lauren macer – The Interiors Addict

10 interior designers’ favourite Melbourne homewares stores

With so many homewares stores out there, getting some expert recommendations can save you time, money and most importantly, tears. Surely I’m not the only one who’s got overemotional in the local bedding store… no? Just me! Moving on.

So, we spoke to 10 of Melbourne’s top interior designers to get their recommendations on their favourite Melbourne homewares stores (and don’t worry Sydney, you’ll get yours in the coming weeks).

Miriam Fanning of Mim Design: I look no further than Mud Australia, especially for platters, vessels, vases and cookware. Their timeless handmade porcelain range combines clean lines, functionality and a beautiful colour palette, and has a minimalist aesthetic that I love.

Screen-Shot-2014-03-23-at-3.10.10-AM — Miriam

Sonia Simpfendorfer of Nexus Designs: Cult have so many simple, beautiful accessories, particularly from the Danish brand Hay; their Kaleido trays range in great, slightly off colours are a favourite. The Scholten & Baijings designed bed linens are minimalist loveliness and they have understated desk accessories, notebooks and even coat hangers.

Lauren Macer of Sisalla Interior Design: Safari Living is easily my favourite store for unique homewares. They consistently have a fantastic selection of up and coming Australian designers mixed with some of my favourite European brands. I love stepping into the little corner shop and being surrounded with luxurious Missoni cushions, gorgeous tableware by Danish brand Menu and a great range of Tom Dixon homewares. There are the lesser known brands too, I love the delicate woven bamboo lights by Ay Illuminate made using traditional methods by artisans in Asia and Africa.

Wilson Tang of Sonelo Design Studio: CIBI is our much-loved go-to Japanese cafe and Japanese designer product store. The subtlety and simplicity of their objects boldly embrace their functionality whilst carefully disguising themselves into an appealing object. Their cookware, dining sets, and glassware are up-there on our wish list.

Diane Bergeron of Mercer School of Interior Design: One of my favourite homewares shops in Melbourne is Modern Times on Smith Street. Their pieces are always original and beautifully crafted. I know when I go in there I can find something that will be timeless and mix well with other styles of furniture. Our reception desk at the Mercer School of Interior Design was purchased from there and makes such a statement when you arrive.

hg11T50_17b_DianeBergeron_portrait-bw-edit — Diane

Matt Gibson of Matt Gibson Architecture + Design: We love Great Dane Furniture in Fitzroy, around the corner from our office. They have a great diverse range of furniture,homewares, lighting and accessories, focusing on natural materials like solid timber that ensure products have a long lifespan. Their timeless mid-century pieces can be styled up or down to either accentuate or pare-back their modernist flavour.

Chris Rak of Robson Rak Architects: The one store that blows me away every time I go in is Nicholas & Alistair in Abbotsford. They’ve always got the most exquisite and original 20th century furniture and objects from Europe. I literally lose my breath every time I go in there. The boys who run it are just so passionate and highly knowledgable that they hit the nail on the head with everything they bring in.

Caecilia Potter of Atticus & Milo: Space Furniture is a favourite because they’re a lovely, friendly team to work with and they have such an eclectic collection of my favourite designers and design studios such as Patrizia Urquiola, Antonio Citterio, Marcel Wanders, Ingo Maurer, Bruno Rainaldi, Edra, Moroso, Maxalto, Foscarini, Opinion Ciatti – I could keep going!

Anna Dutton of Bower Architecture: One of my favourites is Luke Furniture, just around the corner from us on High Street in Prahran. Their range is carefully curated and features timeless pieces with texture and warmth: qualities which align with our own approach to design. They have a great range of ceramics, warm timber accessories, lighting and of course, furniture. We just bought a Modernica Case Study Planter from them in black ceramic and timber for the Bower Architecture studio. It is perfect.

Anna (right) and co-directors Chema Bould and Jade Vidal.

Carole Whiting of Whiting Architects: My favourite Melbourne homewares store is Red Hill House as it always has a great collection of kitchen goods, decorative and practical products and they are always well stocked. They have a keen eye for products with a bit of soul and they support the local community by stocking products produced by local craft makers. With so many mass-produced goods on offer, it’s nourishing to buy one-offs or handmade goods that someone has physically touched and made with love.

We hope you found this list useful. Please let us know what you’d add!

Why being a one-woman show is an advantage for Sisalla Interior Design

As a sole trader, it’s a pretty impressive feat to be shortlisted for the 2014 Australian Interior Design Awards, but it is one that Lauren Macer of Sisalla Interior Design, has managed.

Nominated in the residential decoration category for her Laurel Court project, she’s ecstatic to be up against some of her favourite designers: “Just to be in the same category as other firms whose work I admire is amazing. I have to admit when I found out I was shortlisted I squealed. Loudly!”

Starting her Melbourne-based firm in 2009, Lauren began taking on clients while she was still working full-time at a leading architectural practice in Collingwood. Having worked in both Australia and overseas, she had experience across the whole design process and it was this knowledge that gave her the courage to set out on her own.

Whilst there are the obvious challenges of starting your own practice, Lauren believes it also sets her apart: “As a sole practitioner, the client deals with me from beginning to end. I handle the initial briefing, present the concept, complete any architectural drafting, project management and even the final interior styling of the project. So this means that no details get lost in handing different elements to different people.”

Looking after both the interior design and decoration, Lauren’s work covers anything from the spatial planning all the way through to furniture selection and window finishes.

“It’s a great feeling if I’m able to change someone’s environment to enhance the way they live,” she explains. “Receiving feedback from a client saying he loves coming home each day, and when stepping through the front door it really feels like home – for me, that’s what it should all be about.”

Working primarily in residential, her passion lies in working directly with a client on their home. Lauren prides herself on focusing on her clients’ needs and enhancing their space with an understated luxury and an element of the unexpected. “It’s really about listening to the client’s requirements resulting in a space that expresses their personalities and needs rather than being dictated by a particular style,” says Lauren. “However, I suppose it’s inevitable that a certain style starts to develop. I’m drawn to quite a sophisticated, eclectic style, featuring mid-century and incorporating contemporary design.”

A lover of colour and combining texture with pattern, Lauren puts a lot of emphasis on lighting in helping to create warmth and atmosphere. For her, it’s all about mixing it up, meshing the old with the new “to avoid that showroom look that has no soul.”

Currently in the final stages of renovating her own place, Lauren has been able to put these skills into practice, as well as teaching interior design courses at CAE in Flinders Lane, an experience she loves. “It gives me the chance to talk about interiors for hours with lovely people!”

It is also a place where she gets to interact with emerging interior designers and for her, her advice is simple: gain experience. “For those thinking of starting out in the interior design business I would recommend getting experience at different practices to learn how to operate with integrity and skills such as architectural drawing and how to compile a presentation,” explains Lauren. “Also, from my experience, the fun part — concept design — is only a small fraction of the work we do. It takes a lot of work to get to the end of a successful interior.”