Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Melbourne shopping finds

Back to Melbourne after that whirlwind 2-day Berlin visit!

Here are just a few things that have caught my eye whilst out and about in Melbourne over the last week or so...

First up - aren't these knitting needles gorgeous? Handmade in Tasmania from Tasmanian Oak... using environmentally sustainable forestry practises (apparently!). I love the polka dot oversized bobbles on top! Available in varying sizes/colours from Melissa Jackson Millinery - 195 Gertrude st Fitzroy.

Secondly - More sustainable natural materials... great bangles made from recycled skateboards! Crazy huh? You can see the different coloured layers of plywood along the side of each bangle, and the coloured surfaces carry all the niks and scratches you'd expect to see on a well-worn deck! These are from the Portland in the USA, handmade by a company called MapleXO. $30 from the very lovely Five Boroughs at 345 Lygon st, Brunswick. (images here are from the Five Boroughs blog)

And Lastly - please excuse a little self indulgence.... these are my new dining chairs! (x6). They look oh so much more special in person... beautiful surface texture. Vintage Eames fibreglass shells, if you don't mind. They don't make 'em like they used to :)

More available at The Junk Company (583 Elizabeth st, Melbourne) and also Angelucci 20th Century (92 High st, Windsor) has some too... seem to be a few of these around in Melbourne at the moment... snap them up while you can! But be sure to check for the Herman Miller stamp. Details details.

ps) Readers from the US probably can't share my excitement about finding original Herman Miller chairs... you see they're very thin on the ground here in Australia - these were imported from the US I think. I recall reading posts on Apartment Therapy about people finding vintage Herman Miller chairs out in the street - or even in the 'garbage'! Man. That really doesn't happen here.

6 comments:

  1. well, i am totally jealous of your gorgeous herman's!!

    love, love, love.

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  2. Beautiful, beautiful chairs - lucky you!

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  3. oh thanks ladies for your lovely comments! :) I'm so glad you like them!

    There have been a couple of raised eyebrows about these chairs... along the lines of 'you paid how much for those?'... (for the record, they were actually very reasonably priced... but perhaps not compared to Ikea). I guess they don't that look special to the untrained eye! blah.

    Thanks so much for your comments! x

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  4. I love them,i'd love to see a photo of them with your dining table.
    I was in a bar one night and they had these chairs in black,and for a moment i thought,i wonder if i could get away with walking out with one of those chairs.

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  5. MissK - Thankyou! Yes I should take a photo of these chairs in place at the dining table... currently our dining room is a bit of a building site... we are in the process of renovating and somehow everything seems to get stored in piles in the dining area! :) blah. But next time my loungeroom is looking beautiful and clean and tidy i shall take a photo! Thanks so much for your comment :)

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  6. i am exciting to start making something with my brand new needles. x

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