Tag: sarah-jane pyke

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Designers Expert Tips Furniture Homewares

10 interior designers’ favourite Sydney homewares stores

Last week we spoke to 10 of Melbourne’s top interior designers and had them recommend their favourite Melbourne homewares stores. Today it’s Sydney’s turn! 

Ioanna Lennox of Ioanna Lennox Interiors: West Elm is my go-to place if I need something to add to an already defined style or existing room or, equally, if I need to pick out some feature items as a starting point for a space. West Elm has everything from contemporary and modern American furniture, rugs, pre-made curtains and soft furnishings to beautiful accents and kitchenware that would enhance any space. The West Elm style is warm, textured and relaxed and fits so well into our contemporary Australian design aesthetic.

Ioanna
Ioanna

Jeremy Bull of Alexander &CO: The creation of cultural brain trust Nicholas Barber (also one of the more lovely human beings you are likely to meet) Dunlin is a beautiful curation of nostalgia and craft. We haven’t found a project yet where there isn’t a great place for a handmade wicker basket, suspended glass terrarium or mast light fitting, and there is never a reason not to have him visit our studio.

Jeremy
Jeremy

Meryl Hare of Hare + Klein: My favourite homewares store is Spence & Lyda. They vary their merchandise and often have one-offs, so they keep us interested! They also have a range of Ruth Levine’s beautiful vessels and totems, a personal favourite.

Spence
Spence & Lyda

Christopher Polly of Christopher Polly Architect: Top3 By Design is a favourite, as I’ve found myself consistently revisiting their store due to their broad range of products. They offer good design, ranging from simple to eclectic pieces and they regularly refresh with new products. They have a great mix of lighting, homewares and accessories for utilitarian or decorative purposes.

Christopher
Christopher

Virginia Kerridge of Virginia Kerridge Architect: My favourite homewares store is Chee Soon & Fitzgerald, and it’s also my local as they are on Regent St, Redfern. It’s a small store but they have lots of quality things, and the fact that it is small means you aren’t overwhelmed by choice as is so often the case! They have a great mixture of products from ceramics and textiles to lighting and gifts. Also you have the added bonus of having a laugh with them every time you visit!

Chee Soon & Fitzgerald
Chee Soon & Fitzgerald

Brendan Wong of Brendan Wong Design: Now in their 30th year, Dinosaur Designs are known for their signature resin pieces. The forms are so fascinating and when placed near a window they illuminate beautifully. They are now working with other diverse materials including brass, silver and agate. They have taken their pieces around the world but their original Paddington store is still at the heart. You’ll find bright resin vases or subdued ceramic bowls, something for every interior.

Brendan
Brendan

Brad Swartz of Brad Swartz Architect: One of my favourite homewares stores is Catapult Design in Darlinghurst. They have a beautiful collection of furniture from both established and up and coming Australian designers. The finely crafted and minimalistic design of many of their pieces means their furniture can either be a signature piece or sit back and let the architecture, view or artwork take centre stage.

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Catapult Designs

Sarah-Jane Pyke of Arent&Pyke: Small Spaces in Redfern is such a rare gem, unlike any other retail experience in Sydney. It is such a beautiful space, part art gallery and part homewares store, with a selection of furniture pieces to suit small homes. A visit to Small Spaces is always inspiring. In this era of mass production, everything in the store feels like a rare treasure, with a strong sense of its maker. As much as the store changes, it maintains its peaceful, light filled calm. You feel like you could move in and spend the rest of your days drinking tea.

Sarah (left) and co-director Juliette Arent
Sarah (left) and co-director Juliette Arent

Anoushka Allum of SmartSpace Interiors: I’m always shopping at Papaya in Mosman. I find that the tranquil style and paired back colours that they stock work with almost any interior. I’m a big fan of their pendant lighting, vessels, vases and candle holders. The designs are beautiful and use lots of natural materials. If you’re looking to dress your dining table this is also where I would recommend you go. Placemats, cutlery and crockery all in beautiful natural colours and designs make for a stunning table when entertaining.

Papaya
Papaya

Chloe Matters of TomMarkHenry: MCM House is my favourite as it typifies some of my most admired elements: neutral and relaxed tones and textures that work in simple harmony. They also mix these simple pieces with wares that have a slight modern, oriental twist. This understated look is powerful and represents a tranquility that I appreciate in design.

Chloe (left) and co-directors Jade Nottage and Cushla McFadden
Chloe (left) and co-directors Jade Nottage and Cushla McFadden
We hope you found this list useful. Please let us know what you’d add!
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Designers House Tours

Arent & Pyke show children and stylish living can go together

The third and final instalment of the Belle Mirvac Life Series saw a colourful, family-friendly apartment by Arent & Pyke unveiled last night.

[1312] Mirvac shoot, cyber cell 216397

[1312] Mirvac shoot, cyber cell 216397

The Life Series is a collaboration between Belle magazine and developer Mirvac at Harold Park in Sydney’s Glebe. Pop-up display apartments have already been created and decorated by Belle’s Steve Cordony and Greg Natale, each representative of a different stage of life.

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Bedrooms Styling

Learn how to decorate your kids’ bedrooms from Megan Morton and Arent & Pyke

If you’re ready to tackle your kids’ rooms once and for all and are up for an intensive all-you-need-to-know, three-hour decorating workshop with stylist Megan Morton and interior designers Arent & Pyke, clear your diary for Thursday night! Megan fans will know she has just launched her latest book on the topic, I Love My Room, and Juliette Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke are a mum-to-be and a mum-of-one respectively, as well as being award-winning interior designers.

megan morton i love my room 1

“What this is not is a repeat of the book in any way, nor is it a master class,” says Megan. “What it is is a potentially house-changing decorating workshop dedicated to one of the most hazardous rooms in the house — your kid’s bedroom!”

megan morton i love my room 2

This class will cover the pitfalls and the opportunities of kids rooms. “Children’s bedrooms are loaded with trapdoors, as anyone who lives with them well knows! Explore the potential of yours with a class that talks to all age groups, styles and budgets. How to make the most of the area, how to avoid common traps and how to think like a kids room decorator are all covered,” Megan explains. Special guests Arent & Pyke will show and share their best ideas for rooms that can work for all budgets. “All in all it will be inspiring, great learning and could potentially save you hundreds of decorating dollars on the real rooms of the house!”

Continue reading “Learn how to decorate your kids’ bedrooms from Megan Morton and Arent & Pyke”

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Designers

A few of Arent & Pyke’s favourite things

Following on from yesterday’s interview with designer duo Juliette Arent Squadrito and Sarah-Jane Pyke, today they share with us some of their design favourites. They also share some exclusive photographs, never published before, of a recent project in Sydney’s Balmain. Enjoy!

Continue reading “A few of Arent & Pyke’s favourite things”

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Designers Interviews

It takes two: Meet Arent & Pyke

The last 12 months for celebrated Sydney design duo Arent & Pyke have been full on, both personally and professionally. Juliette (Arent) got married in Sicily and Sarah-Jane (Pyke) became a mum. And that’s before we even talk about all the wonderful interior design projects they’ve been doing in between times. Read on to find out how they do it and enjoy these never-before-published photos of a recent Woollahra project.

“Being a duo is key to our sanity and success, especially in this past year!” says Sarah-Jane. “We love working together and having two directors means that we can each get time out when we need it. Luckily we were able to tag-team; Juliette’s Sicilian wedding was last July and little Pyke arrived a few months after that.

Image: Sarah-Jane Pyke and Juliette Arent Squadrito

“Our personal styles can be quite different, but as a team our style has the same flavour. I think it’s the spirit of the work that is a common thread – we love interiors that feel natural, have personality, warmth and charm.” The pair really believe it’s the combination of their skills and styles coming together that ensures the best results for their clients. “There is a synergy between us that just works,” says Juliette.

Arent & Pyke have now been in business almost five years and the past year has been full of highlights including their first international project, an apartment in New York, and being included in Mitchell Oakley-Smith’s book INTERIORS Australia & New Zealand. There are now five in the Arent & Pyke team, “a fabulous and very talented gang of girls”.

The New York project came about when a Sydney-based family purchased a pied-à-terre in the Meatpacking district, just north of Greenwich Village. “They wondered if we would be open to working on a NY project,” says Sarah-Jane. “Of course we jumped at the opportunity! Upon their arrival back in New York in January, our client called us immediately. She was completely floored – she could not believe it was the same apartment she had seen and bought only months earlier. Thrilled was an understatement.”

While we all know it’s hard to break into the business, Sarah-Jane says not to give up too easily if it’s what you love. “Yes, interiors in Sydney is quite competitive, but there is always room for hardworking talented people. It’s important to have your own style, develop your design skills and know what is ‘out there’ in terms of sourcing new and interesting pieces.”

The pair, who met while working together at a leading Sydney design practice, aren’t into trends, but Sarah-Jane is happy to see the return of bold colour in interiors. “We really believe a home should be a reflection of your personality, imbued with your personal style.” Juliette adds: “Home is about comfort and love. It is surrounding yourself with things that are nurturing and give you meaning. Truth to materials is deeply embedded into our design ethos. Fake anything just doesn’t sit well with us.”

They’re both impressed by stylist Megan Morton, who they describe as “crazy talented”.  And while Sarah-Jane lists Greg Natale as a designer she admires, Juliette is a fan of Ilse Crawford’s humanistic approach to design.

Some very exciting projects are on the cards at Arent & Pyke in the latter half of this year. I’m looking forward to the ladies sharing them with us soon. For now, come back tomorrow to find out all about Juliette and Sarah-Jane’s favourite brands, blogs, colour combinations, shops and more, as well as more gorgeous images of their work, published first here on Interiors Addict.

 

Photography: Tom Ferguson Photography