Happy Friday, readers! Who doesn’t love a bit of online shopping inspo as we count down to the weekend?!
Originally running a boutique for kids, Rebecca Meyer began receiving an increasing amount of requests from customers who wanted a lot of her homewares range, but in adult versions!
So, a whole new concept was born as Shelter 7, a carefully curated collection of ethically made, well designed, unique and beautiful products with an emphasis on quality. “The Shelter 7 range is all about heirloom pieces,” explains Rebecca. “Classic investment pieces that stand the test of the ever-changing trends that emerge.”
Run in partnership with her husband, Shelter 7 is both an online boutique and a physical storefront in Geelong, VIC. Selling a wide variety of products — anything from ceramic dishes to art prints — they all weave into Rebecca’s obsession with the idea of shelters.
“We love the shelters we live in to be inspiring and welcoming, with a mixture of contemporary and vintage finds and local and overseas designers. So as a result, Shelter 7 is a carefully sourced collection of curiosities for the shelter we live and exist in.”
When Georgia Hopkins stumbled upon Melbourne’s PerArchitects‘ cardboard houses, she knew she had found something unique. Used as short-term disaster relief housing, they were recyclable, temporary, cheap to make, weatherproof and adaptable, and Georgia believed their use could go far beyond their original intention. So in March 2013, after quitting her job at an investment bank, she founded House of Card.
Photo Credit: Oliver Freeman
The House of Card pop-up houses are now partnering with brands to showcase the brand as well as promote Australian design, aesthetics and sustainability. With the houses made from a paper-based graphic display board known as Falconboard, and plywood and shipping pallets, all materials are completely recyclable, and the houses can be used over and over again.
Since launching, Georgia has run pops-ups in both Australia and the US (where she is currently based). Her first was at the massive SXSW music, film and interactive festival in Austin, Texas. Partnering with Australian company Longshot Coffee, they became the Pop Up Down Under Coffee House. Since then, she’s done the SXSW for a second time, as well as a bakehouse in LA’s Santa Barbara and a toast bar (apparently the Americans struggle with doing good toast!) at a street festival in Venice Beach, LA.
Pop Up Down Under Coffee House. Photo Credit: The Creative and The Planner
House of Card’s latest pop-up however has seen Georgia return home to Australia, creating a ‘cardboard hotel’ in Melbourne. “Being a bit of a gypsy and living out of a suitcase for the past two years with no fixed address, I have come to love and seek out all sorts of different accommodation,” she explains. “So given the houses were originally designed to be used as temporary and emergency accommodation, I thought it would be fun (and beautiful) to set up cardboard houses to offer exactly that: cosy, cardboard accommodation!”
The Cardboard Hotel. Photo Credit: Oliver Freeman
Open for just the week, Georgia invited a group of local brands to be her first ever guests, with each being invited to add their own touches to their house with products. The guest list featured many of the up and comers in Australian fashion and design, including Kip & Co, Skin and Threads, POMS jewellery, Corn+Celeste, Fleur&Wood and State of Folly.
The cardboard hotel also featured a mini dinner party series (mini because the houses can only accommodate six-to-eight guests!) to raise funds for social business Food for Thought, a food program for local kids in the slums of Buenos Aires.
The Cardboard Hotel. Photo Credit: Oliver Freeman
With the pop-up hotel done and dusted, Georgia is now ready for her next adventure and she’s thinking global domination. “We have some exciting plans for House of Card. We hope to see these beautiful little temporary structures popping up all over the world! The sky is the limit really. Pop-up film studios, mini band rooms and stages, another pop-up hotel perhaps, fashion collaborations, juice bars, coffee houses, coconut stands, mini craft breweries, wine bars… the options are endless.”
As Kip & Co co-owner Kate Heppell puts it: “We’re not trying to be the sophisticated kids bedding company, or even the cute or the pretty, we just want to make a spunky fun kids bedding range.” And boy, do they nail that brief.
Kate, along with her sister Hayley Pannekoecke and her best friend Alex van der Sluys, make up the Kip & Co team. Founded in 2012 they also design bold and beautiful adults bedding, but it’s their new kids range, that we got an exclusive first look at, that has really got our attention.
A particular favourite is the scribble print, “the kids version of the polka dot,” which was drawn by Hayley’s then four-year-old daughter, Chloe.
“We had kind of tried a scribble print before but we had never thought to say to a child can you have a little play for us,” explains Kate. “So Chloe did all these scribbles for us and we just ended up doing this big repeat of them. We didn’t want it to be age specific, just fun and colourful.”
It is this type of collaboration that sees Kate favour designing for kids over adults, and having a child herself and Hayley having three, means there’s always a little person to bounce ideas off.
“We definitely do a lot of testing with our kids,” says Kate. “Showing them drawings and prints throughout the design process. Chloe in particular is definitely our inspiration, she is a great sounding board.”
Other kids prints featured in the range include a reversible bedspread with a pizza print on one side and a psychedelic candystripe on the other, as well some deep coloured velvets with cotton backings.
And if you’re wishing you could turn back the clock so you too could enjoy the lovely bedding, no need, the kids prints are also available for adults!
The new designs launch today. To shop online and get a list of local stockists visit Kip & Co here.
There’s nothing like a peaceful, comfortable night’s sleep and a new bed or mattress can be pretty much life-changing! I asked a few experts for their top tips on getting a good night’s sleep and creating a relaxing bedroom sanctuary.
An Ergoflex mattress won’t look out of place in the most stylish bedroom
Matthew White of Ergoflex, says: “Better sleep is about a holistic approach. It’s about improving your sleep environment, and about training yourself to be a better sleeper. First, create a bedroom you never want to leave. A room with a relaxed ambience, regularly washed sheets, darkness when the lights go out and, where possible, zero noise pollution.
“You spend around one-third of your life in your bed so invest in a mattress and pillows that will help you sleep comfortably and undisturbed through the night, such as the proven material memory foam. Exercise, eat healthily, and drink plenty of fluids — and do it to a routine. Learn to wind down before you go to sleep, keep your stresses outside your bedroom door, and retire your digital devices an hour earlier.”
Tracie Ellis is creative director of Melbourne linen brand Aura Home. She says: “A great mattress and good quality natural fibre sheets and bedding are worth every dollar. Create a relaxing sanctuary that allows you to slip into a peaceful slumber with a beautiful natural fibre quilt and pillows, and of course only natural fibres for your bed linen. Your bed linen is right next to your skin so always choose pure cotton and/or linen which will breathe and enable you to have a great night’s sleep, also wonderful in keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter.
“Choose bed linen in colours that you love so that you’ll feel relaxed when enter your bedroom. Extra luxuries such as big fluffy European pillows and layers of throws on the end of your bed are great for extra warmth and comfort.”
Aura linen
Sometimes, it’s altogether more simple too: “I love an open window for fresh air, a great book and my phone on silent,” Tracie adds.
Interior stylist Naomi Findlay of Silk Home Staging & Styling says: “A visually cluttered space can impact on your ability to focus and relax. Minimising the amount of clutter will give you the best chance to relax and rest. It is well known that colours can have a physiological effect on us; colours can help us focus, increase our heart rate or even have a soothing effect. It goes without saying that it is best to avoid colours that increase your heart rate and alertness when decorating your bedroom, such as fiery red, zesty orange and yellow. Consider a muted or softer palette.”
She adds: “To help you slip into sleep or a relaxing state quicker, choose softer lighting over harsh bright lights. Consider having overhead lighting on dimmers and use side lamps beside the bed. Your bedroom should be all about you and your partner (if applicable), so spend some time thinking about the places that you feel most relaxed and calm. Is this in a holiday home, hotel or somewhere else? Once you have worked this out, spend some time recreating elements of this place to help transport you there whenever you enter the room.”
Kip & Co linen
Hayley Pannekoecke of Australian bed linen company Kip & Co, adds: “The first thing required for a great night’s sleep is a fluffy pillow and an amazing comfy mattress. Linen-wise, nothing beats beautiful soft cotton sheets and pillowcases.
“Having a hot shower before bed is great for getting you in a snoozy state of mind. It’s important to have good air flow in the bedroom and to be warm, but not too warm. Overheating is terrible for sleeping conditions. Lastly, try and eat dinner a couple of hours before bed so you’re not too full. If you follow these guidelines you’re bound to be drifting off in no time at all! Sweet dreams!”
About Ergoflex
The Ergoflex memory foam mattress is a temperature sensitive, pressure-relieving mattress that moulds itself to the contours of your body. The Ergoflex memory foam mattress gives your body optimum support and comfort meaning a restful and more comfortable sleep. Available online across Australia at www.ergoflex.com.au
WIN A MATTRESS
For your chance of winning an Ergoflex mattress in your choice of size tell us, in less than 200 words, why you crave a good night’s sleep. Complete the form below by 11pm on Sunday 16 March 2014
This husband and wife pair, Kate and Graeme from The Story of Us, are more than a bit awesome, they’re a creative force to be reckoned with!
Kate reached the status of one of my favourite people of 2013 after designing my wedding invites and editing our amazing, much talked about wedding video (I know, enough about the wedding already!). Here’s what they’d like from Santa this year…
Melbourne’s boutique bedding company Kip & Co, has launched its latest collection, Dappled Dreams, adding towels and rugs to complement its linen for adults and kids.
The Matchstick and Spots designs
It’s a celebration of summers gone and the possibilities of summers to come – dappled light and warm nights, radio crackling, beach swims, salty skin, friendships made, gold and braid.
“We wanted to create a relaxed range that conveyed that sense of freedom you get over a long coastal summer,” said co-founder Hayley Pannekoecke.
The colourful Obus design, a collaboration
The range features Kip’s first collaboration with Obus founder, Kylie Zerbst. Kylie’s energy and independence found a kindred spirit one summer with Kip’s Kate Heppell, and together they began a long and fierce friendship.
