New things at Five Boroughs

The new counter area at Five Boroughs - designed and built by owners Steph and Kyle

New set-up... love that perforated screen behind the counter area... also how cute are those hand-printed gift cards and wrapping paper?

These vintage cabinets were re-worked by Kyle to turn them into shop display-cases - he added glass tops and drawers to display Five Borough's unique range of jewellery and industrial nik-naks.

I've posted about the fabulous Five Boroughs before... this gorgeous little shop is owned and run by young designers Stephanie Fleming and partner Kyle De Kuijer. This super-creative pair also create screenprinted textiles for their soft furnishings range Holly Daze on site at the back of their shop.

Steph and Kyle share a 1950's-inspired aesthetic and much of their creative output reflects their passion for this era... they're also an extraordinarily prolific creative team, whose talents perfectly complement one another. Day to day, Steph takes care of most of the buying for Five Boroughs, whilst Kyle's skills are in graphic design and serious DIY! - he takes care of most of the store's signage and shop fit-out stuff. Look at the beautiful signs hand-painted by Kyle below! Such attention to detail! Love it.

Hand-painted signs by Kyle. Yes hand-painted!

Recently Kyle and Steph also shrank their back workshop area to make way for even more retail space... if you haven't visited recently you must check it out! They also bought some fantastically wacky modular glass shelving for the window (pictures below), which they found at an old shoe store which was closing down in Williamstown. Isn't it perfect? Lucky!

Re-purposed glass shelving soiurced from an old shoe shop in Williamstown.

Artwork by American artist Barry McGee

Holly Daze cushions

Love these little vintage letters everywhere! Steph and Kyle scour ebay for vintage finds from the USA... maybe this is why Five Boroughs always looks so unique and very different from other Melbourne stores! The 'Pancake Zoo' hand-made resin brooches (top image) are $18 each and are by Japan-based designer Shawn Chen. The ceramic NY coffee cups are $25 each.

LOVE the 'Holly Daze' lettering in the workshop! Inspired by California's 'Hollywood' sign (of course!). I Also love Kyle's mural on the back wall... which he insists isn't finished (apparently the orange needs another coat? I think it looks awesome).

Steph and Kyle name their screenprinting inks after American 1950's cars? I think? Must admit this is not my strongpoint... but allegedly 'Berty', 'Goblin' and 'Chevy Mauve' will have significance to any vintage car enthusiasts!

Check out Steph's amazing vintage key ring collection displayed in the workshop!! Awesome or what? It's an ongoing project.... they just add more rows as more keyrings are discovered!

Thanks so much to Kyle and Steph for letting me photograph their workshop and store... You can check out their blog for all Five Boroughs news! And stay tuned next week for a peek into Steph and Kyle's lovely home! It is tiny, but seriously gorgeous. VERY excited.

Five Boroughs
345 Lygon st
East Brunswick
3057

Tues - Sat 11.00am - 6.00pm
Sun - 11.00am - 5.00pm