Interview - Niels Oeltjen

Wilkintie prints

Niels Oeltjen's Wilkinitie letterpress print

Experiments in typography by Niels Oeltjen

Thanks & Hudon's new Street Studio book, featuring many local street artists including Niels Oeltjen.

Niels' Street Studio pages...

Niels Oeltjen is a bit of an enigma. You see his name around the place... you've got a vague idea of his work and illustrative style.. a few seconds of googling brings up more than a handful of examples of his brilliant and varied design work... and yet, there is something just a little bit mysterious going on. Like all of Melbourne's favourite and most celebrated gems, Niels is a bit of a secret, a discovery which takes just a little bit of effort to uncover and get your head around. He's kind of like the human equivalent of that Japanese restaurant in Flinders Lane with no signage that I still can't find, 2 years after it was first recommended (Yu-U??).

It's a wonder Niels manages to fly under the radar really. In addition to his commercial illustration work (represented by Jacky Winter), high-profile design collaborations, typography projects, fine art, exhibitions, mail-order letterpress project (Wilkintie), and excellent collaborative design blog (The Wooden Foundations), Niels is also well known in Melbourne for his street art. In fact he is one of the featured artists in Thames & Hudson's new and much talked-about Street Studio book, which is all about Melbourne's celebrated Graffiti scene.

With all this in mind, I am really chuffed that Niels (aka Nails) agreed to this interview! He's not one to blow his own trumpet, you see. He's a modest man of few words and many pictures.

No complaints here! Pictures are my favourite.

Tell me a little about your background – what did you originally study and what path has led you to what you are doing now?

I grew up in Tasmania, where I was involved in the band and skate culture. This is where I learned that sometimes when you want something done the best option is DIY. Tassie was a place I constantly sought to escape, and on a trip to Europe in ‘96 I came across street art (graffiti) and amazing contemporary art. I was so inspired by it that my life dramatically changed direction and I completed by Bachelor of Fine Art with new energy and a new focus, rather than having another go at getting into Marine Biology. From there I moved to Melbourne and immersed myself in everything that I loved – street art, illustration, and design. My path meandered about a bit, and I had a lot of great experiences, but somehow the constant has always been making art, and keeping it DIY.

How would you describe your illustrative style?

Warm with a chance of rain.

What are some favourite illustration projects, clients or publications you have worked with over the years?

Favourite clients is anyone who understands what I do and respects my ideas enough to let me do what I know is best. That said every job has its challenges, and they’re easier to overcome with a friendly and open-minded client, where the process is one of collaboration. I’ve had a lot of those but Tailfeather comes to mind, and Poketo.

Niels' 'Poketo' wallet!

How did the idea for Wilkintie come about? How is it going?

My wife was looking for a new project when she left her previous job in publishing. We were keen to do something fun, and to commission all the great illustrators we came across in our work. I had just started making letterpress prints so we worked out a way to make the most of these interests by producing a letterpress art project for kids. It’s going pretty well even as we’ve taken a little break as Carly is doing the Mum thing with our baby boy. We’re working on a new direction for the project over the course of this year, and are looking forward to pursuing some more possibilities.

You have a lot of creative projects on the go at one time! How do you divide your time between freelance illustration, Wilkintie, and projects such as the Street/Studio book and the Wooden Foundations Collective etc… when you wake up in the morning, how do you know what to get started on first!?

My toughest day is usually Monday when I step into the office and see dozens of emails in my inbox and a to-do list as long as your arm. I organise my week then and try to set some time away from the mac, either interacting with people or making something. It’s not any different than any other freelancer I guess. With a lot of projects on at any given time I need to plan, set goals, and keep track of what I’m doing. Goals are really important, as well as monitoring victories… it just keeps me moving. Anyone working for themselves knows how challenging it can be, but the rewards are great coz each victory is your own. Of course there are days where I just get fed up and wanna go do something completely different. I allow myself those days every once in a while just to stay sane.


What does a typical day at work involve for you?

I usually start the day answering some emails, then morning tea and a little play with my son before heading back into the studio. From there I’d be struggling to define a typical day but any of the following might apply: Draw, brainstorm an idea, make some art, paint a wall, chase an invoice, shop for materials, marketing, printing (letterpress, lino, digital), or networking. Lately I’ve wanted to change things up a bit and schedule time in for creative play, something that normally only happens when I need a break from the admin stuff.


Where do you turn for creative inspiration? – travel, art, local or international print publications, the web etc?

I couldn’t define one source… I look everywhere for inspiration. The key is to have an open mind, be curious, and to never dismiss an opportunity to learn. I usually document the inspiration and then refer to that when I’m starting a new project, or if I’m stuck. I love going to the library.

Can you name some other creative people whose work you admire?

People whose work I have been connecting with lately include Theo Jansen, Daniel Eatock , Honet, Michael Johansson, Steve Powers, Nam collective, Random International, Henrik Menne, Tommi Stockel, and CheapCheap.

What would be your dream creative project?

It would be one where I can be purely creative without having to worry about politics, budgets, opinions, or red tape. Or I might want to take off to some remote part of the world to work with the locals on something that benefits them as well as producing something of artistic merit.


What are you looking forward to?

Watching my son grow up and having more art shows OS.

Melbourne Questions

Your favourite Melbourne neighbourhood and why?

I spend a lot of time in Brunswick, so I’ll say Brunswick.

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Melbourne?

Morning Tea at Dench.

Where do you shop in Melbourne for the tools of your trade?

Ummm… nowhere specific. I do go to secondhand shops a lot for raw materials for my sculptural work.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

At the Queen Vic market doing the weekly shopping and gorging on sweet treats.

Melbourne’s best kept secret?

There are no secrets left… except one. I know of a place where there is a cave that only a handful of (non-aboriginal) people have set foot in.

Interview - Rachel Khoo & Frankie Unsworth

Edible Immigration Tales event in Sydney last year by culinary collaborators Rachel Khoo and Frankie Unsworth. Photos by Howard Trang.

Edible Immigration Tales 2009 - Goats curd and macadamia nut 'native grubs', and freshly spun edible wool! Photos by Howard Trang.

Guests enjoy their edible tales. Photos by Howard Trang.

After last week's tummy tempting interview with food stylist Deb Kaloper it seems perfect timing to introduce two very special ladies who are hosting an inspired event in Melbourne next week as part of State of Design! (Wow, that was a long sentence.)

Rachel Khoo and partner in foodie crime Frankie Unsworth have a sweet story which I have just tried to re-write about 5 times, but it is so perfectly told on Rachel's blog that I hope you will forgive me for borrowing her words! -

'Once upon a time there were two British girls who met in Paris over muffin making at an adorable cookbook store. They soon found out that they had many things in common: a pâtisserie diplome from Le Cordon Bleu, the love for food and lots of fun.

They had many adventures in Paris and beyond. But the day came when Frankie departed to a far away land called Australia. Rachel was very sad that her fun loving foodie partner in crime was leaving but was determined that no matter how many thousands of miles away Frankie was, she would make sure they would continue to have more edible adventures.'

Rachel and Frankie collaborated on the very popular and much-blogged Edible Immigration Tales event in Sydney last year... and have been invited by State of Design to produce a similar event this year in Melbourne! The talented pair will host a carefully curated food-meets-design event at the Victorian Tapestry Workshop next week. Entitled Edible Tapestry Tales, the event will incorporate lots of weaving, thread-like foods and tapestry techniques at the dinner table! According to their very famous and brilliant Paris-based friend Pia Jane Bijkerk(!), the pair have been busy testing out all sorts of edible tapestries and edible thread in their Paris and Sydney kitchens, and skyping the results to each other...! Pia says 'if I was samantha stephens, I’d bewitch myself over there in a flash'!

WELL really if a wrap like that from PJB isn't enough to get you booking your ticket, I don't know what is! It will surely be a magical and very memorable evening! No bewitching necessary.

I am so grateful to both Rachel and Frankie for taking part in this interview! Such a truly inspiring pair! (And Frankie just turned 2-6..?! OH another over-achiever in our midst!). Rachel is still based in Paris and travels the world on many culinary adventures! Frankie now works in Sydney at Indesign.live who are quite great, you should totally subscribe to their newsletter :)

Edible Tapestry Tales
Friday 23 July, Saturday 24 July, Sunday 25 July, 7.00pm

Victorian Tapestry Workshop
262 - 266 Park st, South Melbourne

$110 inc. cocktail and wine
Bookings - edibletales@gmail.com

Rachel Khoo (left) and Frankie Unsworth (Right) both manage to look relaxed and gorgeous whilst whipping up some magic in the kitchen! Photos by Kang Leong and Howard Trang.

Frankie and Rachel! You guys seem like a match made in edible heaven. How did you meet, how and when did you start collaborating on foodie projects?

Rachel – We met in Paris at a cute culinary bookstore, La Cocotte, where I worked baking and cooking for events and workshops. We hit it off immediately being both foodies and Brits in Paris. When I went freelance in November 2008 I started catering and organising small events. Frankie would help me out when she could. It was a little hard as she had a full time job working as food and travel editor for Italia! and Taste Italia magazines. We had some fun cooking for a private concert in a Paris apartment and also doing a Mash up dinner at the Loft, London.

When Frankie moved to Sydney last September I knew I just had to visit. We both decided that it would be too much of missed opportunity to not put on an event when I visited in March and that’s how our first collaborative project was born, Edible Immigration Tales.

Rachel and Frankie cool up a storm at the first Mash Up event at The Loft in London. Photo Bronia Stewart.

Can you briefly give a little idea of each of your backgrounds before meeting in Paris?

Rachel – I graduated from Central Saint Martins school of Art Design with an Arts degree specialising in film, photography, graphic and web design. During my studies I worked as an assistant for the Sunday Times Style magazine on interior shoots. I fell into food styling via that. After I graduated I wanted to work as a food stylist but found it hard to get a job so I worked in luxury fashion PR and marketing. Two years later and I threw that in to move to Paris to study Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu. And that’s how I ended up in Paris.

Frankie - I have always been slightly obsessed with Italy so fresh out a language degree at Bristol I went to work for a publishing house who specialised in Italy, where I became the food and travel editor. I continued in the role when I left to Paris with my French boyfriend, travelling back and forth to Italy. After two years in Paris I went to work for chef Nuno Mendes in the Summer of 2009, then I got itchy feet again and ended up in Sydney where I work as an editor on Indesignlive.com.

What inspired you both to devise your upcoming ‘Edible Tapestry Tales’ For Melbourne’s State of Design Festival?

Rachel & Frankie - Kate Rhodes initially put us in touch with the workshop after we had applied to host an event as part of State of Design Public Program. After doing our Edible Immigration tales in March we went to Melbourne where we visited the Australian Tapesty Workshop. It was really seeing all the different colours, textures and handcraft techniques at the workshop, which inspired us to put on Edible Tapestry Tales.

The Victorian Tapestry Workshop in South Melbourne

Can you perhaps give us a little sneaky tip-off about what visitors to this event can expect to eat and see!?

Rachel & Frankie - There will be lots of weaving, threads and other tapestry techniques integrated into the food as well as some delicious wines from Mollydooker in McLaren Vale.

Please tell us some other clever creative people your each admire?

Rachel – Wow, that’s really difficult as there are so many. I really respect the work of Marije Vogelzang. I love the way her work/food always communicates her ideas in such a fun and innovative way. The TED talks are also very inspiring. I find that inspiration doesn’t always have to be visual. Hearing about concepts and ideas can also stimulate and push your work too.

Frankie – I am constantly reading blogs where there is endless inspiration. I love Sibella Court’s styling and her Paddington shop The Society Inc. I think Jim Denevan is incredibly cool with his touring pop-up dinners on farms across America.

When it comes to food, Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini is my pin-up, along with Jonathan Safran Foer and Michael Pollan, all of whom are incredibly influential in changing the public attitudes to food and its provenance. Anything writer and philosopher Alain de Botton says I hold as gospel.

What would be your dream creative project?

Rachel & Frankie – Organising the Edible Tapestry Tales is already bit of a dream. The Australian Tapestry workshop is an amazing venue as well the State of Design festival giving us a blank canvas in terms of creation. A dream would definitely be not dealing with all the administration. Dealing with bookings is so time consuming!

A project where we’re not constrained financially would definitely be a dream. The events we do rely just as much on the interaction and reaction of participants. The cost of food, equipment and staff means that we have to charge a certain amount, which limits who can come. It would be great to offer something for free or small fee, open to everyone but for that we would need a big sponsor, which in this economic situation is a bit difficult.

Rachel and Frankie's notes and scribbles for Edible Tales last year!

What is next for Rachel Khoo and Frankie Unsworth?

Rachel – I have my second French language cookery book coming out in September and I’m currently working on a third. As for ‘Edible Tales’ who knows. If this one is a success we’ll be back for sure!

Frankie – It is safe to say writing, cooking, eating will probably be involved.

Rachel Khoo, back at The Loft in London for Mash Up II last year. Photos Kang Leong.

Paris / Sydney Questions

Your favourite neighbourhood in Sydney (Frankie) / Paris (Rachel) and why?

Rachel – I’m definitely a right bank (north of the seine) girl. I live in the 19Th in Belleville which has a large Chinese community but also a very young and creative scene too. It has some great parks: Butte Chaumont and Parc de Belleville, which are perfect for summer picnics and plenty of cheap and cheerful Parisian bars.

Frankie - I live in and love Bondi, but I work in Surry Hills, which means I get to revel in the Sydney's creative and cool side during the day and then enjoy seaside living on the weekends. I see it as the best of both worlds. Moving to Sydney, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to live by the beach. It honestly makes everyday feel like a holiday.

What/where was the last great meal you each ate in your home town?

Rachel – I’m currently baking a lot of French pâtisserie so I really like my food to be simple and healthy. I usually go to Bob's Kitchen (some good photos here), a vegetarian restaurant in the Marais. They do delicious salads, soups, sandwiches and other vegetarian delights which are the perfect antidote to all that sugar.

Frankie - The last great meal I had was probably on my birthday at Marigold in Chinatown with a fellow food friend. We feasted on Yum Cha late morning accompanied by some really dodgy sparkling wine and finished up with custard buns and mango pancakes. It was a perfect way to celebrate the big 2-6.

Where do you shop for the tools of your trade?

Rachel - There’s a street in Paris, rue Montmartre (metro Les Halles) which has several chef shops: Bovida, Mora, A. Simon and a street along, rue Tiquetonne there’s G.Detou, great for specialist ingredients and L’épicerie de Bruno which has an amazing selection of spices.

Frankie - Seasonal Concepts in Redfern is a great place to pick up quirky one off items – plates, cups, cakes stands. For all things practical for the kitchen, it's all about the Chef's Warehouse in Surry Hills. I love the Earth Foodstore, my local organic shop on Gould street in Bondi for doing the everyday shopping.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

Rachel – If I’m up early enough I’d go to yoga and then my local market, which is on a Wednesday and Saturday. I have my favourite fruit and veg guy where I pick up my fruit and veg for the week. He always has a great selection and picks out melons for when you want to eat them. If I’m feeling a little naughty I go get a Pastal de nata (portugese custard tart) from the organic bread stand. And then I go for a café créme at Café Cherie, my favourite local hangout.

Frankie - Yoga at Dharma Shala in North Bondi followed perhaps by smashed eggs and avo at Porch and Parlour. Walk along the beach or around the cliffs to Bronte. The winter months have made Bondi bookstore and cafe Gertrude and Alice highly appealing for its vast collection of obscure food books and slouchy sofas.

Sydney / Paris’ best kept secret?

Rachel – Well in Paris it’s a little difficult as it’s small (in comparison to other capital cities) and nothing stays a secret for long. There’s this new gelato shop in the haut marais (1 rue dupuis). It’s run by Mary Quarta, an Italian who doesn’t speak much French or English but certainly knows how to make delicious gelati.

Frankie - Not sure it's a secret, but Youeni Provides has been open for a few months on South Dowling Street and not only are the guys super nice, but we share a love for Beirut and Buena Vista Social Club which you’ll hear bellowing out the sound system. I go there for the creamy pumpkin soup accompanied by a slab of Sonoma miche slathered in butter.

More Mash Up II - Photos Kang Leong.

Interview - Tin & Ed

Fashion Bloggers illustration by Tin&Ed for Myer Emporium Magazine (spot Tavi!)

Tourism Victoria 'Lose Yourself' campaign - oversized 'wool' props by Tin&Ed!

Window installation for Incu

Tin&Ed do 'cute' too! Illustration for limited edition poster

Tin&Ed are Melbourne Famous.

They are so famous they don't even need surnames.

This prolific young graphic design duo are based in Melbourne's much-loved Nicholas Building... and their shared moniker seems to pop up on almost every kooky design project this city has to offer. Clients over the past couple of years have included Crumpler, The Royal Children's Hospital, Three Thousand, The Thousand Shop, as well as big name brands such as Nike and Visa. Tin&Ed are also partly responsible for that famous ball of wool campaign for Tourism Victoria a couple of years back.... (They made those giant 'wool' sculptures!) SO brilliant! And so versatile for a graphic design company!

It seems versatility is the name of the game over at Tin&Ed HQ - these days a typical day could include anything from props making to illustration, motion graphics to installation... no job seems too peculiar for this multi-talented pair. Aside from the incredible variety, I just love the sense of humour inherent in most of their work - they really seem to approach each new brief with a unique and very wacky sensibility... a Tin&Ed project just wouldn't be a Tin&Ed project if it took itself too seriously!

Huge thanks to these very busy boys for taking time out for this interview ...because it sure is hard work being Melbourne famous!

(for the record, Tin&Ed did start life with surnames. Tin's is Nguyen, and Ed's is Cutting.)

PS) Paul Barbera has taken some super brilliant shots of Tin &Ed's studio... here they are.

Tin&Ed was formed when Ed miraculously pulled Tin out of a hat in San Francisco - True or False?

Tell me a little about your backgrounds – how did you meet, and what path led you to setting you your business and doing what you’re doing now?

We both met during our first year of design school and have been working together ever since. We worked on a lot of outside projects together whilst we were at uni and when we finished we got a job to design the identity for the Next Wave Festival which is a youth arts festival here in Melbourne. They gave us a little corner of their office to work from and we got to meet a lot of interesting and creative people, we were very quickly immersed into the creative community in Melbourne and everything just happened from there.


The type of work that we do has definitely evolved a lot over years. Illustration and design will always be a large part of what we do because it's how we got our start, but recently we've been creating more sculptures and installations, we're also working a lot more with photography and motion which has been a lot of fun.

Where might we have seen your work? What have been some favourite clients / projects in recent years?

We’ve worked for lots of different types of clients, so I guess you can see our work in a lot of different places. We do a quite a bit of work for advertising agencies and in the past year we’ve worked for companies like Nike, MTV, Visa and American Express, a lot of our agency work goes through our very awesome illustration agent Jacky Winter.

Our first solo show last year at Lamington Drive was definitely one of the favourite things we’ve done in past few years as well as our collaboration with Amsterdam based Artist Lucy McRae. We’ve done some installation stuff with Vice recently which has also been really fun, what else... the fabric collaboration with Melbourne label TV... we've probably got too many favourite projects to name, let's say all of them :) We've just finished a project for the Melbourne International Arts Festival in collaboration with 'Supple Fox' which we are really excited about. You’ll be able to see that stuff in the festival guide, on posters around town and at the Forum theatre in October.

Collaboration with Amsterdam based artist Lucy McRae

TV Collaboration - Fabric Design (digital print onto Raw Silk)

How would you describe the Tin & Ed design aesthetic?

We get bored really easily and I guess our design aesthetic is dictated a lot by this. We like to work in a lot of different mediums, using different processes. We like to put ourselves into situations where we have no idea what we’re doing. Our style is very much a result of this process, we don't really make a conscious effort to cultivate a specific design aesthetic... i think it's something that just happens.

At the moment we are really interested in spontaneity and cultivating ideas that allow for accidents. It’s an interesting way of creating connections between seemingly unrelated things.

Our work tries to communicate with people on a more subconscious level, we don’t want people to understand everything right away, it’s more about multiple levels of meaning rather then a singular and direct message. Not sure if this answers the question at all :) we find it difficult to talk about the aesthetic of our work because for us the concept and the process is more important.

Stunning photos of Tin & Ed's city studio by Paul Barbera... pop over to see even more...

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

It really depends on what we are working on. We are usually juggling a few projects at any one time so generally we will work on whatever is most pressing. Most of our days are really different so it's hard to say, some days we'll spend drawing, other days we'll be on site or running around trying to find materials, we spend a lot of time in front of the computer as well, it's constantly changing.

Illustrations and design for the Royal Children's Hospital publication (2006)

How is your business structured..? Do you employ other designers or work regularly with collaborators? Who takes care of the boring ‘business’ side of things?

for the most part it's just the two of us, if we have a big job like the Visa - Go installation, we'll bring in freelancers or friends to help us out. We also like collaborating with people, so even though it's just the two of us, for some jobs we will be working with other people to complete the project. We have a financial and business adviser who has been helping us get the 'business' side of things in order :)

We also have a couple of agents, Jacky Winter for our illustration stuff and Grey Aviary for some of our other stuff.

Go Visa installation

Where do you turn for creative inspiration – travel, local and international design trends, magazines, books or the web etc?

All of the above, plus hanging out having conversations with our friends.

Which other designers or creative people do you admire?

Waaayy too many to name! lets see, Annette Messager, Alejandro Jodorowsky,Terence Koh, Olufur Eliasson, Bernhard Willhelm, Yayoi Kusama, Tibor & Maira Kalman, Jean-Paul Goude, Claes Oldenburg, Bruce Nauman, Alexander Calder, Rei Kawakubo, Jun Takahasi, Milton Glaser, Shigeo Fukuda, Peter Saville, Stefan Sagmeister, Mike Mills, Michel Gondry etc....

What would be your dream creative project?

We’d love to do an ongoing project where we regularly collaborate with different people to create objects and products, etc. something different every time. We’d really love to do some stationary or crockery or some sort of knit, anyone interested in collaborating should contact us!

Friendly typography for Crumpler

What are you looking forward to?

We’ve got a lot of exhibitions coming up later this year, one of which will be part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October which is really exciting. We’ve also got a couple of solo shows at the end of the year, one at ‘Somedays’ in Sydney and ‘Somewhere’ in Melbourne and a group show at Object Gallery in Sydney.

Also Barcelona Berlin and London in August!

Melbourne Questions –

Your favourite Melbourne neighbourhood and why?

Tin: Not sure if it’s even part of greater Melbourne, but sassafras in the Dandenongs - Devonshire tea and nature!

Ed: For a holiday – Footscray because it feels like another place
For the rest of the time - North Fitzroy because it’s green and relaxed and its where I live.

Your favourite bookshop in Melbourne for reference books / publications?

The Thousands Shop has an awesome selection of hard to find publications from around the world!

Metropolis and Magnation for other art and photography books and magazines!

Identity / signage for The Thousands Shop

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Melbourne?

Tin: Peking duck at Old Kingdom on Smith Street!

Ed: Osso Bucco at Gerald’s on Rathdowne street.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

Tin: Sleeping

Ed: Dench

Melbourne’s best kept secret?

Native American poncho stand at the vic markets! they have a selection of both the best and worst poncho's you've ever seen!

See? Bonkers.

Interview - Tracie Ellis of AURA

Beautiful bedlinen from AURA by Tracie Ellis - Landscape quilt cover

Tracie's current favourite design - 'Spot Caviar'!

Rumba Flame from the current Winter 2010 range

Tracie Ellis is another incredibly inspiring Melbourne businesswomen I have been meaning to feature on the site for quite some time. After studying Textile Design at RMIT, Tracie time spent working at some of Australia's most respected textiles brands and retailers (including Davenport, Country Road homewares and Myer), before an unexpected career twist prompted her to launch her very own soft furnishings brand, AURA, in 2000. 10 years on, AURA is now one of Australia’s most respected premium bed linen companies, and is stocked by some of Australia’s best known retailers - as well as internationally in well-known UK stores House of Fraser and Heals, to name a few.

Just looking at the product shots here, you can see what sets AURA apart...! Tracie's design philosophy is all about being brave in the bedroom. 'Sleep is too long, and life too short, for demure pastels and crisp, white nothings.' she says! AURA is a luxurious range of linens that combines statement prints, vibrant colours and luxury detail - for a truly unique and very well-dressed bed!

I was so surprised to learn that after all her incredible achievements with AURA, Tracie's company is still just a 3-person enterprise! WOW. Well, all I can say is they must be three very hard-working women! Despite being one of the busiest textile designers in Melbourne, it seems that Tracie is truly 100% in love with her job - reading her responses below you do get a sense that she feels genuinely lucky to get up every morning and go to work to do something she loves!

Check out Tracie's excellent blog for some amazing behind-the-scenes photos, travel snaps and news... she's just been to London and Stockholm and India - brilliant pics of retail and textiles in Europe and her textile workshops in India - immediate bookmark material!

Psst. - ALSO if you haven't got it already, grab the current issue of Inside Out magazine to see Tracie's gorgeous Melbourne home featured!

Huge thanks to Tracie for the gorgeous shots and very candid answers which I love! Do pop over and give her some blog-love!

Tracie Ellis at home in Melbourne - This lovely photo by Sharyn Cairns appears in the current issue of Inside Out Magazine.

Tell me a little about your background – what path led you to setting up your business and doing what you’re doing now?

I grew up thinking I wanted to be a Vet or a Marine Biologist, at one stage I had a great desire to study penguins in Antarctica! But then during high school I became quite creative rather than academic and having a mother that was a wonderful painter and sewer l ended up down a different path - I studied Textile Design at RMIT and majored in “knit” which lead me to varied roles in textiles and management; Davenport boxer shorts, Country Road Homewares, Myer Buying Office, Patons knitting yarn, Jockey underwear and then The Austin Group in Geelong, where I was given the opportunity to create my first homewares brand Domis.

After travelling to Geelong from Melbourne every day for over 2 years the Domis brand was sold, then the old saying – that some things are meant to happen – well this helped me head in a different direction and start a new brand and thus AURA was born and this year is a milestone being our 10th birthday! Some people say I am addicted to work and I need a hobby but designing and textiles is my passion and my hobby so I am lucky!

What have been some of your favourite designs or creative projects in recent times?

My favorite design has to be our bedding range Maxx, named after my beautiful Mini Schnauzer! Maxx was so popular we launched a range of jacquard towels in the UK this year at House of Fraser, and they are now going to be available in Australia from Sept 2011 – which will be fabulous, as I believe that we have a pretty limited range of “interesting” towels in Australia.

Maxx Quilt cover in black and ivory

FABULOUS brand new Maxx Towels from AURA

As this is our anniversary year I am very excited about the future as we have been venturing beyond the bedroom, and designing a new collection of kaftans, scarves, towels and table linen, using beautiful hand crafted details and hand screen printed fabrics. Of course this has meant that I have been lucky to travel to India more – which I love. Here are some shots of the screens and trying to match colours for our new tablelinen – just like we did at uni – its all very hands on! ....and also means that our new range will be very unique and individual.

Matching colours in India for the new AURA tablelinen range - and the finished product!

How would you describe the Aura Home aesthetic? Is it a good reflection of the sense of style you implement in your own home?

We pride ourselves on contemporary design, luxury fibres and glorious colours, and strive to create innovative and directional collections that are unique and inspiring, which in turn will enable our customers to embrace the expression of their own individual style.

Our home is quite mid-century modern with luxury and definitely a blend of my own and my husbands style – my husband is very minimal while I like to have colour and decoration in the house so I tend to be a touch less sparkly at home – saying that we do have the odd sequin pillow and plenty of layers of faux fur.

*don't forget to check out Tracie's gorgeous Melbourne home in the current issue of Inside Out magazine! - Lucy

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

I have just come back from an overseas trip, so I haven’t been able to check my emails as often so I am trying to stop reading my emails in bed before I get up, which is my usual habit!

When I get to the office my day consists of working on various areas of selling, designing, marketing and buying, and I am just starting to think about the new direction we should take for our Autumn Winter 2011 range – sometimes its hard to remember which season we are in – as we are always selling and marketing 2 different seasons – one overseas and one in Australia and then working on the concept for the next one.

How is your business structured..? Do you employ other designers or work regularly with collaborators? Who takes care of the paperwork, marketing etc - the ‘business side’ of things?

There are 3 of us, we are all very hands on across the areas of the business, I look after the initial concepts of the collections and then we all talk through the ideas as the samples start to roll in. Jaine Fulcher and I look after the strategy and marketing for the brand and Jessica Davidson looks after the everyday aspects of AURA and does so much I cant list it! We all now work on our Australian sales and work with our Export partners as we sell into the UK, Canada and New Zealand. In regards to design I am lucky to work with other designers, textile and graphic to help with the computer work to make my visions come to life….I didn’t do much on computer at Uni!

Flight Rainbow from the AURA current Winter range

You also have an excellent blog! When and why did you start the blog, and how do you feel it works to support and promote your business?

Thanks! I started the Blog last October hoping that it would help me to interact with our customers and others that are interested in homewares – I wanted to show more about the behind the scenes of AURA and what inspires me, and when sharing I hope to continue to inspire myself! I also try to put images of our brand new products and photography on the blog so friends of AURA can keep up to date with new products arriving. I have found I get a lot of emails from students and others wanting to learn more about the business – so it has become a good source of networking and inspiration for me – I hope for others too.

LOVE these shots currently on Tracie's blog from her recent Spring/Summer shoot... top right is super-stylist Glen Proebstel working his magic...! The photographer was Isamu Sawa.

Where do you turn for creative inspiration – travel, local and international design trends, magazines, books or the web etc?

All of the above but mainly keeping up with new marketing and design directions on the web, and travel – I love travelling and my husband and I are always planning our next adventure! We went to Bolivia and Peru 2 years ago for our honeymoon, New York and London last September and looking forward to visiting Spain this September.

Sheer leaves quilt cover

Which other designers or creative people do you admire?

Donna Karan, Paul Smith, the visual merchandisers at the ABC store and Anthropologie in NYC, Maggie Beer, Jamie Oliver and my mother.

What would be your dream creative project?

I have two; Having AURA stocked in Europe and opening our own beautiful and inspiring concept store.

What are you looking forward to?

The Long Weekend...

Melbourne Questions –

Your favourite Melbourne neighbourhood and why?

Gertrude St Fitzroy, I love the small bars and restaurants and the feeling of not being somewhere too big – but we live in Kew so really I think I'm a suburban girl, as I like to head into the city for drinks and dinner, but I like waking up with trees around me – I have a dream location of living in Studley Park surrounded by nature but being only 5 kms from the city..

Your top 3 favourite Melbourne homewares / home décor stores?

Manon Bis, Izzi and Popo and today I went to The Works in Hawthorn which was looking really good – we definitely need more!

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Melbourne?

At home – we baked a fabulous Wild Barramundi last night! And ate some terrific tapas at the bar at Cutler & Co.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

Gertrude St Fitzroy – there are some great small fashion stores and our favourite restaurants, this is where we head to on most Friday nights and Saturday mornings - as we have to go back to get the car!

Melbourne’s best kept secret?

It used to be Movida – but now they are so famous I think is Anada in Gertrude St – my husband and I have been addicted to Spanish food and wine for a while now – thus our trip coming up in September to Spain and AURA releasing a range of Tapas napkins in our Summer range!

Lovely colours! AURA's 410 threadcount sheet range...