Thursday 5 February 2015) using the promo code INTERIORS30 at checkout.

Happy shopping!

Please note the discount only applies to the new lightweight pots range. If you have any questions about this promotion, please contact Design Twins.

Tags concrete, crystal bailey, design twins, discount, handpainted, homewares, indoor plants, ivy muse, lightweight pots, megan morton, mitchel lindsay, planters, plants, pots, promo code, sale, sydney, the school

Designers Homewares

The year that was for Design Twins & their concrete homewares

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date January 5, 2015
No Comments on The year that was for Design Twins & their concrete homewares

We love supporting small businesses in the interiors and homewares industry and last year, one couple (in love and business) stood out. They were Crystal Bailey and Mitchel Lindsay from Design Twins and we are a bit smug with ourselves for having been the first blog to feature their gorgeous concrete wares!

The business was in fact, only launched six months ago in June. “The adventure has become a dream come true,” Crystal says. “We spent the start of the year working on original designs that no one had ever seen before and decided to make them all out of an industrial obsession with concrete! It turned out to be so much fun that we would start selling them at the markets. We started to gain a fair amount of interest on social media when we started participating in Interiors Addict’s 7 Vignettes challenge (thank you for being the reason I woke up so early, half asleep in my PJs to take a styled shot!), so setting up a website seemed like a natural thing to do. Once our website was live, our orders were so huge, that we had to move out of our tiny little apartment and into a home with a workshop. It was bittersweet, because we still miss that cute little place on the beach!”

A few weeks later, the couple started receiving a large amount of interest from stockists around the country and decided to move Design Twins into a warehouse, where they juggled business with other jobs and family and then Crystal found out she was six weeks pregnant on her 30th birthday!

(I told you they had a big year!)

“The following month, we moved home and our warehouse again, but it all finally works perfectly and we are working on a brand new collection,” says Crystal. “It’s definitely the hardest we have ever worked, but everything has been so worth it. We have had our products featured in our favourite magazines such as Real Living, Marie Claire and Inside Out and currently have our products stocked in the most beautiful homewares stores such as Fenton & Fenton, Ahoy Trader and The Minimalist. We were also invited to teach sold out concrete classes at The School by Megan Morton.”

In October, Design Twins exhibited at Grand Designs Live and they had a sale event on Temple & Webster.

“All of this, with huge amounts of online orders, and it’s been one crazy, fun, exhausting but rewarding year for us! Everything happened so naturally that we actually can’t explain how it all happened, but we have always remained inspired by others, constantly designing and true to ourselves.”

Crystal credits stylist Megan Morton for the initial inspiration to launch the business, after attending one of her workshops, which she described as life-changing.

Shop online at Design Twins.

The duo have just announced they are taking on new stockists. Contact them via their website if you’re interested.

If you’re a homewares startup, get in touch and share your products with us!

Interiors Addict

The Design Twins’ love affair with concrete

Post author By Olivia Shead
Post date June 19, 2014

When Crystal Bailey and Mitchel Lindsay met last year, they had an immediate connection. They finished each other’s sentences and would spend hours on the phone talking late into the night. In all respects they felt like twins, even nicknaming one another ‘Twinnie’. So when the time came, after months of discussion, to launch their own business, the name came naturally: Design Twins.

A unique handmade homewares brand, The Design Twins’ main obsession is concrete, making everything from pots, cups, pillows and hands out of the material.

“What I love about concrete is the fact that something so strong and simple can be moulded into structured, organic forms,” says Crystal. “It allows the mind to get creative and use it to create anything. I created a concrete birthday cake for Mitch’s birthday a few weeks ago!”

Yet the idea to make homewares out of concrete didn’t come overnight, rather Crystal has stylist extraordinaire Megan Morton to thank for the inspiration. “In February this year, I attended her masterclass. It was life-changing! Literally. I left inspired and hungrier than ever to want to start something different. Something that came naturally to me, yet something different to what was out there in the world of homewares.”

So armed with a visual diary, Crystal spent several weeks sketching and before long, the beginnings of the Design Twins range had formed. The next step saw the duo rock up to their local Bunning’s in a Mini and pick up a bag of concrete (they admit there were some strange looks!) and then, with their kitchen as their studio, they began making.

“We originally made a concrete pot by mixing up a bag of concrete and pouring it into a container,” explains Crystal. “Then we used a smaller container filled with rocks to make the hole in the centre. This simple idea then led to so many crazy ideas, which is how we made our lava pots, cups, pillows, coffee cup candles and skulls.”

A favourite of mine (and of theirs) is the concrete pillow, which while not ideal for resting your head on, is perfect for your phone or keys! “I love the look on people’s faces when they pick them up for the first time, expecting a light pillow and realise it’s actually concrete,” says Mitch. “The texture, weight and individuality that come from concrete itself, just makes every piece so unique.”

The pillow, alongside all their other homwares, is extremely unique, so it may come as a surprise that Design Twins is their first foray into traditional design; with Crystal previously a musician signed to Song Music and EMI Records and Mitch the owner of a gourmet grocer. But for Mitch, he doesn’t believe the lack of formal training has held them back: “I wouldn’t say we have the typical design background of some but we definitely have our own style of controlled madness to our creation processes and that’s what we love.”

Shop online.

Tags concrete, concrete homewares, concrete pillow, crystal bailey, design, design twins, featured, homewares, interiors, mitchell lindsay

Homewares

Olivia’s Fab Four Insta-Finds 04.06.14

Post author By Olivia Shead
Post date June 4, 2014

Olivia’s Fab Four is a weekly post that features my favourite finds on Instagram for the past week. To be in the running, all you have to do is hashtag your product photos #oliviasfabfour and tag them with my handle: @oliviashead.