It’s Friday and time for another interview with one of the fab creatives that I have featured on my little blog.  Mark Coulson and Hannah Macleod, AKA Coulson Macleod kindly agreed to have a little chat, so grab a cuppa and enjoy. Oh, and if you are stuck for what to cook for dinner then they have some fab recipes which are perfect for us Aussies just starting to come into Autumn! How would you describe your work and style? Simple design that reflects our own taste. We’re not

Anthropologie Overdyed Terai Folding Chair A few times a year we are allowed to put all of our junk on the curb for the council clean up, and this weekend was just one of those clean up days.  That said not much usually makes it to council clean up day because, as fast as you put it on the curb, a little white van is parked up to pick it up… the modern day rag and bone man.  I have no issue with this as I would rather it end up being recycled than in land fill…. but my curios

Some fun for a Monday…. how cool is this?  A headmaster in the country of Georgia wanted to find a way of making kindy a place where kids want to stay… not go home as soon as they get there.  So thinking firmly outside the block (or should I say outside the classroom) he purchased a disused plane and converted it into a class room (as you do!).  The idea being that the classroom with its knobs and dials and underwing access might create a little more stimulation than a concre

The season of interior trade fairs has hit Sydney with a vengeance, and ever eager that my achy feet will find a couple of gems upon my travels between the cushions and the curtains, this year I stumbled upon the ultimate in upcycling.  To be honest I hate the idea of waste and love it when something is repurposed, but it isn’t very often the word upcycle and beauty fall into the same sentence.  That is until I saw these fab rugs which have been made from recycled sari silks,

One of my favourite stores in Sydney has to be Doug Up On Bourke Street…. many an hour can be lost looking around at all the amazing finds…. the perfect inspiration point.  Pretty much if you are looking for it they always seem to find it…. even if you did not know you were looking for it. Have a great weekend and hope you enjoy my little journey around the store….mean while on with the colourful journey…… From sail boats to boat oars……. Step ladders and storage chests…. Vani

Moya and her Nato shades – Source Design Files Melbourne based artist, designer and creator Moya Delany certainly has a very creative eye, and her background is just as colourful and diverse as her creations.  From a student of fine art, through to jewellery and accessory design which saw her in top fashion magazines in the UK, US and Australia… you know Vogue, Harpers Bizarre, Elle….. pretty impressive. She also had a chance encounter with Debbie Harry ( Blondie) and a NY fa

I love it when people come up with quirky ways to use otherwise useless things… such as these fine and quirky pictures by UK graphic designer and artist Brigitte Herrod.  The designs reflect ability to look twice at everyday objects and come up with a different perspective – that “why did I not think of that moment” springs to mind, using typography, quirky sayings….. and …. well…. JUNK! Most of her work is available to order through UK site Rocket St George.  Well they make

Typography on Limestone For those who love to give the gift of words, then you may like to sample a little of the lighthearted and whitty work of UK based Mark Coulson and his team of local artisans. With a strong emphasis on using reclaimed materials such as wood, metal, stone, fabric and recycled papers, they design pictures which incorporate a play with words which is fun and quirky.  For those who prefer pictures you are not forgotten either. Even the inks are “green”! Ma

Ok, this is probably something for the proud lover of all things Britannia, and as an English born gal I have to say I do love the Union Jack flag ( possibly not to the extent of Geri from the Spice Girls) but in a classical, bunting and afternoon tea kind of way. Which coupled with the news of a new royal baby in July, is probably what drew me in to the world of UK based company “Lost and Found”. Becky Oldfield, source aluncallenderblog.com Textile designer Becky Oldfield gr

Hendzel + Hunt is a  young, very vibrant design studio based in South London in the UK.  Using reclaimed and sustainable materials they specialise in manufacturing and designing bespoke furniture and their own range, inspired by their location, “Made in Peckham”. Using their background in engineering “Hendzel and Hunt highlight the origins of a product using balance, proportion, and composition to transform rough materials into objects of desire.”  There are lots of fab proje

Taking the, normally discarded, scientific “borosilicate” glassware created by students from the glassblowing department of the Lycée Dorian in Paris, Elise Fouin has reworked the glassware with the trusty blow torch to create something which moves from a science lab to delicate everyday home ware pieces, such as lamps or vases. “Élise Fouin here breathes new life into objects slated for the scrap heap despite their great technical complexity. The artist’s intervention refine

UK based Clare Bosanquet stumbled across these paint rollers in a market in Romania, where they have been used for the last 100 years or so as an alternative to wallpaper. Through her company The Painted House and easy shop, Clare has bought the roller back to life.  There are two types of rollers, one for fabric and one for walls.  Her website shows a number of techniques and ideas which are fun, from simple bunting to whole rooms! The rollers on the walls probably require a

If you are ever having trouble finding the perfect lampshade then UK Interior product designer may have just the answer.  In collaboration with the sole remaining English full lead crystal company in the UK, Cumbria Crystal, Lee Broom has created these crystal bulbs which are, by design, all you need! I love the fact that they can be hung as a single unit or in a cluster to create an amazing effect.  The light fitting and flex and ceiling rose are all designed to be in keepin

Chris Ruhe trained as a furniture maker in Amsterdam and opened his atelier in 2005, where he now makes furniture to order….  From spring inspired stools and pickle jar lighting to bespoke recycled door cabinets and fully bespoke kitchens…. A little bit of fun in a sometimes too serious world………Let me know your thoughts…. Cupboards and Shelves The combination of crooked doors and virtually no (functional) handles makes the kitchen and the cupboards appear to be a little bit o

Dutch designer Debbie Wijskamp only graduated in 2009, but was quick to commence her design practice out of Arnhem designing and producing her own collection of (interior) products and other objects. . Wijskamp is inspired by everyday objects and materials which surround us and likes to investigate the. boundaries of various materials and techniques to find out what possibilities they offer to create new objects like furniture and interior accessories. Pulp Cabinets Inspired

Parisian Manon Gignoux is cited as one of the many influences of my interviewee tomorrow. My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to investigate… and I am glad I did! Gignoux describes her work as the meeting between clothes, body and decor, and as such creates unique hand made fabric sculptures, clothes dressed objects and accessories.   The result lies between art and fashion….. not a bad place to be!!! I love the inspirational photo’s as much as the finished pieces

UK based artist Alexander Korzer Robinson creates these intricate and incredible works of art by carving up old and discarded encyclopaedia’s.  He exposes some of the illustrations and removes others to create the desired effect. When I initially looked at them I had thought that Alexander had suspended the illustrations in layers to achieve his desired result, however the artist actually leaves the images in their original place – as they were in the original book…. Undoubte

One thing everyone seems to complain about is that they never have enough storage. Possibly because we hate to throw out things – as you never know when the safari suit will come back in to fashion, or we will need to look at that December 1984 issue of Homes and Gardens magazine. Pack your cases Inspired by a little clip about  Ki Nassauer,  a “junk entrepreneur”, and her suitcase shelving below, I thought I would look at some fun ways to create storage using my favourite wo

Manoteca, based in Bologna, Italy, takes discarded materials and up cycles them to create unique pieces of  functional furniture, which in them selves are sure to set themselves as a talking piece.. The designer, Elisa Cavani, likes for her creations to keep the furniture and discarded finds as close to their original state as possible. Elisa has made tables, chairs, mirrors and light stands which all have a magical quirkiness that sets them apart from other things I have see

“Body” Chair Yesterday I posted about a hotel which show cases (as part of it’s luxury element), through the concept of it’s interior designer Rabi Hagh, new and old designers along side each other.  Many of the designers showcased in the hotel are also part of the exhibitions in the Rabih Hagh Gallery in the UK. One of the designers exhibited is Karen Ryan  who graduated in Design Products from the Royal College of Art in 2001. Karen considers herself a “design agitator” wit