Interior design and styling, homewares, furniture, home appliances and the personalities behind them
Interiors royalty Sibella Court and Karen McCartney are both speaking at a free event as part of Sydney Writers’ Festival next month.
I’m sure you already know, but Sibella is a renowned stylist and Karen is the founding editor of Inside Out magazine. Both have several books to their name.
The event, Bowerbird, is on 24 May from 10am to 11am at The Mint in Macquarie Street. Bookings not essential. More info here.
The second issue of the digital magazine from the folks at Quintessential duckeggBLUE in Balmain, is out today.
An exciting new regular feature sees globetrotting Australian stylist Glen Proebstel (former Inside Out magazine) reporting on his favourite things from New York and San Francisco.
(Okay, okay, I know I’m not as Aussie. Quite.)
So so SO excited! Was already excited when my preview copy of Abigail Ahern’s new book Decorating with Style arrived in the mail today. But then someone pointed out that my blog is mentioned in the directory at the back (alongside blogs like The Selby, The Design Files and Design*Sponge). I couldn’t believe it! I am such a HUGE fan of Abigail’s work I am truly honoured and flattered TO THE MAX! I will of course write a proper review of this gorgeous looking book once I’ve had the chance to get over my shock and give it a good read!
Excuse my star struck goofiness… Thank you so much Abigail!
On closer inspection, there are a LOT of Aussies credited in the Little Black Book at the back of this book, which is fantastic, especially as Abigail is from the UK!
As well as Interiors Addict, Aussie blogs mentioned include The Design Files, Daily Imprint and Desire to Inspire. Then there’s Sibella Court’s books Nomad, Etcetera and The Stylist’s Guide to NYC and Shannon Fricke’s Sense of Style, Colour & Space. Under magazines you’ll find Vogue Living, Belle, Real Living and Inside Out. Also getting a mention in the directory are Murobond paints, Melbourne’s Comer & King, and Sydney stores Doug Up on Bourke, Ice et la, Koskela and The Society Inc.
Go Aussie! Abigail clearly has fantastic taste!
Heather Nette King’s enthusiasm for styling and interiors is palpable and so inspiring. Brave enough to make the move out of an unfulling career in PR to try her hand as an interiors writer and stylist, it’s safe to say she’s never looked back. These days you’ll mostly see her gorgeous work in the Melbourne homes pages of Sunday Life and she recently took on her first official interior decorating job after spending years advising friends and family on what to do with their homes.
Having always dreamed of working on an interiors magazine, when Heather and her family moved to Sydney, she quit her PR job and was starting to contact the editors at her favourite titles to see if they’d take on an unpaid intern, when she got a very lucky break. “I was given a trial period producing the home pages for Sunday Life magazine. They knew I could write, so I had to source and shoot some fabulous homes so they could see if I had what it took to do the rest of it. I am forever in debt to the wonderful Aleksandra Beare (then the art director at Sunday Life, and currently acting creative director at Inside Out) who gave me this lucky break. Five years on, I am still doing these home pages. I get to visit the most incredible homes and talk interiors for hours – so I am like a pig in mud!” Her advice to aspiring stylists is to team up with an aspiring interiors photographer and “just get shooting”. Build up a portfolio then start knocking on doors.
And although she feels very fortunate, Heather’s a great believer in making a change when it’s needed. “I really don’t get it when people stay in jobs, or any kind of relationships for that matter, when they are not happy. Like everyone, I find change a bit daunting, but sometimes you just have to back yourself and jump!”
Heather Nette King
Writing about how people live in their homes gives you an amazing insight into the human condition, she says. “Honestly, during interviews, I have sobbed along with someone who was describing how their grandfather smuggled just one possession out of a war zone, and I have laughed until I cried with other people describing their renovating experiences. The common denominator is how important our little patch of space and our belongings are to us, and it’s an honour to get the chance to do justice to people’s stories.”
Public voting opened today for the Temple & Webster + Inside Out Emerging Designer Award with $5,000 cash and a page in Inside Out up for grabs for the winner.
Find a list of all the nominees and easy voting instructions at the website. You could win a 12-month subscription to Inside Out and a $50 Temple & Webster voucher for taking part. Voting closes on Australia Day.
Temple & Webster is partnering with Inside Out magazine to launch the Emerging Designer Award. Ten homewares and furniture designers from across Australia, shortlisted by a panel of industry experts, are vying for a $5,000 cash prize. Each of the shortlisted designers will be profiled on Temple & Webster & Homelife.com.au over the coming month before public voting opens in January 2013.
Karen McCartney, Temple & Webster’s editorial director and founding editor of Inside Out, said: “It creates the opportunity for emerging designers to showcase their work to industry, peers and the public, while providing the commercial step-up that a leading online homewares destination like Temple & Webster can provide.”
Adam McWhinney, co-founder of Temple & Webster, says: “Since launching a little over a year ago, our vision included showcasing the work of up and coming talent to a large, appreciative audience. It’s a wonderful thing to see it all coming together so beautifully.” [Read more...]
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting the two lovely ladies behind a new and very gorgeous online publication, The quintessential Magazine.
Leanne (left) and Tracy
Leanne Carter-Taylor is the woman behind quintessential duckeggBLUE, the shop packed with gorgeous found industrial and antique furniture and objects in Sydney’s Balmain. Tracy Lines is ex creative director of Inside Out magazine and lifestyle publisher at Murdoch Books. When you meet them and feel their wonderful enthusiasm for this project, you quickly realise why the magazine is as impressive as it is. Because it isn’t just another online magazine, or a well disguised catalogue, it is much more that. Its functionality, although web-based, is much more like an app, and feels like one on iPad. And it is full of quality content (written by people like Inside Out founding editor Karen McCartney) and beautiful photos by Dan Himbrechts (styled by John Mangila), unbelieveably, all shot in the store (or the garage). It’s amazing it has all come together since August.
Leanne is a self-confessed furniture nerd and makes no apologies for it. She travels the world four times a year, sourcing the covetable finds her shop is full of. Each piece carries a handwritten label with an astonishing amount of information about its history, story and where she discovered it. She has a photographic memory for the finer details of everything she collects but when it comes to the everyday stuff, not so much! The daughter of a furniture maker, she grew up in England being taught to respect furniture and never to sit on the arms of the lounge. Her love for old, pre-loved things and their unique history is seriously infectious. [Read more...]
The new look Inside Out magazine hits news stands tomorrow and here’s my sneak peek copy. On first glance, the new design is modern and fresh. Glad to see they kept the iconic masthead but introduced a glossy cover with nice new fonts.
So what’s new?
It’s definitely more Real Living than Belle and I get the feeling they’re trying to appear less design-snobby and more accessible. The only thing missing is a mention of Interiors Addict in the must-read blogs section! 
It’s new editor Claire Bradley’s second issue and it will no doubt take a bit of time to get more of an idea of the new look and feel. Love to hear what you think when you pick up a copy.
Temple & Webster’s new editor at large, the founding editor of Inside Out magazine Karen McCartney, has curated some fab homewares for a new sale starting today.
Everything in the picture is for sale at Temple & Webster today
Karen has written two books on iconic Australian houses which are in tomorrow’s sale, alongside everything in the photo. Brands include I Need Nice Things, Pony Rider, Hamamist, Kulchi, Pure Linen, This Design and Living and Aura.
Is it really that time again?! I ran the City 2 Surf in Sydney this morning (anyone else?) and this comes to you from the couch where my legs and I are currently in a world of pain! Anyway, back to this week’s best bits…
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