One of my favourite streets in Sydney is William Street, in the suburb of Paddington.  It has lots of gorgeous boutique shops, a little Italian Cafe and cute pubs which nestle on the corner to cosy up with a few friends for an after work drink.  One shop which has caught my eye on numerous occasions, probably because of my business name, is “I Like Birds”.  For those of you who love vintage, or like that little nostalgic trip back in time then you will “Like Birds” too. Tam k

Nottingham based textile artist Donya Coward’s creations bring a little whimsy and sparkle with them.  With projects for UK anthropology, Fenton & Fenton and Paul Smith to name but a few, it is no wonder that designers have coined her work as “textile taxidermy at it’s very best” (Abigail Ahern). All of Donya’s artworks are made using Victorian, Antique, Vintage Nottingham and French laces, embroideries, embellishments, fabrics and haberdashery. There is an emphasis on ensuri

Being a Brit I was a little bit excited when I heard that Timothy Oulton was coming to launch his range of furniture and accessories in Sydney – it seems that the Aussies are secretly embracing that Union Jack flag… (although I suspect it is more the embrace of the old school charm)…. ….and even more excited last week when I received a very posh invite in the post to the launch!!!! Tim has been given the chance to show case his range as part of the designers collections at Co

Initially starting a business making baby booties Carola began to play around with the offcuts and her collections of vintage fabrics which were later to become the start of a new venture. Carola now creates hand made cushions and character filled animal heads (my favourite) with an eclectic mix of modern and vintage fabrics.  Carola started off as a one man band but now employs a number of people from her local community which makes for an all-round more homely business. Car

I posted on Sydney based wallpaper company Quercus & Co a couple of months ago on their range of Australian flora and fauna designed wallpaper.  Well in time for those looking to do a spring / summer make over Quercus & Co have just launched their bohemian inspired “Caravan” Collection.  The collection is based on vintage fabrics and embroideries from Europe and the Middle East, and the colours and tones are disigned to make the paper look like it is melded like paint to your

It is that time of year when you start to rack you brains as to the perfect gift for that special person who has everything.  Well inspired by the potions and lotions of Halloween how about a little apothecary charm filled with something special. British designer Andy Poplar decided to set up Vinegar and Brown Paper after reaching “the end of his creative tether” in advertising.  Opting to set up the business to enable him to become a stay at home dad. The collection includes

A little bit of fun for Friday. With October being the month for breast cancer awareness, pink seems to be everywhere, which is a good thing.  Perhaps it is the pink coupled together with watching an old Greece movie (and knowing all the words to “Beauty School Drop Out” the other day that made this place catch my attention.  The Powder Room in East London is a time machine which transports you back to the glamour of the 50’s, although I think that their techniques and tools

Brisbane based Kara Rosenlund started as an editorial and advertising photographer for some of the top magazine names in Australia as well as shooting and styling some high profile ad campaigns which came about after she won the much sought after Canon Australian Institute of Professional Photography ‘AIPP Photographer of the Year’ title in 2003.  Moving to London in 2007, Kara changed her focus towards her love for vintage home wares and interior design, as a stylist and buy

Yep… I have to admit, given the choice of a luxury hotel room, or a camp site my sense of adventure takes a bit of a runner!  Having said that who could resist the charm of these retro custom hand built caravans by The English Caravan Company. UK based Joiner Richard Stark was asked by a client to refurbish an old caravan, he enjoyed it so much that he started The English Caravan Company in Feb 2010.  Richard now makes three styles of caravan which take influence in their sty

Brisbane based ceramic artist  Mel Robson has exhibited extensively both in Australia and overseas. “I make functional and non-functional objects out of porcelain. I’m obsessed by road maps, recipes, sewing patterns and handwriting. Really obsessed.” …that obsession can be seen through her work which contains reference to these inspirations.  I love the wafer thin aspect of the work allowing you to see the pattern all the way through. Mel creates works in slipcast porcelain a

Louise Body – source aluncallenderblog.com Louise Body is an internationally acclaimed British designer whose collection includes wallpapers and fabrics. Louise’s wallpapers have been included in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s selective wallpaper archive and as part of collaborations with iconic british designers and brands such as Paul Smith, Dr Martens, Liberty, Ted Baker, Selfridges, Laura Ashley and Topshop who have all chosen Louise’s designs to adorn the walls or coll

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

I am loving this collaboration between Netherlands-based company NLXL  and Merci of Paris, who have created a new range of wallpaper called “The Brooklyn Tin”. As the name suggests, the paper has been designed to mimic the look of vintage painted tiles found in factories and warehouses in North America at the turn of the century…. and indeed many of the Australian terrace properties of the same period. The paper comes in a range of looks from the rust through to the pastel pa

Simplicity is the design rational behind London based designer Haidee Drew’s collection. Haidee produces hand made interior accessories which are based on traditional objects using traditional techniques, yet they have a contemporary feel and playful function which enables them to suit any interior style. Here are a few of her products, my favourite has to be the mirrors… how about you? Ara Mirrors The Ara mirror collection is based on vintage dressing table hand mirrors.  Si

Yes it is no secret I love a good cuppa, and a good success story and Ali Miller has both… OK maybe I cannot attest to her tea making skills, but the teapots she creates to brew your favourite cup of rosie lea have my vote… London based artist Ali Miller quite simply states that her personal experiences and family history are her inspiration.  Ali sources materials and patterns which relate back to these memories, creating collages which are in themselves the source of inspir

“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

source splendidvintage.com Having landed in the UK, fresh from the Queens Jubilee, we planned a trip with family to sleepy Salcombe (Devon UK), hiring a cute little apartment over looking the estuary. Whilst the weather did not go to plan – meaning that I was forced to go clothes shopping- well I needed some warmer woolies it was supposed to be summer you know!, it was a great time to catch up with family and spend time with my new nephew. And I did manage to get in a few pic

Portobello Markets It seems that nostalgia, no matter what the weather, the era or economic climate, seems to keep coming back as a style or influence, and no lesser so than in the UK. Perhaps because when the hard times hit we love to transport ourselves back to the “good ol’ days”. My last stop in London was the Portobello Markets, despite having lived in the UK for 24 years, three of which were in London, I realised I had never actually gone (very ashamed). For a real nost

If you are looking for an idea to cover up the walls, or make a statement then look no further than your dinner plate.  If you are struggling with the diet then why not take away the vessel that holds all that keeps you from loosing those couple of extra pounds and relocate it to another use…. below are a few simple ideas to inspire…. Bedroom A headboard with a difference ( although you need to place them a little higher than your head as you may be wearing your dinner plates