Categories
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.

10596137_10152533662471645_749230783_n
Catapult Designs

Sarah-Jane Pyke of Arent&PykeSmall 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 TomMarkHenryMCM 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!
Categories
Designers RENO ADDICT

Two-bed Surry Hills home feels bigger through clever design

Renovating a two-bedroom, one-bathroom townhouse in Sydney’s Surry Hills, designer Anoushka Allum had the challenge of making a small space feel larger without changing the floor plan. And we think she did a great job!

Screen Shot 2014-06-24 at 10.03.25 am

“I had to make the space feel as light and spacious as possible while designing a home that reflected my clients’ personalities,” explains Anoushka. “I love designing for small spaces, mainly because everything in the rooms needs to provide a function and a sense of spaciousness; from making the room feel larger through use of colour, to multi-functional pieces of furniture.”

Screen Shot 2014-06-24 at 10.05.19 am

Keeping the kitchen and bathroom designs fresh and traditional in style, Anoushka used a light colour palette with darker accents for depth to make the space feel bigger. “We selected a colour palette that was light and bright and then added pops of darker hues to ground the design. Light wall tiles and counter tops, custom cabinetry and bathroom vanity all helped to make the best use of the space available. We maximised storage too.”

Along with selecting light colours and custom-built storage, Anoushka created the illusion of a larger house by using window coverings that let the most amount of light in and choosing a large rug to define the open-plan living room.

Screen Shot 2014-06-24 at 10.04.22 am

Selecting furniture was one of the most important tasks. Anoushka explains that while using smaller furniture and less of it seems like an obvious choice for increasing space, in many cases this only makes the problem infinitely worse. “When selecting furniture, we ensured that the scale worked well, for instance the living room depends on the right sized sofa and chair. We went with less larger pieces rather than more smaller pieces as this helps to make the space feel larger and less cluttered.”

With an overall design that is timeless, elegant and calm, overlaid with plenty of interest through the use of colourful geometric fabrics, monochromatic artwork and patterned rugs, the finished project looks positively spacious compared to prior to the renovation.

Before and After
Before and After
before and after
Before and After

Specialising in helping clients design smartly for small spaces through her company SmartSpace, Anoushka believes that having a small space doesn’t have to be the kiss of design death! “It’s important to work out how to make a smaller home best work for you before making any design choices. Just because your space is small, this doesn’t mean that it can’t be inspiring, inventive and completely practical to your lifestyle.”