i’m a sucker for a zig zag line (i’m always lusting after a full-sized version of this rug) and these new towels at williams sonoma home are calling me. i really love the persimmon/pumpkin combination (very fall) but the blues are perfectly summery as well. click here to check them out ($36 each).

ps: penelope green at the nytimes wrote a great article/at home with piece with faythe levine of handmade nation. it’s always inspiring to read about people like faythe in big mainstream news. click here to check it out.

 
for the past few weeks we’ve been exploring the major design hubs in australia. but as with anywhere, there are those incredibly talented artists and designers who are able to make a name for themselves from off the beaten track. today’s final regional roundup: australia covers everywhere in between. and while these features have been focusing on the contemporary design scene, aboriginal art - a history that covers 40,000 years - continues to make it’s mark on australia, and is something i still hope to explore (talk about patterns! . . . luckily, one of the best collections is at the kluge-ruhe aboriginal art collection at my beloved university of virginia, of all places). but that’s the beauty of these roundups - they’re a starting point to discover a place, begin a conversation and in a world that is constantly changing and each can be revisited. it’s been nearly three months since i started on this piece - which features over 40 designers - and it’s still only brushing the surface. so please continue the dialogue in the comments, sharing your new discoveries, favorite aussie designers, inspiration and observations. in case you missed any, you can find all the posts here. and to view this full post (and many more designers) just click here. [an incredible thank you to everyone who participated!!!] -anne

[aboriginal painting by roslyn ann kemp, above]

Magic Jelly

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? 
Born & bred right here in Adelaide, South Australia.

2. Describe your work 
Most important to me is to communicate & connect.  I’ve just started a project called The Paper Chase, trading art for paper, it’s all about collaboration & communication.  I try to make my work as accessible as possible.  I like to use low-tech equipment (Gocco for instance) & commonplace materials, & to lavish care & attention on the forgotten, overlooked & discarded.  I tend to work on a small scale, firstly, because I’m a finicky fuss-budget obsessed with detail, but also because I want my work to be intimate & personal rather than to shout at you from across the room.  I hope a little bit of wit & levity creeps in there somewhere too.

3. How is your work influenced by where you live?
I often trawl the local secondhand markets for bits & pieces to use in my work, & take lots of photos, particularly of signage & architecture.  In fact, I’m combining my interest in architecture & ephemera at the moment by building a house out of paper, loosely based on a lovely row of late-Victorian terrace houses on the seafront near where I live.

4. Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired? 
Anywhere that’s out of the house!  Every spring I start feeling restless & want to take a trip to Sydney.

5. How would you describe the Australian design scene? 
I really can’t say as I don’t feel that I’m a part of it - I’m a total hermit!  It’s a small market, that’s for sure - especially in Adelaide - & I tend to sell more internationally & do more commissions for overseas clients.  I think the Australian scene is growing though.

6. If you could go anywhere where would you go? 
I’m planning a visit to the US in a few months’ time to take a road trip along the West Coast.  Now, if you have a time machine handy, where I’d really like to go is back to the mid-20th century so I can go wild amassing huge quantities of ephemera & toys, & taking lots of photos.

Click here for more work by Karena and visit the Magic Jelly Etsy shop here.

Bison Home

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I am From Grenfell NSW (population 2000 ). My family came on the Sirius…the first Fleet of White Settlers/Convicts who came to Australia in 1788. I currently live in Canberra and my studio is in a rural location (Pialligo) surrounded by plant nurseries and vineyards.

2. Describe your work
My work…best described as a ceramics designer. I am drawn to simple, classic forms and I produce a large range (140 profiles and 30 colours) of dinnerware and decorator pieces. I’m a former archaeologist and ancient historian who became tired of excavating broken pots in Syria … so I taught myself how to make them instead! We create forms which reflect the relationship between beauty…and practicality. I am fortunate to have a wonderful team of craftspeople who support me in crafting our Fine Australian Stoneware Collections.

3. How is your work influenced by where you live?
As a person who was training to be an academic… I was captivated by the evolution of design in Classical History…and the amazingly poignant social contexts behind ceramic vessels. To unearth a piece of pottery…over 2000 years old with a fingerprint in it sends chills up your spine. I also went to School in Malmo Sweden and the colours and subtlety of Scandinavian seasons and design…obviously filter through my palette and shapes.

4. Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired?
I absolutely love The Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Crusing along the stark coastline in a car or just spending time at our family Beachhouse near Portsea. Simple, unpretentious…and better still…uncomplicated.

5. How would you describe the Australian design scene?
Australia is changing rapidly in terms of global visibility and credibility. I always find it ironic though that within our own country people find it hard to conceptualize that viable design and manufacture can occur outside of Sydney and Melbourne. People look somewhat bemused when you tell them your studio is in Canberra (Our capital is better known for the Greenhouse gasses which come out of the Parliament Buildings!) That being said I see numerous whimsical and elegant works from talented artists/designers emerging…particularly working with textiles.

6. If you could go anywhere where would you go? If I could travel anywhere and spend time it would be south America…Belize in particular. The fusion of Jungle (with panthers) Mayan Pyramids and Amish/Mennonite settlers….sounds so disparate you’d have to get inspiration!

Click here for more from Bison Home.

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE POST

my parents just arrived from virginia beach so i’m off to indulge in some family fun and away-from-the-computer time. i hope you all have a fantastic weekend and i’ll see you on monday! until then, i wanted to leave you with a fantastic before & after from conn and john in hawaii (you might remember their gorgeous island sneak peek from june). conn and john found this old stainless steel medicine/dental tool cabinet years ago at the 26th street flea market in nyc. after picking it up for $35 it was stripped of its pale hospital green finish and kept a plain stainless steel. but as conn says “[when] we moved to maui the elements took over and my inspiration was to turn it into a rothko painting”. as luck would have it all three paints conn needed were on sale (2 for $4) so he sanded it down with steel wool, applied three coats of each color and voila! a $10 makeover. thanks to conn and john for sharing!

• anne’s regional roundup: brisbane and additional australian links and artists
• diy wednesdays: homegrown honey video
• new sneak peeks: spruce austin, jill malek, and uhuru design
• before & after: summer’s chair
• must see of the week: patterns from allan the gallant
• paper genius: zoe bradley’s paper sculptures at kate’s paperie
• furniture: new upholstered chairs at chairloom
• misc: new artwork (key prints) from dallas shaw, calling cards from avie designs, faux bois wingchair, zig zag towels, sculptural white lamps, new prints from good shape design
• new ceramics: ceramics from mudpuppy, ceramics from lisa bengtsson

• Cliff Spencer is a furniture maker. His website says so. He specialises in highest quality modern and traditional cabinetry, custom furniture, green materials, finishing & refinishing. But Cliff isn't a furniture maker. He's an artist. Wood comes alive under his hands. As the website says, "When the morning sun hits the swirling grain of the wood in one of our pieces in just the right way, you’ll see a different angle, a shape, a curve you hadn’t noticed before. It’s old world craftsmanship in modern times, using only the finest joinery, built to last for generations." Live simply with beautiful artisan pieces.




• Kim and I have been waiting for some time to introduce you to Manvi Drona-Hidalgo and her blog Mochatini. Emails back and forth and now she feels she's ready ;) "With Mochatini, I hope to share with you things that inspire me, that I am passionate about, some upcoming artists, timeless classics with modern twists, my attempts at design and other musings." Manvi is a busy woman. She also blogs for 2Modern’s Design Talk and Vogue India. Click on over and say hi! Oh and check out all the eye candy.

photograph: Annick Geenen

What do you think this is? It's crusted with Swarovski crystals. Perhaps jewellery? A hair clip? A pendant? A brooch? No it's jewellery for your home.


Yes, a crystal encrusted mural you can apply to a wall a column, a head board. Anywhere. The Saturday Décor designs and produces a unique line of home décor products — including window and wall décor, jewellery, lighting, and pendants. Duco Phangsoa emailed to introduce this concept. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. OTT definitely but just right for your own personal palace!

I was so excited to open the October issue of House Beautiful and see an article on "Happy Prints". Because you see, this is totally me. As I'm writing this post I'm sitting in my bedroom, and it's depressing me terribly. The walls are coated in wallpaper primer which make them look cold and sterile. I am counting the days until my wallpaper- yes, a print- arrives so that my bedroom can be transformed into a room that makes me feel chic and happy. In the meantime, I have to get up and run into another room to look at color and my other prints for a temporary lift.

I adore prints that have pep and spunk. I love prints that make you stand up and take notice. Of course I do believe in the old adage to beware of too much of a good thing. In fact, my love of prints has forced me to be a ruthless editor. I've got so many that I would love to use but... not enough space and too little time.

The way I work with happy prints is by toning them down a bit with the use of sophisticated color. Because my other love is color. I absolutely cannot live without it. The irony of it all is that I don't wear color. Occasionally a little pale blue, but mostly blacks and grays. Not only is this practical, but it makes me feel elegant too. But in my home I prefer prints with pizzazz combined with rich color. And when I say rich I don't mean bright, because that's not me either. I'm thinking creamy blues, mossy greens, aubergine, even powdery pink.

Now, I'm not immune to the charms and the quiet elegance of a neutral room. In fact, one of my very favorite Billy Baldwin rooms is one that is rather monochromatic and neutral. But for my own home? It's all about color and prints. Because at the end of the day, that is what makes me happy.


Chinoiserie prints always make me sing, especially those that are not so serious. I have two chairs upholstered in "Ping" (Scalamandre), and they make me very happy.


And all of Sister Parish Designs' prints are upbeat, especially "Chou Chou"


How about Meloire Reverse from Quadrille/Alan Campbell? This might just get your mind off of the economy- at least temporarily!


"Asparagus Plaid" by Brunschwig is such a funny print. While it's not my style, I can definitely see where it might make others smile.


Again, not a print for everybody, but it might be just the thing for a porcelain collector. "Imari Trophy Plate" by Carlton Varney


Prints don't have to bold, colorful, or whimsical to make you happy. I used this Tyler Hall print- "Exeter"- in my old powder room, and it gave the room some flair... which in turn made me happy!

Image at top: A room designed by Albert Hadley- in my mind, the pied piper of the happy, handsome, and understated print. His fabric and wallpaper for Hinson is by far my favorite.