Custom suitcases, lunch cases, road cases and storage boxes by new Ballarat company, Trunk & Orderly

Details from the Trunk & Orderly workshop in Ballarat – photos by Lucy Feagins

Trunk & Orderly designer Joel Adams in his workshop

Joel reluctantly poses for a photograph!  (pictured with blue lunch case)

So I took a last minute detour to Ballarat YESTERDAY to shoot this story. Which is not to say I didn’t already have some supplied shots… but I had an inkling this little scoop might be worth a visit, a chat, and a 50mm lens.  I was right…!

The Trunk & Orderly story began many years ago with a chance discovery in the back of a North Melbourne office surplus shop.  Joel Adams came across two unusually shaped, red fibreboard cases.  As a designer for Crumpler at the time, Joel had a growing collection of vintage cases, and had once fitted out a shop with cases as display tables. Joel searched for the brand on the label – Everlite – and found that they still operated, and were local. He enquired about getting some custom cases made up for a possible new venture at that time, but it didn’t go ahead.

Fast forward five years and Joel was again rummaging for treasures, on an online auction site. He came across some interesting looking machinery. Joel visited the seller – it was John Eland again, third generation case-maker of the Everlite Travel Goods company. It turned out John was selling up his entire factory of case-making equipment… and the stock. Now in his eighties, offers from developers for his factory on the Darebin River in Thornbury were just too tempting for John to pass up. Everlite was retiring.

Joel was on the lookout for a new venture, so, with partner Anna, they nutted out a plan and made John an offer.   Joel spent some time with John learning the many processes involved in putting together a case. They put all the machinery and stock in several trucks, and drove on up to Ballarat, where Joel is based.   John came up to help with setting up the equipment, keen to pass on his craft.

With a background in sculpture, cabinetry and product design at Crumpler, Joel is pretty chuffed with the old-school equipment and materials he has scored from Everlite.  It’s amazing just how many different machines is takes to create one case – each massive steel machine performs just one specific task, from cutting and scoring the board, to riveting each section together, and creating those trademark metal corners.  Seeing Joel tinker with these old machines in his workshop, bringing them back to function and testing new processes and designs, it’s clear he’s in his element!

Trunk & Orderly pays tribute to iconic suitcase design with a new range of cases and storage boxes, made in the style of traditional fibreboard suitcases. Whilst you can buy off-the-shelf designs direct from the Trunk & Orderly website, the cases are also fully customisable – ideal for collaboration if you’re after something specific!  Check out the custom storage units Joel makes incorporating his handcrafted boxes – I can just see this concept working en masse with custom cabinetry for retail / hospitality interiors… I’m predicting a trend might start here!

Each Trunk & Orderly product is individually handcrafted in Ballarat, currently by Joel himself.  Soon he’s hoping to employ some assistance.  In its hey day Everlite employed over 30 people and churned out over 10,000 of their popular ‘mini cases’ a year… great to see the baton passed on!

Trunk & Orderly cases in a custom filing cabinet prototype

Original Everlite ledgers from 1981, passed on to Joel by John Eland, outlining specific materials and costs for custom orders!

Lunch cases posing on Joel’s massive fibreboard guillotine

Riveting machines!  There are three different rivets in each case, and each requires a different machine.

Couldn’t resist a pic of Joels’ in-studio rock climbing wall… too funny!  I’m guessing this element was not inherited from John at Everlite!

The Paddington apartment of Alexia Gnecchi Ruscone – all photographs by Felix Forest, styling / production by Lucy Feagins.

Treasured antiques and eclectic finds on the mantlepiece – cute monkey in the palm tree!

Living room

Today’s eclectic Sydney apartment is another that seems to have a truly international flair. No surprise, really, as designer Alexia Gnecchi Ruscone and her family are in equal parts Italian / Australian, and have spent a good deal of time living in Europe before settling here. After returning to Sydney from Milan in 2003, they spent time living in Double Bay and Avalon before moving to their current terrace apartment in Paddington.  They’ve been here now for three years.

Alexia lives here with husband Paolo, and grown-up kids Tania (21) and Vittorio (18), plus a string of nieces and nephews that love to come to visit Australia!  The whole family is incredibly creative – Alexia is the founder and key designer behind classic fashion accessories label Eclettica, with two stand alone stores in Sydney and stockists Australia-wide, whilst Paolo runs super popular vintage furniture store Junktique in Glebe.  Their daughter Tania has also recently launched her very own design business - TDesign …whilst Vittorio is in his first year of industrial design!  That’s one seriously impressive collective skill set – all under one roof!

In true European style, Alexia and Paolo have adorned every inch of their home in amazing artwork, antiques and collectables. Gallery-style hanging systems were installed early on to allow for Paolo’s growing collection of paintings and artwork.  Alexia says everything in the house has a sentimental value – ‘our collection tells our story, individually through our family pieces and together through our travels’.

Alexia’s most treasured aspect of this home is it’s cosy-ness – ‘we love coming home and throwing our shoes off!’ she says.  Of course after many years living in Milan, Alexia also adores the sunshine, blue skies, harbour and beaches of Sydney, and in particular the central location of this apartment in Paddington. ‘It’s a great spot – walking distance to fab cafes, book shops and cinema; once I get home from work I really don’t need to drive’ she says.

Big thanks to the Gnecchi Ruscone family for sharing their beautiful home with us today!  I feel it’s only fitting to sign off in Alexia’s signature style – ‘Ciao, Ciao, Tanti Baci !’ xx

Entrance hall

Dining room retails

Dining

Dining looking through to kitchen beyond

Kitchen

Kitchen details, including industrial stainless slicer!  You can always tell an Italian kitchen…

Antique details in living room

Spiral staircase

Master bedroom

This generous balcony stretches from living area to master bedroom

Couldn’t resist sharing this quintessentially Sydney view from Alexia’s balcony!  Paddington terrace houses and the water beyond.  Shame no blue sky this day!

ps. If you love Alexia’s classic European sense of style at home, chances are you’ll love her accessories range too – do share the love with a little visit to the Eclettica website!

Beautiful kids bedlinen by Newcastle based GatherKids

Knitted blanket by GatherKids

Ok so as is probably obvious, I am a massive fan of bright colour… and yet I can’t help but be envious of those effortlessly stylish ladies who are able to kit out their homes (and their children!) entirely in muted, neutral tones.  It’s just so flippin’ POSH.  I admire those ladies from a distance, secretly thinking to myself  ’HOW do you avoid a splash of fluoro PINK, people!?’.  It really is very impressive.

One such stylish neutral-loving lady is Newcastle-based Melissa Webster, the designer behind GatherKids!

With two young kids of her own (and another due any day now!), Melissa is passionate about the use of natural, organic materials in her range of beautiful kids bedding and blankets.  As is evident in these stunning pics, the range is focussed on a delectable palette of muted greys, creams, oatmeals and natural browns, to bring a touch of calm to little ones’ spaces.  The debut collection includes beautifully crafted quilts, doona covers, sheet sets and supremely soft knitted blankets, as well as a sweet children’s furniture set with scandi-inspired design appeal.  The table in particular is very genius – it’s the perfect size to double as a grown-up coffee table, and looks nothing like the usual plasticky kids furniture.

Each piece in the GatherKids range is designed and developed in house.  The bedding is designed by Melissa (whose background is in visual merchandising and interior design), the furniture is designed by her husband Trent.   Natural materials for all products are sourced from certified and ethical suppliers, and the finished products are proudly made in Australia, New Zealand and India.

GatherKids can be purchased in Australia from retail stockists listed here.

ps. Now you’ve had a chance to admire her work, we’ll share Melissa’s beautiful family home in the next couple of weeks… you’ll never guess the colour palette!

Canvas teepee, blanket and stools from GatherKids

Sweet table and stools set for kids by GatherKids

Wooden Dolls by Sarah K – photo by Andy Lewis (I like the guy on the far right – so cute!)

I’m a big fan of Sydney designer / curator and all round creative do-er Sarah King, or, as she prefers to be known – Sarah K!

Sarah K’s most amazing attribute is her incredible drive and sheer get-up-and-go!  No matter how mad or far-fetched her ideas, she just gets things done. She’s bascally immune to discouragement.  If Sarah K can dream it up, Sarah K can make it happen!

Sarah works alongside her husband Ben designing unique furniture and quirky functional and decorative objects for the home, under the name Blakebrough + King.  You might recall she’s also one half of Supercyclers, alongside fellow design superstar Liane Rossler!

ALSO Sarah K is responsible for pulling together ‘The Other Hemisphere‘ – a unique exhibition which has travelled to the world’s biggest design festival, the Milan Furniture Fair, for the past two years running. This project alone is such a seriously extraordinary feat which Sarah has pulled off pretty much single handedly now for two years in a row!  It really is a testament to her incredible drive and passion for positioning Australian design on the world stage.

Sarah K’s latest project is much smaller in scale and a little closer to her own heart – a sweet range of wooden dolls, handcrafted in NSW from solid timber offcuts.

This purely decorative range is inspired by mid-century designer’s dolls, which Sarah K has always had a passion for. ’The puppets Paul Klee made for his son are especially great’ she says.  Of course Alexander Girard‘s beautiful wooden dolls are also well known, but Sarah says many avant garde architects and artists like Sophie Taeuber Arp and Hannah Hoch also made beautiful toys and dolls.

‘I have been working with a clever local woodturner on some of our recent products, and I was inspired to make an oversized chess set after seeing piles of table legs in the workshop.  My wooden dolls are loosely based on chess characters for their form - I think it’s obvious which one is the bishop but you’ll have to guess about the others!’ says Sarah.

Sarah K’s Wooden Dolls launched last week at DesignEx in Sydney, and will be available in select retailers soon (a few lovely shops ordered them last week!). Until then they can be purchased directly from Sarah, at $120 each or $560 for the full set of five.

Jason Hodges (pictured) joins Fleming’s Nurseries this year to collaborate on a unique Australian entry for The Chelsea Flower show

This week, whilst the leaves fall from the trees in wintery Melbourne, we’re off to the UK to check out The Chelsea Flower Show!  Well, not really… but we will get an insider’s account of the world’s most prestigious garden show from Wes Fleming of Fleming’s Nurseries!

For the past eight years Wes and his team from Melbourne have been entering the Chelsea Flower Show, each year creating a new landscaped show garden in collaboration with some incredible local landscape designers, including Jamie Durie, and this year Jason Hodges (of Better Homes and Gardens fame!) – to name just a couple.

Wes and his team are currently in London where they are feverishly working on their entry for this year’s show.  This week we will be meeting some of the key players in the Flemings 2012 team, and seeing some snippets of the design and construction process on this year’s garden, before seeing the completed design on Friday. There are even a few photographs of the Fleming crew with Her Majesty The Queen!

Big thanks to Wes and the Fleming’s team for sharing their Chelsea Experience with us all this week on the Guest Blog!

Jeweller Natalia Milosz-Piekarska at work in her Melbourne studio.  Photo – Lucy Feagins

Details from the studio of jeweller Natalia Milosz-Piekarska.  Photos – Lucy Feagins

NEW things!  The Carnival Series by Natalia Milosz-Piekarska for E.g.etal

It’s been a while since I interviewed a jewellery designer,  but very glad to be back in jewellery-land today with incredibly talented local designer / maker Natalia Milosz-Piekarska!

Natalia’s work is so unique and for this reason kind of hard to describe.  For one thing, she has an incredible knack of disguising the materials she uses in her work.  Often combining handcarved timber and resin in irregular organic shapes, the pieces are incredibly lightweight, and once textured and painted in her signature vibrant hues, it’s not entirely clear exactly which materials have been used, or indeed where one material ends and the other starts.  It gives the works a real sense of other-worldliness, as familiar materials are re-worked into completely new unfamiliar forms.

Another unique characteristic of Natalia’s work is that many of the pieces, particularly the 3Dimensional timber / resin ones (see the brooches and rings below) feel almost like little living creatures!  Perhaps of the underwater or insect variety?  When visiting Natalia in her studio last week and seeing her work up close in person, so many of them really reminded me of characters from a Miyazaki animated film -Amazing! (As I rambled on and mentioned this uncanny resemblance, thankfully Natalia took it as a compliment, saying that’s exactly the look she was going for!  Phew!  I talk too much).

Last year Natalia was awarded the British Council ‘Realise Your Dream’ and Ian Potter Cultural Trust travel grants – both of which assisted her in undertaking a self initiated internship with renowned UK fashion/costume jeweller Scott Wilson in London!  Natalia researched and approached Scott directly, and found herself working for him for 6 months fulltime – an amazing opportunity which has given her an incredible wealth of experience and inspiration for her own practise upon returning to Melbourne.

Natalia is now back in a busy rhythm of designing and making new wearable works for her local stockists, and she also works one day a week lecturing at RMIT.  When not designing, making or lecturing, Natalia can also be found working at Pieces of Eight, which of course stocks her own jewellery pieces and the work of so many other wonderful local makers.

DO visit Natalia’s blog here!  You can buy her work at the very best local jewellery galleries - e.g.etal and Pieces of Eight in Melbourne, Metalab and Studio 20 / 17 in Sydney and many more stockists listed on her blog.

Massive thanks to Natalia for her time sharing her story with us today.  She’s offered up so much wisdom and generous advice for budding independent designers and makers – thankyou Natalia!

Jeweller Natalia Milosz-Piekarska in her Melbourne studio.  Photo – Lucy Feagins

Tell us a little bit about your background – What did you study and what path led you to what you’re doing now?

I initially studied Design/Visual Communication at Monash, and in my final year I had the opportunity to take up a gold and silversmithing class as an elective. I was actually really terrible at it, and when I graduated it wasn’t exactly at the forefront of my mind, though neither was a career as a graphic designer. So instead I collected a few stamps on the passport and travelled for three years.

It was upon my return to Melbourne, and after being hugely inspired by the contemporary jewellery scene both locally and abroad, that persuaded me to give gold and silversmithing another go. I did some short courses to get my basic skills up, before finally applying for RMIT’s Gold and Silversmithing degree. I studied for four years, and have been out in the real world making work almost full-time ever since. When I’m not in the studio you can find me teaching at RMIT one day a week or working at Pieces of Eight.

Stackable rings by Natalia Milosz-Piekarska for Pieces of Eight

You’ve recently returned back to Melbourne after a stint in London where you completed a studio internship with renowned fashion/costume jeweller Scott Wilson. What did you learn and take away from this experience?

It was an intensely exciting and challenging time! Apart from having followed and admired Scott Wilson’s practice for some time, one of the reasons I wanted to work for him was due to how different our aesthetics and practices are. Scott’s work, more often than not, is about beautiful clean lines, precision, angles and attention to detail. He’s also has a multifaceted practice where he produces his own collections, as well as collaborating with fashion designers and creating one off amazing costume pieces for musicians and performers. It was great working with someone who has successfully managed to straddle the worlds of art, design and fashion without compromising quality and craftsmanship. While working with Scott I picked up a whole bag of new technical skills that I otherwise wouldn’t normally apply to my organic, free form work, and I also gained a much greater understanding of how diverse and collaborative the world of a contemporary jeweller can be.

Last year you were awarded both the British Council ‘Realise Your Dream’ and Ian Potter Cultural Trust travel grants. Given your success rate, what advice can you creative types, like yourself, about the secret world of grants?

Oh, don’t jinx me! I don’t know if there are any big secrets I can divulge. I guess with my successful applications (and I assure you there have been many unsuccessful ones) it’s been mainly due to applying for the right grant at the right time of my career. If you’ve arrived at a certain point in your career development where you truly feel like some financial assistance is what’s needed to propel you to the next level, then it’s a matter of articulating this clearly to the funding body you’re applying to, and demonstrating how their assistance can greatly contribute to your future development. The more you apply for, the better you get at articulating what you’re about and what you want to get out of what you’re doing. I think the process of applying for grants is valuable in itself, as it really forces you to think about your work and the direction you want to take it.

Individually handcarved and painted jewellery pieces by Natalia Milosz-Piekarska, inspired by food.

How would you best describe your own style of jewellery design?

Eclectic, whimsical, curious and spirited. It’s usually colourful, a little bit peculiar, playful and maybe just a touch mysterious. I like to think my work triggers a sense of curiosity, humour and magic. I like the idea that people find themselves drawn to my work and develop some kind of unexplainable bond with it, as though it was a mysterious treasure of some kind.

Love these painterly design drawings by Natalia, inspired by tasty Japanese cuisine!

You’ve exhibited your work everywhere from local Australian contemporary jewellery matriarchs including Pieces of Eight, e.g.etal and Metalab to galleries abroad in Auckland, Munich and San Francisco. Do you have any advice for emerging contemporary jewellers looking to make, exhibit and sell their work in Australia?

I think one of the most important things you can do as an emerging jeweller, or any kind of artist/designer for that matter, is to be active within the creative community around you. There are a lot of great projects, facilities and opportunities out there for creatives to get involved in, and they’re generally not hard to find and be a part of. It’s a great way to build networks, have your work seen and help you develop the knowledge, contacts and know-how needed to propel you to the next level within your practice.

Can you tell us a little about your current Carnival Collection made exclusively for e.g.etal, and give us a little insight into the inner workings of Natalia M.P? From concept to finished product, what processes do you employ when beginning a new collection?

The Carnival Collection is the beginning of a new body of work I started developing since returning home from the UK late last year. It has taken me a bit of time to get back into the swing of things, so I started doing little abstract drawings to help tease out some ideas. These drawings ended pinned up next to my workbench, and after starring at them daily I finally decided to try and make a piece of jewellery loosely based on one. It turned out to be quite a sweet little piece, so naturally I kept going!

I don’t have one particular way of working, I can be quite chaotic and spontaneous. I have a strong conceptual side to my work that I always rely on, but at the end of the day I love working with colour and materials, and often let them tell the story. Sometimes an idea will evolve from a drawing, other times I’ll just sit down and start playing with a bit of wax or a piece of timber, and a shape I like will start to take hold sooner or later.

New Earrings by Natalia Milosz-Piekarska for E.g.etal

Which Australian designers, artists or creative people are you loving right now?

I love the work of Melbourne-based jeweller/object maker Nicholas Bastin. His recent show at Craft Victoria was a knock out! I’m still dreaming about owning some of the pieces from that show. Australian born, Europe-based Lucy McRae is also making some major waves with her various projects. I’m really impressed with the scale and breadth of her work.

Recently if I’ve been in need of a little boost of inspiration and wonderment, a walk around the Living Water: Contemporary Art of the Far Western Dessert exhibition has really hit the spot. It’s at the Ian Potter Gallery until the end of the year and showcases some of the most stunning contemporary Indigenous Australian paintings I have ever seen. Finally the industrious and talented crew at the newly established NorthCity4 in Brunswick, Melbourne are high on my radar. This fabulous group, comprised of prominent and successful jewellers and creative’s in their own right, has launched a fantastic studio-based initiative offering workspaces, workshops, seminars and more to the jewellery and wider creative community.

Can you list for us 5 resources across any media (ie specific websites, magazines, blogs or books) you turn when in need of a bolt of creative inspiration when beginning a new piece or collection?

Mr Kitly has a beautifully kept Tumblr, as does Confetti System, both which I have become slightly obsessed with.  Chicago-based artist Essimar does beautiful things with paper and other bits and bobs. Patternity is great if I just want to stare at an avalanche of awesome imagery. I must also admit that I am a serial mag flicker, I’ve always got random magazines (both trashy and high brow) on the go. Currently I have an issue of Apartamento on my bedside table that is feeding me loads of inspiration.

What does a typical day day at work involve for you?

I’ll usually go through all my emails at home over a pot of coffee and breakfast, then I’ll make my way over to the studio in the Nicholas Building. With any luck by the time I arrive some of my studio buddies will waiting for me, so we can dabble in a little procrastinatory chit chat before finally nutting down and starting work for the day. I’ll then have a good long look at the mess on my bench and get down to whatever business needs attending to, which usually includes a combination of finishing off a piece from the day before, starting something new or wading through masses of paperwork and bookkeeping.

Lunch is a bit of a ritual for me and my studio buddy Karla Way, who I’ve shared a studio with since we both studied together. If we’re both in on the same day we’ll head out to get something from down the road, come back up to the studio and eat together, while musing over life and work and all the bits in between. Then it’s back to the bench or out running errands to and from metal casters, gem dealers, stockists, art supplies shops and the post office. Each day varies, but I truly love going to work. I love my studio and the people I share it with.

Natalia’s workspace in The Nicholas Building, Melbourne.  Photo – Lucy Feagins

What would be your dream creative project?

There’s no one dream project to be honest. I just aim to keep things diverse, challenging and exciting. I’m open to any number of things that come my way. At the moment I’m currently working with a contemporary dancer for an upcoming group exhibition, and through this process have found that I would love to explore more collaborative work with other creatives in the future. I also love to travel, so any opportunities that would allow me to marry my work with travel are high up on the ‘dream big’ list!

What are you looking forward to?

Lunch! But really, in the more long term I have a few exciting projects brewing (stay tuned!). Otherwise I’m pretty easily pleased. I look forward to lazy weekends, a good meal with good friends, and new travel adventures.

‘The One‘ – beautiful engagement rings by Natalia for Pieces of Eight

Melbourne Questions

Your favourite Melbourne neighbourhood and why?

Uh oh, that’s tricky. I’ve just recently moved north side after spending my entire life south side, so my loyalties are divided. It’s not really a Melbourne neighbourhood, but I do love the Mornington Peninsula. My mum and her partner have a house up there, so it’s accidentally become the perfect getaway any time of year.

Your favourite fossicking spots in Melbourne for jewellery supplies/tools of your trade?

I have a few suppliers that I go to for all the technical stuff, but nothing beats a good old rummage through Camberwell Market, Chapel Street Bazaar, Savers, hobby shops and good old Arthur Daley’s on Swanston Street, the later which supplies us with our never ending bowl of sugary treats in the studio.

Natalia’s trusty toolkit.  Photo – Lucy Feagins

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

I had a pretty epic breakfast at St Edmonds just off Greville Street the other day. Also I can’t go past a  veggie baguette from Waffle On on Degraves Street – it’s so big it will keep you going until dinner time! And I have to say, nothing beats a home cooked Sunday roast chicken like the one I had at my buddy’s house last weekend.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

If all is well I might go for a morning run, mainly to justify the lazy coffee, newspaper and pastry ritual that follows. Then it’s anyone’s game.

Melbourne’s best kept secret?

Well, it’s not really Melbourne CBD, and it’s not really a secret, but there is a little local food store in Red Hill that has the most mouthwatering array of local produce including cheese, meats, preserves, wines, beers, the world’s (unofficial) best apple juice etc. – you name it, it has it! It seriously is that overwhelming that it’s been known to induce mild panic attacks caused by unadulterated happiness.

The North Melbourne studio of artist Esther Stewart. Photo – Lucy Feagins.

The North Melbourne studio of artist Esther Stewart – featuring scale model of ‘Foldout’ installation for QV!   Photo – Lucy Feagins.

Details from Esther’s studio. Photo – Lucy Feagins.

Previous work by Esther Stewart from the ‘Portable Compactable’ series

Esther Stewart in her North Melbourne studio. Photo – Lucy Feagins.

I have an inkling that Melbourne based artist Esther Stewart is going to be big. You heard it here first, people. She is only young but she has such an intense seriousness and drive about her – within an instant of meeting her it’s clear this lass is going places.  She’s super smart and very hardworking and just kind of basically no-nonsense.

Esther completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at VCA in 2010, majoring in Sculpture and Spatial Practice.  That same year she was included in Fresh 2010 at Craft Victoria – an award exhibition that explored the best in new contemporary craft and design.  She’s now making art full time and exhibiting in various group shows at artist run venues, all whilst completing her Master of Arts and Cultural Management at The University of Melbourne.

Esther is also part of new art collective  GroupWork which recently had an amazing show at Mr Kitly!   It was quite rad – some pics here.

Esther’s latest project is a site specific large-scale installation at QV in the CBD – just completed yesterday!  Entitled ‘Foldout‘, the piece consists of a large scale geometric wall mural painted directly onto concrete walls within the QV complex, and custom painted foldout seats, bolted directly into the walls… so you can sit in the artwork. Brilliant!

We asked Esther a couple of questions about this latest project -

As part of Next Wave 2012 you are installing an interactive mural in QV called Foldout. How did the concept behindFoldout transpire and what exactly will it involve?

Foldout stemmed from a previous body of work termed Portable Compactable where I explored the space between the functional and the aesthetic. My concept with this new work was to activate an unused space in the QV building. The challenge has been to transform, on a limited budget, an aesthetically hostile area into an visually exciting and hopefully engaging space.

Creating even the smallest work of art takes time and patience. Is it safe to say you need both of these things times infinity when producing large scale art in the public domain? What kind of processes and challenges have you faced with the QV installation?

It has been an incredibly extensive process. I have been working on Foldout for well over a year now. This project is part of a larger public group exhibition called New Babylon for Next Wave 2012, where the group’s curators Jess O’Brien and Pip Wallis invited six artists to complete a major work in Melbourne’s CBD.

Fortunately being part of New Babylon has meant that I have had the unwavering support of group curators Jess  and Pip, who originally approached me with the idea of making a public work. In the interim we have discovered, albeit at times a little painfully, exactly what this process entails.

We have spent hours and hours writing and rewriting applications and submissions, looking over safety plans, and liaising with the site spokesperson and engineers. Aspects such as engaging contractors, adhering to the safety requisites in the making of and installation of public works, and the challenges of large scale painting techniques have been just a few of the issues that have required managing. Then of course I have learned a lot more than I ever wanted to know about the structural integrity of unused concrete walls and the cavities behind them! In hindsight I would undertake this project very differently, but that in itself has ultimately made it so worthwhile.

Looks amazing – pics below!

The piece is sponsored by Haymes, who generously supplied paints and other materials to Esther’s specifications.

Foldout – site specific installation by Esther Stewart
QV Building
Corner of Swanston Street and Londsdale Street
Officially opening this Friday May 19th.

Foldout is part of New Babylon for Next Wave 2012.

Foldout - site specific installation by Esther Stewart. Photo – Sean Fennessy

Foldout - site specific installation by Esther Stewart. Photo - Sean Fennessy

The Kyneton home of photographer Tara Pearce and family.  All photos – Lucy Feagins, styling assistant – Marni Kornhauser

Tara’s workspace

Details from Tara’s workspace / master bedroom

Dramatic dining room!   Photos – Lucy Feagins, styling assistant – Marni Kornhauser

For a teeny tiny country town, I have to say, Kyneton is totally punching above it’s weight in the interior design departament.  Today we have another beautiful home to share, again belonging to a clever local creative who made the decision to move to Victoria’s Macedon Ranges region in search of a tree change, a slightly more relaxed way of life, and a proper family-sized home for her family!

Tara Pearce moved to Kyneton from Yarraville in Melbourne four years ago with husband Taras, and kids Yorke (daughter – now 11 yrs) and Mak (son, now 6 yrs).   They’re now joined by crazy pups Buzz and Boris (because really, you can’t be living in the country without some animals running about).

After moving in, Tara says the first addition to their new home was the construction of a half pipe skate ramp in the backyard.  Nice to know they’ve got their priorities sorted!  I think this fact alone says so much about Tara and Taras – their busy family home is super stylish but relaxed and unfussy, and it’s clear this is a space created for family and for fun first and foremost!  In addition to the all important skate ramp(!!), Tara says there was also a lot of painting to be done inside and out, and they also installed bi-fold doors and a timber deck at the rear of the home to link the loungeroom to their generous new backgarden.

Favourite aspects of the home for Tara include the indoor / outdoor living space, and the fireplace – ‘in winter it is the centre of our home’ she says.  She also loves the amazing views of the beautiful trees surrounding the property, and of course the half pipe in the yard – ‘hours of entertainment for the kids and Taras!’

Tara also has lots of reasons to love her newfound hometown. ‘We have some of the top places to eat, great coffee, creative local folk and most importantly it’s a much slower pace – it’s a peaceful lifestyle’.

The move here has also kicked off a new career opportunity for Tara – after quitting her desk job, Tara was inspired to pursue her love of photography, and she now works on a variety of photographic projects both in town and in the country. She is particularly awesome at photographing kids and weddings!  Do take a moment to check out her website and peruse her beautiful shots!  (For weddings Tara shoots with her pal Erin Neale under the name Erin + Tara).

Massive thanks to Tara and family for sharing their beautiful home with us today..!   If you love Tara and Taras’ style I am thinking you will love their side project – The Vintage Yard Sale.  Previously the pair ran a sweet retail shop in Kyneton, but the shop nows lives exclusively online, and is full of beautiful vintage / industrial finds…!  Well worth a visit!

Dining room – LOVE those dramatic deep inky blue-almost-black walls, and mismatched chairs.  The 50′s industrial factory fan is a favourite find for Tara – ‘very handy in Kyneton’s extreme summer’ she says!  The 1879 Victorian Board Room dining table was a steal for $100(!!) – saved from a local farmers bonfire pile!

Dining room

Dining room details

Kitchen details

Kitchen looking through to loungeroom

Breakfast bench

Loungeroom opening out to rear deck. ‘&’ cushion by Aunty Cookie!

YELLOW details in the loungeroom… wall decoration made by Tara – it’s just pieces of butchers paper, woven through a circle of chicken wire, spraypainted yellow!  Do not ask me how.  Amazing.

Loungeroom.  Sweet two-legged leaning side table designed and handcrafted in Kyneton by Tara and Chris Roberts.  Blue screenprint top right by Tara, based on vintage signage.

Master bedroom. Bedside lamp Taras made from a log found in the countryside. Simple beautiful perfect.

Taras’ extensive shirt collection!

Another view of loungeroom - ’&’ cushion by Aunty Cookie

View from living room / deck across garden to cubby house

I think basically having a half pipe in your backyard is the best ever advertisement for moving to regional Victoria – these guys really should be in those commercials.

View back to house

Kitiya Palaskas + mobile + papery crafty cuteness

More random crafty cuteness from Kit Palaskas!

Kit (or Kitiya) Palaskas is a professional crafter.  I say this because aside from making her own cheerful crafty creations for styling, selling, workshopping and exhibiting, Kit also works in the craft department at Family Circle Magazine (previously she also worked in a similar role at Better Homes and Gardens magazine).  Can you BELIEVE this kind of dream job actually exists?  Kit also moonlights as a creative workshop tutor, and Etsy Sydney team captain!  See? Professional.  And dedicated.

We’re gonna go out on a limb here and say Kit is basically a younger, cooler, Sydney version of craft mogul Martha Stewart.  Just check out her super cute blog if you don’t believe me.  I would not be surprised if she ends up on TV actually. She’s got that winning combination of cute + likeable meets crafty + clever.  She’d make a great improvement to The Block at any rate.

Ms Palaskas has recently been taking some sweet mobile making classes for kids at The School in Sydney, and she has another one coming up this Sunday May 20th!  Kit says ‘Kids who attend my class can expect to be assaulted with a kaleidoscope of coloured card and lashings of metallic paper’!  SIGN ME UP!  (Doh, class is for under 12′s only, pfft they get all the fun).  All details over here for those keen to check it out!

We figured since she is surely destined for crafty / DIY TV show stardom (or at least a book deal!?) we should ask Kit a few questions before she gets too famous.  Here goes!  -

Tell us a little bit about your background – What did you study and what path led you to what you’re doing now?

I had a very creative upbringing. I started making things from an early age and still have one of my first ever creations – a sparkly styrofoam Christmas ornament covered in a ridiculous amount of sequins. It goes on the tree every year! I was always making little paper things too, such as detective kits and elaborate pop-up books. My brother and I had a ‘shop’ and we would coerce my parents into purchasing our handmade wares for exorbitant prices like 5 cents (an absolute fortune for pick-n-mix!).

I lived in a lot of different countries growing up, including the United Arab Emirates during high school. You couldn’t buy any good clothes over there at the time so I just started making my own, but I couldn’t sew, so I just hot-glued and stapled myself into everything. Eventually I picked up some sewing skills and it just went from there. I went to Canberra School of Art and studied Printmaking and Drawing, incorporating textiles and sculpture into a lot of my work. After uni I moved to Sydney and had my own little fashion label and eventually turned to more craft-related design.

You work in the craft department of Family Circle magazine, ‘moonlight’ as a creative workshop tutor and are an Etsy team captain. Basically you’re a younger, cooler, Sydney version of craft mogul Martha Stewart? How did you get your start and create your craft enterprise, and do you think it’s important to have a niche/point of difference in this industry in order to succeed?

Um, that is a HUGE compliment, thank you! In the early days I used to assist this amazing stylist Georgia Ashdown, and one day she commissioned me to make some bespoke handmade trinkets for a magazine shoot. That was my first professional job as a craft-based designer. I worked at it from there and forged a career path for myself. The workshops I teach stemmed from craft clubs I used to host for my friends. I love teaching and the concept of sharing and passing on creative knowledge from person to person.

In terms of this industry, I feel like it is so important to place high value in your own work. Even if you can’t see a place for it in the industry, just keep working hard and making things you love and you’ll carve your own niche. You don’t necessarily need to have a point of difference to succeed, I think it’s more important to be confident in what you make and to be true to your own style.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

I wake up, always a bit zombie-like, and head into the office where I work on magazine stuff at Family Circle all day. I ride my bike home, usually carrying a ridiculous amount of craft supplies in various bags on my back which must look really silly! I then work solidly for the next six or seven hours on a variety of my own projects including freelance jobs, work for the Sydney Etsy Team (of which I am Captain), blogging, personal craft projects, and preparing for upcoming workshops.

Highlights lately have included my work for Megan Morton’s The School, a special project for Lego, and being part of the team that is planning the Etsy Success Sydney event as part of Vivid Sydney 2012. I usually collapse into bed around 3 or 4am sometimes, only to wake up early the next day to shoot the things I made the night before in my little home photo studio setup. Yes, I am a complete workaholic, but I relish every second of it and it never feels like work when you’re doing what you love.

Which Australian designers, artists or creative people are you loving right now?

I can’t get enough of the girls from Peaches + Keen. I read their blog constantly. They make such great things and their lives look so fun! I just hosted a craft workshop at Fabric-a-brac, run by the very talented Kaila Perusco. It’s a market just for pre-loved fabric and notions aka, the place where dreams are made. There is this creative catering duo in Melbourne called Babes on Grill. They have these awesome block parties and BBQs, and cook up scrumptious treats while wearing cute outfits and flawless nail polish. Also out of Melbourne is Bernadette Alice Francis. I am in awe of her work! She makes the most gorgeous and exciting wearable art and we seem to share a love of gemstones and metallics, which is fantastic.

You’re running a mobile making workshop at our pal Megan Morton’s The School this coming Sunday. How did this professional partnership with MM develop and what can attendees of your class expect?

Megan! What an incredibly amazing individual. Our meeting was rather fateful and chance-like, as all great meetings are. She invited me to teach a class on mobile-making at The School and we have since made many exciting plans for future collaborations. Kids who attend my class can expect to be assaulted with a kaleidoscope of coloured card and lashings of metallic paper. We’ll talk about the origins of mobiles, how they are made and how the simple placement of shapes and colours together can form the most stunning, vivid and kinetic creations. Most importantly we’ll learn the importance of embracing your own personal style and how that in itself can create something truly unique and wonderful. It will be a jolly good time!

To keep in touch with all Kit’s crafty projects do check out her website and blog!

Craft party madness by Kit Palaskas and friends!

Artwork by collage artist Pia Blair

Artwork by Pia Blair. Photo by Armelle Habib, Styling Julia Green and Lucy Fenton, shot on location at the very beautiful Fenton & Fenton!

Various artworks by Pia Blair

Melbourne stylist / creative agent Julia Green is always feeding me excellent new finds, and these fabulous artworks by Pia Blair are another of her discoveries! (Thanks for the tip off Julia!).

Pia Blair is a Melbourne girl, but has been living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for three years.  She creates these original screenprinted and collaged works on paper with unexpected imagery and kooky little sayings to make you chuckle!  She loves nothing more than riding around her colourful city on her motorbike, fossicking for vintage papery goodness from days gone by.  If Pia comes across anything kitsch, especially images of miniature dogs, men wrestling in 1970′s footy shorts, ladies strutting in 1950′s get up, catalogues of modernist domestic furniture and appliances, or an image of Queen Lizzie, she simply must have it!

Originally from country Victoria, Pia spent a great deal of time trawling through her Grandmothers pile of sewing patterns, admiring 50’s style wall paper, and eating ‘snags’ in bread at the local footy club.  These childhood experiences, combined with her recent years in Vietnam, have defined the quirky, nostalgic aesthetic of her work.  By combining treasured vintage ephemera with hand screen printing, spray painted stencils, stickers and Japanese washi tape, Pia gives each work it’s own unique narrative.

Pia creates these works under the name Little Land of Pia.  She’s currently working on creating a range of soft furnishings under the same label – watch this space! And do check out Pia’s blog and facebook page for more images of her work and updates on her homewares range!

Pia’s artworks are currently stocked at Fenton & Fenton, Husk and Hut 13 in Melbourne, Mood and Green Tangerine in Queensland, and a number of other boutiques listed here (nothing in Sydney yet it seems?).

Potential stockists and buyers can also get in touch with Julia Green of Greenhouse Interiors, who is handling Pia’s Australian sales and distribution.

TODAY you guys have the rather amazing opportunity to win an original Pia Blair work on paper! The lucky winner will have the opportunity to collaborate with Pia via email, and select their own theme / colour palette for a unique new collage, created especially for them.  AMAZING!

*UPDATE: Congratulations to our lucky winner Rosa (comment #16), you will be collaborating with Pia on your very own custom made collage! We look forward to seeing the final piece! Thank you to everyone who left a comment and also to Pia for this very generous giveaway!

To be in the running, simply leave your comment on today’s post, before 10.00pm today, Monday May 14th Melbourne time.  One winner will be selected at random and contacted by email tomorrow.

Massive thanks to both Pia and Julia for this lovely giveaway!

Artwork above bed by Pia Blair. Photo by Armelle Habib, Styling Julia Green and Lucy Fenton, shot on location at Fenton & Fenton

Artwork by Pia Blair. Photo by Armelle Habib, Styling Julia Green and Lucy Fenton.