Regular trips to my local markets have been one of the things I’ve missed the most during the pandemic. Thankfully, the famous Finders Keepers Markets are offering the opportunity to experience everything we love about markets from the comfort and safety of our own homes. The online event starts today (4 March) and continues until Sunday.
Elph Ceramics homewares
Unable to hold the markets in person throughout 2020, the Finders Keepers have drawn in tens of thousands of shoppers through their online marketplace. They have now added this dedicated market weekend to their calendar.
Breezy Bird Studio artwork
The Finders Keepers have filled their virtual aisles with your favourite brands, labels and businesses for you to peruse. Take advantage of the exclusive artist discounts and offers over the next four days.
More Than Ever textiles
After the unprecedented difficulty of last year, events like this are vital to not only get Australia’s vibrant create community back on their feet, but to allow them to thrive.
Turner + Turner timber homewares
If you’re aching to give your homewares a much needed refresh, The Finders Keepers will certainly have pieces to catch your eye. Visit the online marketplace from today until Sunday and take advantage of their event exclusive offers. Of course, you’ll also find fashion, accessories, gifts and more too!
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Kmart has added many more pieces to its Online Exclusives range, comprising of affordable larger-sized home solutions not previously available in store. Announcing more than 100 new styles for the home, they’ve already begun arriving online and will continue to drop in the coming weeks to form part of their ongoing range.
The Thorne entertainment unit
Kmart’s move to broaden its online-only offering started last year, with plans to continue to expand their offering and provide customers with greater access to homewares all year round. Styles were released as a test and learn during the initial launch, and the range now comprises of products within furniture, bedding, rugs, nursery products, fitness equipment, and outdoor play equipment.
“We promised we had more to come in the larger furniture range and we are so excited to now be delivering on this. We love the solutions and hope our customers do too,” said, Callum Smith, Kmart’s general manager for general merchandise. “We want to offer our community a complete solution for their home so as families grow or families downsize, they have access to great designs at the most affordable prices.”
This two-tone cot is an eye-catching addition to any nursery
Augmented Reality (AR) to visualise your purchases
Kmart are offering 48 products through Augmented Reality (AR) to see for yourself how they might look in your home. With an AR-compatible smartphone, you can scan, place, move, zoom in and out, or rotate, to view the product from all angles.
The new range also includes several exercise machines, such as this stationary spin bike
Got any questions? You can ask the KBot assist. The AI conversational chat assistant can answer product-related questions, recommend complementary products that are viewable in AR straight away, and can turn your thoughts into reality.
Kmart’s head of digital marketing, Melissa Wong said: “We launched KBot late last year and it has been received incredibly well and that is why it was the perfect time to extend this immersive engagement for our Online Exclusives range. It elevates the customer’s shopping experience by getting close with our products virtually and offering AI conversational assistance along the way.”
This desk with storage complements existing pieces in the Kmart range.
Visit www.klabs.com.au to enter the immersive product experience and explore, play and shop the new Online Exclusive range.
Kmart’s online exclusive range is available to purchase on the Kmart website.
This new children's Chesterfield is rather gorgeous
When Incy Interiors launched a decade ago, the Australian children’s furniture scene was a rather bland and predictable one. Debuting with a range of retro style iron beds and cots, in a delectable range of on-trend colours, the Incy Interiors range soon became a favourite of design-conscious parents across the country – and it’s still going strong after ten years in business.
Incy Interiors’ iconic rose gold ‘Ellie’ cot
“I definitely underestimated the gap in the market and that first year was insane,” says the brand’s founder Kristy Withers who decided to launch the brand after shopping for a ‘big boy bed’ for her two-year-old son Oscar and being uninspired by the options.
Working in corporate marketing at eBay at the time, and travelling to the US and Europe constantly, Kristy was able to check out all of the amazing children’s furniture products that weren’t available in Australia. “After lots of talking about it, trying to get things made and researching, my husband finally said to me one day ‘for god sake just do it!'” says Kristy.
Incy Interiors’ founder Kristy Withers
That first year of business was so successful that even Kristy’s daughter was waiting in line for one of the brand’s covetable cots. “The year we launched I also had my daughter Polly, and she didn’t have a cot until she was at least six months old because it kept selling out, so I had to keep bumping her to the next shipment!” says Kristy.
The stylish range has since expanded to encompass around 70 products and is available across the globe with distributors in the US and UK and stockists in New Zealand, the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Kristy’s daughter Polly with a sofa from the new collection
And Kristy manages all of this from her base in Orange, where she resides with her husband and two children on 100 acres of land. “We lead a really simple, easy life in such a beautiful part of the world. Most of my team are based in Sydney so I have a great excuse to get back to the city and get my fix and catch up with my friends. I couldn’t imagine life any other way,” says Kristy.
The new collection features velvet in five lovely shades
As for the brand’s most popular product, it’s no surprise to hear that it’s the rose gold cot. “I don’t think there would have been Incy without our rose gold products. I have lost count of how many beds and cots we have sold. They are definitely our signature piece that are the perfect blend of classic but cool!” says Kristy.
This new children’s Chesterfield is rather gorgeous
And to celebrate Incy’s tenth birthday, the brand has a new range on the horizon too – slated to launch next month and pictured here. Central to the brand’s ethos, Incy believes that kids’ rooms are sacred spaces in which children can showcase their creativity and thus have launched a fully customisable range that speaks to this. With five velvet shades and two gorgeous, aged leathers, the range represents over 1000 exciting design possibilities.
Dark brown aged leather features in the range
“We are so excited about the massive new collection and we also have a new collaboration that I am really excited about, that has been in the works for two years. We have something really exciting happening every month of this year so strap yourselves in for some amazingness from Incy as we hit our second decade!”
Photography: Pablo Viega (shot on location at stylist Steve Cordony’s gorgeous Rosedale Farm)
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While Australia’s homewares scene has continued to dramatically improve over the years, when it comes to bathrooms it can still be a little tricky to find stylish wares to put the icing on the cake. Oliver Thom, the exclusive bathroom accessory store launched in 2019, has well and truly filled that gap, which is probably why it’s been such a big success.
Oliver Thom’s Sydney bathroom emporium
“Over the years of working in bathroom design, I noticed a real lack of high-end, well produced bathroom accessories that were easily accessible in Australia. We would fit out really beautiful luxe bathrooms and then struggle to style them and give them the finishing touches they deserved,” explains co-founder Kaety Thompson. She spent many years as a design consultant and buyer at high end bathroomware store Candana, before starting Oliver Thom with its owner Marc Reed.
Oliver Thom co-founders Marc Reed and Kaety Thompson
After combining Marc’s business savvy with Kaety’s interior design prowess, the pair decided on a business name that is both personal and clever. “Oliver is Marc’s middle name, and Thom is the beginning of my surname Thompson. Simple but effective, we thought Oliver Thom sounded like a stylish, design enthusiast and imagined a whole persona to fit the store,” says Kaety of the business that started as an online store in 2019, before becoming a physical one in Sydney’s Woollahra a year later.
The bricks and mortar store was developed in response to feedback from clients who really wanted to see the products in real life before specifying them. Opening the store proved to be the right move as it instantly improved brand exposure and boosted sales. “It’s probably a 60/40 percent split with in-store sales being the more profitable part of the business,” says Kaety.
The store is located close to Candana which works well – customers who have just finished a renovation or new bathroom can pop down to the store and get everything they need style it. “Our shop corner on busy Edgecliff Road has been extremely beneficial in terms of exposure, so even if customers aren’t able to find parking (which is often the case in Sydney!) they can jump online and view the full range.”
As for which items are the most requested, predictably they are the ones that are usually the ugliest – toilet brushes and bins! “They are absolutely necessary in the bathroom, but they often end up being the least thought about, which doesn’t make sense if you’re designing a beautiful bathroom and then finish it off with ugly bins and toilet brushes,” says Kaety.
The Nova pedal bin by Zone Denmark is another popular style
She admits that finding stylish alternatives for those items hasn’t always been easy. Oliver Thom’s curation of bins are not only pleasing to look at but they won’t rust or look aged in a few years’ time.
The Mette Dimmer toilet range includes a rather attractive brush
Also popular is the Frama Apothecary range of soaps and lotions that come out of Copenhagen. “We’re one of only a handful of Australian retailers of this product, and they are becoming a design icon,” says Kaety.
The cult Frama range is a big hit for the store
Unsurprisingly, their own range of across-the-bath caddies are another top seller. Designed in collaboration with the San Francisco artist Tina Frey, they are hand cast and finished in black or white resin. They’re certainly the most stylish bath caddies we’ve seen. In addition, the Baina Josephine hand towels sell out every time they are restocked. “The simple check design and feel of organic cotton will always ensure they are a coveted item,” says Kaety.
The resin bath trays are designed in-house in conjunction with the US artist Tina Frey
And as with many furniture and homewares retailers, Oliver Thom has seen a boon in sales since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020. “Just like I think the rest of the building and design industry, we were lucky that our customers were able to spend money that they would normally reserve for travel and hospitality on their homes, and making them beautiful.”
Kaety’s favourite three products under $100
Tradition beech wood bath brush by Andrée Jardin’s, $60: “Our Andrée Jardin brushes are made in France by third generation artisans. The entire range of brushes is under $100, but if I had to choose a favourite it would be the Tradition bath brush in Beech wood,” says Kaety.
Baina Josephine hand towel, $45: “These hand towels sell out every time we re-stock them, but the simple check design and feel of organic cotton will always ensure they are a coveted item,” says Kaety.
Australian kitchen, bathroom & laundry trends: December 2020
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From a compact desk to a neat laptop stand and stylish air purifier, the latest IKEA drop seems heavily influenced by the pandemic and small space living. There’s a gorgeous affordable candle range, created by luxe fragrance house Byredo, in the mix too.
OSYNLIG candle collection: Designed in collaboration with Ben Gorham, the founder of luxury fragrance house Byredo, these candles are housed in gorgeous hand made vessels perfect for storage or styling when the candle runs out. From $19.99.
LINNEBÄCK easy chair: Available in light and dark grey in addition to olive green, this new chair design was created by IKEA along with customers in Sweden, Denmark and China. The result is comfortable, stylish and at $79 each, budget-conscious too.
RÖDASK rug: Combining cotton and cotton chenille with a jacquard weave, this clean geometric patterned rug is a bargain at $99. (133cm x 195cm)
FÖRNUFTIG air purifier: With its clean minimalist lines you’d be hard pressed to figure out what this stylish design actually is. One of the slickest air purifiers we’ve seen, this little beauty can be wall or floor mounted. $89.
BJÖRKÅSEN laptop stand: A compact option for those that like to combine couch and computer time (though it makes a great music stand too), this is ideal for compact spaces. With a built-in mug holder for your cup of tea, it’s light enough to move around and small enough to tuck away when not in use. $39.
IKEA RUDSTA cabinet: The perfect place to display your favourite things we love the fine proportions of this piece as well as its fabulous light turquoise hue. $139.
IKEA LENAST cot quilt cover and pillowcase: Combining a timeless dot pattern in gender neutral grey and white, this lovely cotton/viscose blend quilt and pillowcase is a bargain at $15.
IKEA HAUGA desk: Another great option for small spaces, this desk is ideal for those working from home – its compact design makes it handy for a hallway or underused nook. $129.
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I don’t know about you but with the school holidays over, I’m super keen to declutter my kids’ rooms and give them a mini-makeover. Beyond the sorting and storage battles, I think a couple of cute new interiors buys could be just the refresh that the rooms need. And there’s nothing that makes a greater impact, per dollar spent, than some fabulous new wall art.
Alphaberts: From the font to the colour palette, we love the nostalgic feel of these gorgeous alphabet prints. Perfect for adding a big splash of colour, you can choose from a couple of purchasing options – either download a file to print yourself or at a printer, or choose to have a hard copy delivered (framed or unframed). From $34.90.
Violet Eyes: The work of artist, commercial illustrator and textile designer Ainslie Fletcher, we’ve been fans of this brand since its inception. From pretty girls’ faces to floral designs, it’s the go-to spot for a whimsical wall art find. From $99.
Violet Eyes creates removable wall decals too
Blond + Noir: While this brand’s range spans rainbows, butterflies and geometric shapes, it’s the Australian animal series that takes our fancy. The brand does a brilliant range of removable wall decals too. From $25.
The ‘Coco’ and ‘Klim’ Australian art prints are seen here styled with the brand’s removable wall decals
V. Happy Co: With their use of bright primary colours and fun, retro designs, this new kids’ ‘alphapic’ brand is destined for success. There’s a gorgeous full alphabet poster plus single letter designs and for those after a custom creation, you can order a bespoke name print too. From $90.
Desenio: The perfect site from which to purchase a complete gallery wall set, this brand takes the second guessing and rumination out of the equation. There’s plenty of stylish options for babies, toddlers, tweens and beyond. From $24.95 per print. Sets sold individually.
The ‘Playful Moments’ gallery wall set includes nine complementary prints. $297.55
‘Lovely Sleep’ gallery wall, $174.70
Alphapop: With a fascination and love for typography and language, this lovely retro styled print range was created by Michael Wholley and Helen Frank. “As parents of a toddler we love to produce unique prints that educate and delight young minds,” says Helen. From $45.
The ‘Alphabet Pop’ print
The ‘Times Table’ print is one for the older kids
The ‘Blocks’ print
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I don’t know about you but it feels like there’s a new colour kid on the block; a muted take on Pantone’s 2018 Colour of the Year ‘Ultra Violet,’ lilac has invaded our social media feeds. A fabulous complement to millennial pink, the pastel, cool-toned shade of pale purple is a surprisingly chic choice. From cushions to glassware, rugs and even sofas, here’s our top picks.
Kip & Co lavender velvet quilt cover: Kip & Co’s iconic velvet range got the purple treatment recently and the 100 per cent cotton lavender quilt cover and pillow cases look rather fabulous. $260.10 (King).
Interiors Online Slipper chair lilac with oak legs: A popular Art Deco shape, the compact slipper chair was originally designed for the bedroom but it would work equally well in a lounge room too. The oak legs give this one a fresh, modern feel. $579.
Hay colour storage crate, medium lavender: Available in a wide range of fabulous colours, these industrial styled, compact, stackable containers are ideal for home organisation. They offer great storage for everything from toys to office supplies, and their airy, perforated design makes them ideal for food and bathroom accessories. The lilac option is lovely but you can mix and match too! $19.05.
Marmoset Found Memphis vase in rose, large: This pleat vase was a runaway success when it launched a few years ago and it’s remained popular ever since. The design looks equally as fabulous brimming with blooms as it does unadorned as a sculptural object. $79.
Sage & Clare Tula Nudie bath mat, Alegria: The brand’s most popular product ever has been recreated in a brand new colour way for high summer. Multi-coloured text is set against a lilac background in this 100 per cent cotton creation. $79.
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Given the fast-paced tech-driven world that we live in, there’s something charming about the latest trend to invade our Instagram feeds – the taper candle. Low-fi and nostalgic, the taper candle has a long history in the home (they found their way into gothic, baroque and colonial interiors mainly out of necessity) but the latest designs have a distinctly modern flavour. There’s unusual shapes, neon colours and a gorgeous array of contemporary vessels to house them in.
De Crecy candles: Designed and hand poured in Bondi by Tony Assness, these gorgeous candles have taken over our Instagram feeds – no doubt due to their unique, sculptural shapes. They’re made from Australian-sourced butter beige wax and are priced from $44.
Urban Outfitters Ombre Taper candle set: Bring a colourful glow to your next tabletop display with these ombre-hued taper candles. They’re very reasonably priced at $18 for a set of four.
XRJ Celebrations taper candles: Never one to do things in halves, Roxy Jacenko’s candle foray certainly packs a visual punch. Styled en masse, the key to this look is the sheer number of candles in the mix. The acrylic and wooden bases are available for purchase too. From $100.
Black Blaze Colour Pillar candles: Available in an array of gorgeous hues (eucalyptus, honey and peach to name just a few), these candles (from $16) are made in Sydney from pure plant based wax. The matching minimalist solid brass candle holder, $59, completes the look.
Lex Pott ‘TWIST’ twisted candle in pink: Made in the Netherlands from paraffin wax, this fun sculptural piece is a fabulous blend of form and function. It’s available in an array of colours. $44.
Gloria Speaking Alias candlestick in pink: The perfect vessel in which to hold a taper candle, these delicate glassware pieces are giving us major mid-century modern vibes. The matching taper candles are also available for purchase. $44.
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Originally from Italy’s Amalfi coast, Sydney based Teresa Vigroux spent many years in France before moving to Sydney six years ago with her French husband. After working in France as an interior stylist, she completed a Diploma in Interior Design at ISCD, and has worked in interior and property styling as well as visual merchandising ever since. She has also just released a range of unique cloud-inspired mirrors under the Instagram handle ‘A Frenchman’s Wife.’
Teresa’s mirrors are inspired by clouds
While also leading a busy life as a mother to two boys, Teresa started to dream of starting her own business and was keen to do something creative. “One day I decided I wanted to make mirrors and I thought it would be interesting to do some kind of sculpture on the mirrors too.” She explored many materials before settling on using a filling foam that is typically used to insulate wall cavities.
“I came across the foam and tried to use it to make sculptures and mirrors and even furniture. As soon as I started working with it, I realised that it looked amazing,” says Teresa of her new range of mirrors that are part of her aptly titled ‘Cloud Collection.’
An unusual aesthetic, the mirrors were inspired by a childhood penchant for cloud-watching – Teresa used to lay on the terrazzo in the south of Italy and watch the marshmallow-like expanses travel by. “I will never forget the fun we had looking for animal and shoe shapes in the clouds. This collection is also a memory of my childhood.”
A fast-curing, expanding material, Teresa works quickly to create each mirror before painting over the foam with water-based paint and a paint protector. And while the business is in its early days, she has sold around 30 mirrors in the last six weeks, mostly via Instagram and word of mouth.
“I have had a lot great feedback from people in design and fashion. I’ve had models, influencers and ordinary people contact me and I have customers all over Australia, and in the USA as well.”
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From the singular vision of Carla Dinnage to Kaz Morton‘s gorgeous pieces and our long-time favourite Jones & Co, loyal readers will know that we’re a bit ceramics obsessed around here – it’s hard to resist the allure of the handmade, no? And in great news, the Aussie ceramics scene continues to thrive with many new players in the market. Here’s our pick of the bunch.
Milk Workshop: Handmade in small batches in Melbourne by ceramicist Cate Brown, the Milk Workshop range is both beautiful and functional. With a background in fashion and graphic design, Cate incorporates minimalist clean lines and organic textures into her work. Subtle details, illustrations and glaze finishes prove less really can be more.
Benna Co: Inspired by the colours and textures of the Australian landscape, artist Kelly Murphy creates beautiful yet functional ceramic pieces including platters, planters, vases and wall hangings. We’re particularly taken with her plates and platters which are uniquely glazed to appear as abstract landscape paintings and aerial Aussie views.
Made by Bowie: Created by potter Kate Bowman on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, the Made by Bowie collection has a nostalgic 70’s feel and includes everything from planters to vases, plates, mugs and even the fabulous ‘Luna lamp’ which is crafted from a single block of clay.
The Luna lamp
Paxxy & Flora: Paxxy & Flora is a Brisbane-based ceramics brand built from a love of pink, flowers and a desire to bring beauty and joy to the everyday. Every item is designed, hand moulded and glazed by the brand’s owner Cas Thompson who moonlights as a florist too. Her custom rainbow plates have a bit of a cult following.
Winterwares: Handmade in Western Australia’s port city of Fremantle, the beautiful Winterwares range is the creation of former graphic designer Simone Nabholz. The largely monochrome collection includes rustic plates, bowls, mugs and vases and draws on the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi and the Danish custom of hygge.
Bei Creative: Small batch, fun and functional, the Bei Creative range is handmade by Belinda Hartwich in her home studio in Victoria’s Warrnambool. We love her use of colour across the range that features everything from wall crosses to vases, bowls, mugs, planters and spoons.
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