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Designers Furniture Homewares Styling

Bastille Day: our top 8 French homewares suppliers

Bastille Day… a day to mark the French Revolution or a day to consume mountains of cheese and buckets of champagne without the guilt! And while you’re doing the latter, why not browse through our top picks of French and French-inspired furniture and homewares suppliers.

Bastille and Sons: Aptly named, Bastille and Sons features authentic and beautiful French homewares with a cool edge. Founder Valerie Moreno lived in the country’s capital for 15 years and often visits to seek out new products, which range from armchairs and coffee tables to cushions and throws. Their motto is “French without French Provincial cliches” and they certainly tick that box. The shop has a beautiful user friendly website as well, which always helps.

Bastille and Sons

French Bazaar: Up and running since 2007, French Bazzar is a quirkier take on the usual Parisian décor. With a vast range of homewares and furniture for both adults and kids, it’s their Bloomingville collection that stands above the rest. As the exclusive Australian distributor, they offer a mixture of raw products with a Scandinavian twist and reproductions of pieces from times past inspired by French brocante.

French Bazaar

Honey Bee Homewares: If you live anywhere near Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Honey Bee Homewares is a must visit. Stocking imports from many quality French brands, they also sell genuine French furniture and brocante finds from French markets… and for those who love fashion just as much, you’ll have plenty to wade through. A limited collection of goods are available online.

Honey Bee Homewares

Little French: A collection of unique, beautifully handcrafted children’s beds, which if needed, have been refurbished by hand using the highest quality products. At Little French no two beds are the same and no bed is perfect, they are all perfectly imperfect! For the full look you can also purchase timeless and ethically produced French bed linen. And two thumbs up for the website which is as beautiful as the products.

Little French

French Knot: Offering French inspired homewares that complement the contemporary Australian home, French Knot pieces are classic and importantly, affordable. They also specialise in customised French memo ribbon boards, which are perfect for displaying everything from photos to invitations and holiday keepsakes.

French Knot

Andrea and Jouen: Created by footwear designers turned French linen connoisseurs, Andrea and Jouen offers a subdued colour palette and simple stitching, to create functional and elegant bed linen and loungewear. The 100% French linen (flax plant made into linen textile) is grown in France in relatively small quantities, and while it’s not cheap it’s certainly luxury! You can also match your bedroom style with a range of curated homewares from hand-weaved Boucherouite rugs to teak side tables.

Andrea and Jouen

La Brocante: For the past six years La Brocante (pronounced ‘la brocont’ and translated as ‘flea market’) has been trading in the eclectic world of European vintage objects, up-cycled creations and quirky homewares hand-picked from France and around the world. They also offer their own range of wall art, linen cushions and greeting cards – all entirely made in Australia. Their beautiful store in Red Hill is well worth the visit if you find yourself in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, if not they have a user-friendly website to keep you busy.

La Brocante

French Cargo: Both a store and an interior styling service, French Cargo features a vast range of authentic French and European linens, furniture and decorative pieces, plus vintage finds. Sourced from local and overseas artisans as well as French flea markets, the selection is a mix of authentic, elegant and timeless pieces. True french chic.

French Cargo

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

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Designers Furniture

Greg Natale’s New York-inspired furniture collection

Inspired by his favourite city (and admittedly mine too!), Greg Natale’s latest furniture collection, HUDSON (a salute to New York), features an elegant range of case goods, lounges, beds, sofas, dining tables, chairs and occasional tables.

Greg
Greg

“I first visited NYC in my early twenties. It was love at first sight. After all this time I still find myself swept up in the spirit of the Metropolis; each year I unearth a new layer that inspires, provokes and invigorates me creatively. HUDSON is a nod to the flourish, the glamour and the refinement that New York enjoyed post-Second World War, in designing HUDSON I wanted to honour both a city and a golden age.”

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Comprising of 20 superbly finished products, the range created in partnership with respected, family-owned Australian furniture makers, Casa Mia, evokes an old world charm with a contemporary twist.

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With sumptuous, precisely-buttoned upholstery, robust marble, a thorough attention to woodcraft, the option of black or white satin finishes to European Beech and the occasional graceful brass detail — HUDSON is effortless, affordable glamour.

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To celebrate the launch of this exciting new collection, Greg, in collaboration with The Vignette Room, will open a one-of-a-kind pop-up retail experience in Paddington, Sydney today. To reap the full HUDSON experience, visitors can step inside a fully furnished HUDSON suite hosted by one of Sydney’s newest and most exquisite homewares stores, styled by Greg himself.

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On sale this month (February), the range will be offered for sale through selected homewares retailers Australia-wide as well as online for local and international orders.

Reader inside info: There are some special, limited ticket events coming up soon in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. To register your interest, please email your name, address and telephone number to [email protected]

For more information.

Categories
Designers Furniture

Hans J Wegner chairs get the Paul Smith treatment

To celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of renowned Danish designer Hans J Wegner, fashion designer Paul Smith and textile provider Maharam have collaborated with Carl Hansen & Søn (the world’s largest manufacture of furniture designed by Wegner). The collaboration sees the release of a limited edition collection of some of Hans’ most iconic works, with a perhaps equally iconic stripe!

Wegner, with his pioneering Modernist aesthetic, was best known for his idiosyncratic chair designs, such as the Wishbone. Created in 1950, this piece, with its characteristic-shaped back support, became one of his greatest successes; other definitive designs include the three-legged Shell Chair, the minimalist CH28, the CH163 sofa and the contemporary classic, the Wing Chair.

This collaboration however, takes the work of Wegner and transforms it. With Paul Smith himself having personally selected his favourite classic Wegner pieces to launch a capsule collection, upholstered in ‘Big Stripe’ and the new colours of ‘Stripes’.

Designed by Smith in collaboration with Maharam, these two wool textiles explore stripes at dramatically different scales, conveying Smith’s imaginative approach to colour and proportion. As part of a touring exhibition, the collection was unveiled at this year’s Milan Fair in April before arriving here in Australia. It will be presented at Paul Smith Melbourne and also at Kvadrat Maharam in Sydney until 26 September.

The limited edition furniture pieces will be available to purchase during this time from Paul Smith, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne.

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Furniture

Striking sofas in Arthur G’s latest range

We have our eyes on a few of the new lounges in Arthur G’s latest range. The Boss (below), in particular, is our favourite, with its Cloth Fabric indigo, painterly fabulousness! Divine! We love their Australian designed and made creations.

The Boss 3-seater in a Cloth Fabric design
The Boss 3-seater in a Cloth Fabric design

Much as I subscribe to the idea that large pieces like sofas should be purchased in neutrals, there are always exceptions to the rule, right?! The Colette (below) in duck egg, has a very ladylike, classic look and I love the contrast of its timber and brass feet.

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And last but not least, the Manhattan four-seater is making me reassess black leather as a sofa choice.

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Nice work, Arthur G!

Categories
Interiors Addict

Buy one get one free on sofas at Freedom

No catches here, it’s as simple as buy one sofa and get the second one for nothing! Pick a matching pair or mix things up – whatever your style, the choice is yours!

The versatile Aspect modular sofa
The versatile Aspect modular sofa

Now’s the perfect time to update your home and get ready for winter with this great offer from Freedom. Available in all stores and online for a limited time only, starting tomorrow (Saturday 15 March 2014).

The new teal Copenhagen sofa is one of my faves
The new teal Copenhagen sofa is one of my faves
The still-popular Brooklyn leather number
The still-popular Brooklyn leather number
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Designers Expert Tips House Tours Kids Rooms The Block

At home with The Block judge Darren Palmer, and living with pets and kids

With a four year-old, two dogs and a cat, interior designer and The Block judge Darren Palmer knows a thing or two about keeping his home looking stylish and organised but still, of course, fun!

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I was lucky enough to have a look around his new Paddington home recently. Although he has some ambitious renovation plans for the future, its character features mean it’s full of charm and warmth. Great bones!

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Dogs Doris and Pepi and Charlotte the cat follow Darren around like Dr Dolittle and son Hugo’s lego can be seen peeking out from under the coffee table, but this is not a home full of plastic or mess and there’s definitely no doggy smell. So, I sat down with Darren and asked him how he does it and if the house is always so suspiciously tidy?

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Interiors Addict

Great sofas & interior design at Project 82

(L-R) Amanda Pocock, Shelley Mason and Emily Mayne

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Project 82 in Surry Hills. It’s in Fitzroy Street. Number 82, would you believe it?

I first met founder and interior designer Shelley Mason at a trade fair last year and loved her range. It seems business has come along in leaps and bounds since then with a healthy flow of customers, both trade and retail. I think one of the great things about the team is they’re as comfortable doing a large scale commercial fitout as somebody’s apartment (they’ll happily come round and help you) and their interior design service (the price of which can be credited towards any purchases) is making interior style accessible.

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Interiors Addict

Massive showroom sale at Cult

It’s on now with 20 percent off all sofas, armchairs and easy chairs. Showroom stock only from Cult Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Excludes PP Mobler items and Fritz Hansen Egg chairs.