Monday, May 31, 2010

Chewed by Tuesday

Chewed by Tuesday's sterling silver bic penlid necklaces - available chewed or unchewed!

Chewed by Tuesday is the new jewellery label of Melbourne-based designer Vivenne Gibson. Vivenne's very first design is a sterling silver pendant necklace which pays homage to the humble bic penlid - available chewed or unchewed!

Chewed by Tuesday's penlid necklaces are handmade in Melbourne, and are available in a limited edition of only 50 pieces per design. They're currently only available online here. (potential retail stockists, Chewed by Tuesday would love to hear from you!)

Chewed!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Interview - Jodie Fried of Bholu

Jodie Fried

Bholu products - hand embroidery in India, and the finished product on display.


Kid's drawings inspire Bholu's gorgeous plush toys.

You know, after more than 2 years of interviewing some of Australia's most talented and inspiring creative people, I have to say, I don't think I've ever been quite as inspired as I am by today's interview! Jodie Fried is just one truly, seriously amazing woman!

Jodie started her career as a costume designer in the film industry. After working on numerous Australian feature films, theatre productions and TV commercials, Jodie found herself working in India during the devastasting Gujarat earthquake in January 2001. She travelled to Gujarat to volunteer her time helping the villagers rebuild.... and whilst she was there, she was inspired to help create a sustainable income for women in this area.

Today, Bholu employs up to 360 traditional artisans in India, giving these women an income, independence and an opportunity to keep their traditional crafts alive. Part proceeds from the collections also go back to the Bholu Anganwadi Project which has now built a total of 8 Bholu pre-schools in underprivileged communities with Architects Without Frontiers Australia.

Jodie has won many accolades for her incredible achievements with Bholu over the last 9 years - Bholu won the Australian Telstra Business Award for Social Responsibility in 2008, and more recently was included in TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Green Designs of 2009.

Jodie has recently moved to LA with her cinematographer husband - so Bholu now has an office in LA, whilst of course also maintaining offices with fulltime staff in Sydney, Adelaide and India. I have NO IDEA how Jodie manages the day-to-day running of Bholu across three continents, plus her incredible work with the Anganwadi Project, AND her sister business Armadillo&Co....! Seriously, is this not completely amazing?

I am so inspired by Jodie's many achievements and incredible drive to build a business that is not only profitable, but also socially and ethically responsible. PERHAPS if we all pay really close attention to her responses below, we will learn some of her secrets...!

Tell us a little about your background – what path led you to founding Bholu?

I grew up in Adelaide and moved to Sydney to study production and costume design at NIDA. My “other” career is as a costume designer for film and theatre ( films such as Candy, Romulus My Father and others). I was destined to be creative and a costume designer as I would dress up my young brother and family pets. I was very bossy. My father told me to “get a real job” and to do something sensible.

I worked in theatre and film for years when I ended up in India working in Bollywood and happened to be there when the devastating earthquake of January 2001 flattened most of Gujarat. I went to help rebuild the villages of some of these communities and fell in love with the people there and their craft. Bholu was born as an idea to create a sustainable income for these women who otherwise would only use their craft in traditional ways. It teaches them to save, to be independent and gives them opportunity and choice.


Jodie works with local Indian artisans

Bholu is such an inspiring business – what were your initial goals for the company when you first started, how on earth did you know where to start in the early planning stages? It must have been a steep learning curve!

Bholu was a happy accident and came from a place of wanting to assist these traditional women in India after the devastating earthquake in 2001, rather than setting out to create a “business” for the sake of it. The passion behind the belief in the product and the reasons for creating it were the fuel to make it happen. I had to learn very quickly what running a business was all about. It’s one thing being an artist, it’s another thing being an entrepreneur. I was lucky enough to have some really great people around me in the early days who offered me advice on how to get everything set up.

I knew nothing about the financials behind running a business nor what it would take. I just had an idea and followed through with it. I think the biggest thing was pushing through those times where it was unnerving. You have to commit to an idea, have a plan, listen to the advice of professionals and then follow your instinct.

How is your business structured – how many people do you employ these days, and do you still play a very hands-on role in the design and direction for the company?

We have an office in Sydney where we have 2 full time girls, Lucy and Lisa. We also run my second company Armadillo&Co from there as well. We have several part time peeps which include sales consultants, warehouse helpers in Sydney and Adelaide. We have 12 reps here in the US and a creative studio for our US Headquarters in LA. In India, we have 2 production managers for the rugs and homewares, and up to 360 people working at any one time in production. It’s quite a handful with all the different global and national components.


The reality is, we are still a very small company. Everyone in our team loves and understands working in a small business and really believes in the philosophy and process behind our companies. We couldn’t have it any other way as running a business like this isn’t easy!

I have a very hands-on role and wear many hats - designing the collections, social media (facebook and twitter), marketing, export sales as well as keeping my Director’s hat on and making sure we are all working towards the same goals. As the company gets bigger, this gets harder to juggle.

I couldn’t do it without my amazing team who really support my visions as though they were their own.

*PS - Jodie and her team are currently looking for a new sales consultant to join their Melbourne team! Do get in touch (Australia@bholu.com) for more information about the position, they would love to meet you! - Lucy x


What does a typical day at work involve for you?

Now that I am based in LA, my days are quieter early on (until the Australia office opens) and I have much more time to myself to concentrate on design and be creative which is great. I start with a chai and normally have meetings with India (end of their day) then wade through a night of emails from Australia and then I get stuck into designing in my studio. I also have to deal with the US enquiries/customers during the day. At 3.00pm the Australia office opens. I try not to work too late but it is hard with the time differences!

Inspiring images on Jodie's noticeboard

How would you describe your own personal sense of style in your home? Does the Bholu design aesthetic reflect the look and feel of your own space?

My style is very eclectic. For a long time the interior of my home has been very monochromatic, simple and clean. I think the overload of working with such bright colours and designs on a daily basis was too much to also go home too.

But recently, my style has shifted. I am embracing colour at home a lot more (and also in my clothes) and the style is not so clean cut. We have a bit of Bholu at home, but our home really reflects our travel with pieces from people we have met and the places we have been. It’s so great to have things around you that tell a story. I think it is important to have things that are meaningful.

Where do you turn for creative inspiration – books, international magazines, the internet, your environment, travel, nature, family or friends… etc?

I have my daily fix of blogs which always lead to “meeting” someone new who is creating something amazing. But I think my core inspiration comes from daily life and travel.

I draw mine from everyday life. Inspiration and ideas are everywhere, you just need the space to see them. I love colour and shape and the tiny details in ordinary things that you might often miss. Ideas come to me best when I am least prepared and when I least expect it.


Which other designers, artists or creative people are you most inspired by at the moment?

I am loving colour right now. I have 2 favourite artists. Richard Gorman, and I am always inspired by my dear friend and artist Marnie Wark. I am not sure if it the Hispanic influence that goes here where I live and the impending northern hemisphere Summer, but I am really loving bright Spanish colours at the moment.

Artwork by Richard Gorman - Flip Flyer, 2006, oil on linen, 50 x 50 cm

What are you most proud of professionally?

Getting Bholu off the ground and running as a sustainable business as well as founding the Anganwadi Project and having built 8 Bholu Schools with 2 more under construction.

Jodie outside one of her pre-schools!

What would be your dream project?

I would love to collaborate with John Galliano, his sense of imagination, colour and shape is incredible. His creations have no boundaries and no rules and always have a wonderful element of theatricality and character.

What are you looking forward to?

Finding balance in my life.


LA Questions –

Your favourite LA neighbourhood and why?

I love Venice where we live. It is eclectic and full of create people. It has a lovely community feel and there is always something going in the neighbourhood with film, design, markets, restaurants and everything is all accessible by bike.

What shops would you recommend in the US for beautiful homewares and/or soft furnishing?

In New York, a favourite is tiny little store called Bloodline in Soho, gorgeous lighting an old worldy things as well as an old favourite ABC Home.

I am a big fan of Velocity Art & Design which is based in Seattle, which of course has Bholu in there!

And also at the end of the day you can’t really go past Anthropologie, they always have gorgeous things.


Where /what was the last great meal you ate in LA?

Definitely at Axe - never disappointed. Seared fish with roasted beets, carrots, braised greens and watercress. Oh and a crème brulee for desert. Yum.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

A long bike ride with my husband on our beach cruisers along Venice Beach and Santa Monica, then a late breakfast at Gjelina’s on Abbot Kinney, can’t go past the baked eggs with paprika and basil.

LA’s best kept secret?

A little 1920’s pistachio coloured neoclassical house in the Hollywood hills which is a shop/ gallery called House on Genesee , Gabrielle the girl who runs it says: “Genesee is a collective environment for artists, designers, architects, writers, and thinkers who seek to understand what it means to produce in these times.” A great place to be inspired - and it is only open by appointment or on days of exhibitions.

Huge thanks to Jodie for her time with this interview, and for all the glorious photos! Be sure to pop over to the Bholu website to learn more about the amazing work Bholu does! x

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Woodland cards by Darling Clementine

New Woodland giftcard range by Darling Clementine, available at Lark Handmade.

I think Norwegian stationery designers Darling Clementine may well make the cutest giftcards in the whole world. I have still not quite recovered from the sheer gorgeousness of their Paris! card designs last year.... Ooh La La such extreme goodness. But NOW this supremely talented little team have followed up with an equally delectable Woodland range, available in Australia from Lark Handmade.

Inspired by traditional folkart and scandinavian flora and fauna, Darling Clementine designers Ingrid Reithaug and Tonje Holand have created a lovely succinct little collection of eight illustrated cards which features friendly forest-life alongside quirky expressions such as ‘Be Mine’, ‘Hi’ and ‘No.1’! I love the composition and beautiful attention to detail in each perfect little illustration.... not to mention that fabulous limited colour palette.

Cute cards are surprisingly hard to find, people! Snap some of these up and you'll be well prepared for all manner of last-minute celebrations!

The Woodland cards RRP for AU$5.95 each, or AUS$38.oo for the full set of 8. Buy from Lark online or instore...

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Melbourne Home - Daydream Lily!

The Melbourne home of blogger Liss Winnel, aka Daydream Lily! - The Dining room features an incredible artwork by the very incredible Audrey Kawasaki.

Loungeroom details



More loungeroom love - love this little montage on the mantle, including illos by Kat Macleod, Mel Stringer, Amy Borell... and her treasured lomo cameras!

I was so thrilled when Liss Winnel (aka Daydream Lily!) emailed me recently to see if I would be interested in featuring her home! Oooh la la how could I not accept such an offer! Daydream Lily is one of Melbourne's loveliest and most popular blogs - Liss has been writing even longer than me(!!), and her deliciously girly blog has a huge following both here and in the US. As far as I'm concerned, Daydream Lily is definitely Melbourne blog royalty! Aside from editing a very special collection of artwork and photography on her site, Liss also seems to uncover the most covetable goodies from across the globe... nonesuchthings is one such brilliant online discovery - gold! How do you do it Liss!?

I headed across town to visit Ms D. Lily on a wintery Sunday morning... it was so lovely to meet her, and it will come as no surprise to Liss's many fans that her home is every bit as dreamy and feminine as her blog! Straight out of a Frankie home story, I tell ya! Amongst Liss's treasured pieces on display were original artworks by Kat Macleod, Mel Stringer, Amy Borell, Catherine Campbell, Kelly Smith and her very talented sister, Bec Winnel.

To accompany these pics, Liss has kindly answered 5 questions about her blog for those die-hard fans out there! -

What first inspired you to start the Daydream Lily blog, and how long have you been writing now?

I was looking for a creative outlet and started reading craft and design blogs. I also wanted to connect with other like minded people and saw blogging as a way to do that. I started by blogging what I was making and then it developed into sharing all the beautiful things I was finding on the internet. It's now 3 years that I’ve been blogging.


What has been one exciting experience to come out of Daydream Lily?

Being asked to be a LomoAmigo for the Diana Mini Camera was pretty exciting! It also started my obsession with Lomo Cameras.


What have been one or two favourite posts and why?


Some of my favourite posts have been the ones where I’ve combined photos with a quote or lyric. Often those post are like a journal entry for me, they reflect something that’s happening in that point in my life or some words to live by. Like this one “Sometimes you have to..

Or this one - "happy weekend".

What do you do outside of the blog? Are you creative in other areas of your life?


I try to be! I do some of my own photography. I'm really interested in analogue and older cameras right now.


What's next for Daydream Lily?

I'm working on a few creative collaborations but they wont be ready till later this year....!


HUGE thanks to Liss for sharing her home and her Sunday morning with me! She's had a few requests recently to share pics of her home - I feel truly lucky she chose to share them with us first! Thanks Liss! x

Bedroom details... Illustration in top right-hand image is by Kelly Smith... also love the mismatched op-shop pillowcases!

Bedroom details - including artworks up top by Liss's sister Bec Winnel (centre) and Catherine Campbell (right).

Kitchen details...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Carla Fletcher - studio visit and mini-interview!

Melbourne artist Carla Fletcher

Carla's incredible portrait of CW Stoneking, shortlisted for this year's Archibald Prize

On the 10th of March this year, young Melbourne artist Carla Fletcher received a phone call from the Art Gallery of NSW, informing her that her portrait of Melbourne Blues musician, C.W. Stoneking was a finalist in this years Archibald Prize!!

*insert squeal here!*

How EXCITING!? This is the very first time Carla has entered this most prestigious Australian art prize... it is hugely competitive and and incredible honour to be included - so needless to say the phonecall was very unexpected!

The last couple of months have, not surprisingly, been a bit of whirlwind for Carla - the nervous wait before the official announcement, the excitement of the opening cocktail party in Sydney, endless inquiries, media attention and the odd interview appearance!

I was SO excited to visit Carla recently in her Brunswick studio and hear a little of this rollercoaster-ride first-hand! Aside from her incredible talent and drive, Carla is just the sweetest and most modest person... it is so lovely to see such a brilliant local artist rewarded in this way. As Carla recounted her Archibald stories to me, her eyes truly sparkled in a 'pinch-me-and-tell-me-this-is-all-not-just-a-dream' kinda way! Awww. Nope, you're not dreaming Carla!

(Also, seriously, whilst not entirely relevant, it cannot be overstated how cute Carla's haircut is. Agghh, the fringe, so cute.)

5 Questions with Carla Fletcher!

Tell us a little bit about your background - what path had led you to where you are now?

Well, I had no idea I wanted to be an Artist.

My parents are great advocates of following your own heart, so I totally blame them ; )


After school I got my folio together and somehow got into a B.A of Fashion Design at RMIT - I don't sew.


Not sure whether it was an 80's pop culture short attention span or fate but half way through first year I was bored of sketching garments on figures and more interested in sketching the figures themselves. I left Fashion Design, squeezed in a final year of an Illustration Diploma before doing my B.A in Fine Art at the Drawing department at RMIT.


A few years later, at a time when I was questioning everything, my Father took me to Central Australia and asked me to teach him how to paint. A very empowering thing for a parent to ask their child to teach them.


We sketched, painted and walked through the outback. I came home after that trip more connected to my path as an Artist than I had ever been. Since then I have constantly exhibited in both independent solo and group exhibitions.


Carla's Brunswick studio

Studio Details

It can be such a struggle for emerging artists to find their feet, get their work seen, and earn a living in between! What advice would you give to emerging artists looking to exhibit and sell their work in Melbourne? Are there any particular artist's resources or words of advice you have picked up along the way which you can share?

I think each Artist has an individual path that will determine how they get their work out into the world.

In Melbourne and Australia there is an artery of independent galleries, studio spaces, group exhibitions, grants and prizes that are waiting to be tapped into. Check out the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) - a comprehensive place to start exploring the possibilities ...


Which other artists, designers or creative people are you inspired by at the moment?


A combination of music, art and design -


Philip Hunter , Del Kathryn Barton, Ilse Crawford,
Egon Shiele, Grizzy Bear and Brett Langsford and The Magic Mountain Band ; )

Your portrait of C.W Stoneking was recently shortlisted as a finalist in the 2010 Archibald prize. Aggh so exciting!! Can you give us a little insight into the motivation behind entering this prestigious art prize, and your incredible experience with it all thus far?


The Archibald Prize is an anomaly in our art world that has captured the imagination of the Australian public, I am no exception.


Each year there is a media frenzy to digest the winner and spit out a controversy. The tradition of this prize reaches deep into the great people and artists of our country. The prize itself is somewhat of a celebrity.


I had been introduced to C.W. Stoneking a couple of years ago through a mutual friend and mid way through last year I set myself the challenge. It took a lot of hours over a few months and it was an arm wrestle. It was one of those works that taught me a lot but I released it totally happy with what I had achieved. Upon finishing it did not matter to me whether I got in or not - I expected not to. The fact that I am a finalist this year is extremely validating.


Carla on opening night! And CW Stoneking inspects the work with 2-week old Florence Stoneking in tow...!

What's next for Carla Fletcher? What are you looking forward to?


I'm currently creating art work for the recent E.P. release 'Over an Ocean Away' by Brett Langsford and the Magic Mountain Band.
(*Carla's boyfriend and his band!)

I'm looking forward to exhibiting in a group show in July called 'The Brunswick Show'.

It aims to show case the works of 25 artists in Brunswick Melbourne, including 2010 Archibald and Wynne prize winner Sam Leach.

Then I'll be back in the studio, working on a solo exhibition of new works for mid next year ...


Sydney-siders - your last chance to see The Archibald exhibition is this weekend at the Art Gallery of NSW. The show closes Sunday May 30th, and is then set to tour the country for the rest of the year (yet somehow bypasses MELBOURNE!??) - details here.

Coming up for Carla next month is a group show of Brunswick artists called The Brunswick Show - a exhibition which will also feature work by fellow Brunswick artist Sam Leach - the winner of the 2010 Archibald Prize! (Go Brunswick!).

Finised! Carla, exhausted but content after many hours, days, weeks hard at work on her masterpiece!

Monday, May 24, 2010

DisBand by Leeloo

Hand-embroidered illustrations by Laura McKellar

Hand-embroidered illustrations by Laura McKellar. New work by Laura will be included in the Disband exhibition, opening this week in Sydney.

I'm sure everyone knows about this already after much coverage in print and in blogland, but I promised I would share so here it is....!

After the great success of their group art show Once Upon last year, Angela D'Alton and Renee Anne (remember?) of Sydney-based online store and crafty community Leeloo, are staging another exhibition which opens this week! Entitled DisBand, the show includes work by many talented local artists and illustrators including Kelly Smith, Ben Zen, and Laura McKellar. Renee and Angela have staged the exhibition in a unique way this time around, transforming the space at aMBUSH gallery it into a kind of stylised living space with furniture, lamps and other details. Visitors are invited to view the artworks within the confines of this fictional loungeroom...!? Coolness.

The show opens this Thursday May 27th at aMBUSH gallery in Sydney (opening is from 6pm to 9pm). It will travel to Melbourne in August, showing at No Vacancy Gallery from Tuesday August 24th to Saturday August 28th.

All works are for sale, and Leeloo will also hold a little pop-up shop at the Sydney event from Friday to Sunday, showcasing locally designed jewellery, clothes, accessories and general crafty-ness for the so inclined :)


Sydney show - aMBUSH gallery
Thursday May 27th 2010 - Sunday May 30th.
open daily from 10am to 5pm through to

Melbourne show - No Vacancy
Tuesday August 24th to Saturday August 28th
Open daily 11.00am - 5.00pm
(opening night event on Thurs August 26th, 6pm to 9pm)

OMG Super girly, I know... but really, how amazing are these fashion illustration by Kelly Smith!? I am in awe.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Pia Ulin

Incredible work from the website of Swedish photographer Pia Ulin.

All photos - Pia Ulin.

I am not usually into re-posting pics randomly from elsewhere on the web... but sometimes you just stumble across something so stupidly gorgeous it warrants nothing more than a dense photo-heavy post, a couple of brief captions and one very special link.

These incredible interior shots, styled to perfection, are by Swedish photographer Pia Ulin. Scandinavia never looked so good. Aggh.

(via new discovery The Beautiful Soup - very lovely local Tumblr blog...!)

All photos - Pia Ulin.

All photos - Pia Ulin.

All photos - Pia Ulin.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Interview - Emma Aiston and Daniel To - aka 'Daniel - Emma'!

Daniel To and Emma Aiston - aka Daniel - Emma at Space Furniture this week in Richmond.

Brand new 'Basics' range by Daniel - Emma.

Emma demonstrates the simple but genius magnet system to cover those unsightly screws in the shelf...

OMG could not be more in love with the lacquered brass paperweights! SO special.

I was very lucky to meet super cute South Australian couple Daniel To and Emma Aiston - aka Daniel - Emma - in Melbourne this week! The young design duo (and married couple!) were in town just briefly, showing their brand new and much-anticipated new 'Basics' product range at Space Furniture in Richmond. I heard about this little launch only the night before - but couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet Daniel and Emma in person! The pieces are not for sale just yet... (hopefully by September!), but if you're in Melbourne you can pop down to Space Furniture in Richmond this weekend and see the products in a special preview showing until Tuesday! They are truly just so perfectly lovely - it is really worth checking the range out in person before the whole world catches on (only a matter of time!).

In typical Daniel - Emma style, Basics is a simple, understated and perfectly succinct little collection
of slightly kooky homewares / desk accessories - designed especially with local manufacture mind. After a steep learning curve getting their hugely popular 'Solids' range into production in China, the pair were compelled this time to design something easily produced here at home. When it hits the retail market, the range will still be surprisingly affordable - those stunning lacquered brass paperweights in chunky extruded shapes start at around $100.00 RRP. I am so in love with the genius simplicity of Daniel and Emma's work - the pair design with a surprising restraint which belies their young age - Emma is 25 and Daniel turns 26 today! (Happy Birthday Daniel!!!)

After graduating from Industrial Design at the University of South Australia in 2007, Daniel and Emma spent 2 years gaining invaluable work experience with some super high-profile design studios in London including Thorsten van Elten and Marc Newson! They exhibited their first range, 'Shapes', in 2008 in both London and Tokyo, and were included in the *Wallpaper magazine graduate directory the following year - picking up countless other accolades and awards on the way. But aside from being one of the most promising young design studios in Australia right now, Daniel and Emma are just so genuinely nice, super modest and entertaining too! They are also a very well dressed couple (important), and I am not sure I have ever seen a cuter sweeping-side-fringe / chunky spectacle combo than Emma's current look. Aggh. Girl-crush alert! (Sorry Dan - you are cute too).

Do pop down to Space Furniture in Richmond this weekend and see the 'Basics' range in a special preview showing until Tuesday! You will die of the cuteness. Promise.

Huge thanks to Daniel and Emma for the super speedy interview turnaround-time! ...And to John at Space for keeping the products on display all weekend just for US (true!)


Tell us a little about your backgrounds – what path led you to what you are doing now?

We both studied Industrial Design at the University of South Australia and graduated in 2007. We met at uni……….. during which time we only worked on one project together, this was so disastrous that we vowed never to work together again….my how that’s changed! A number of unrelated events have led us to where we are now. Moving to London was a big one, coming back home to Adelaide was another and also just a general desire to design together and hopefully make a living from doing what we love!

'Solids' collection by Emma Aiston and Daniel To

After graduating in 2007, you each spent time working with high profile design studios overseas to gain invaluable experience… how did you end up working with Thorsten van Elten and Marc Newson, and what were the highlights of your time in London?

At uni we had always admired Thorsten’s brand and ethos, so when we arrived in London I (Emma) decided this is who I wanted to work for, so I did. The Marc Newson gig came about after winning
SOYA Qantas Spirit of Youth Competition in 2007, part of the prize being an intern with Marc Newson. We has the time of our lives in London, we met amazing people many of whom will be friends for life. Most importantly for us professionally we realised what we wanted to do as designers and learnt skills to put this into motion.


Emma and Daniel sample London grub at Ed's Diner in Covent Garden, and their favourite - Canteen, Baker st London.

Last year you were catapulted into the international spotlight after being included in *Wallpaper’s graduate directory… how did this come about, and what has come from such high profile coverage?

Wallpaper came about from us exhibiting at 100% Design London in 2008, its hard to say what the benefits have been exactly, we’re sure it has helped us in a number of ways both directly and indirectly, we think for the most part, people are impressed to see that we have made it into such a well known magazine.

Recent Daniel - Emma stand at 100% Design London (2009)


Daniel - Emma stand at 100% Design London (2009) and Tokyo (2008)

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

Simple, clean, just nice.

How is it working together as a creative couple? How do you begin a new design together – ie what roles do you each take on, is it a very balanced creative process…? Who wears the pants!?

Emma wears the pants, but Daniel wears the shorts (not a skirt!) We design apart and often come together to discuss an idea, then we might talk about it, draw it, make it and either love it or hate it.

Daniel and Emma's home in Rosewater, Adelaide

Where do you turn for creative inspiration – books, international magazines, the internet, your environment, travel, nature, family or friends… etc?

Media: Monocle Magazine, FFFFOUND.com, miekewillems.blogspot.com, tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/
Places: living in Port Adelaide, bike rides to the beach
Travel: Brussels, Tokyo, London, Paris Family: our sausage dog Frankie, grandparents (and their houses), our eclectic array of friends, and our very, very multi-cultural families!!!!!

Frankie the Sausage dog :)

Which other designers, artists or creative people are you most inspired by at the moment?

Vampire Weekend, Chuck Bass (from Gossip Girl), Mr Fox (from Fantastic Mr Fox), Porco Rosso (from Porco Rosso)

What are you most proud of professionally?

The fact we still haven’t given up or killed one another!

What would be your dream project?

Designing a nice accessory for Louis Vuitton, or doing an interior for a quaint restaurant.

Dinnerset from Daniel Emma's 'Shapes' collection, 2008.

What are you looking forward to?

London in September, quitting our day jobs and concentrating completely on design, launching the production versions of ‘SOLIDS’ and ‘BASICS’, also teaching Frankie some tricks, with all of our spare time!

The view from Daniel and Emma's window in their tiny London apartment!

Adelaide Questions –


Your favourite shop/s in Adelaide for unique designed homewares/lighting?

Scammells Auction House, Port Dock Markets, RHD (mainly clothing but has nice things as well).

You fave bookshop in Adelaide for reference and design books?

Matilda Bookshop in Stirling.

Where /what was the last great meal you ate in Adelaide?

Korean bbq on Pitt Street, you can smell the smoky meat from at least 50m away!

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

This varies greatly from week to week, a perfect Saturday would be breakfast and shopping at the Central Market, followed by a leisurely stroll around the port.

Adelaide’s best kept secret?

Sugar Cane Minced Prawn Balls from Vietnam Restaurant OMG DELICIOUS!