Tuesday, February 07, 2012 
Stunning soft furnishings and accessories by Sydney textile designers Sixhands
How outrageously fabulous are these textile designs by Sydney based creative trio Sixhands!? I am wondering how on earth I did not know about them earlier. Aghhh I HATE when I am not first off the mark! Ha ha. No, seriously, I really hate it.
ANYWAY. Better late than never!
First launched in 2006 by designers Alecia Jensen, Anna Harves and Brianna Pike, Sixhands originally found their calling specialising in printed textiles for the fashion industry. Their stunning work was quickly picked up by many of Australia’s best known fashion brands – including Sportsgirl, Alannah Hill, Wayne Cooper and Bianca Spender.
In recent years this talented team have turned their attention to an incredible in-house range of soft furnishings and home accessories – including cushions, lampshades, rugs and wallpapers. It is SUCH a truly stunning collection, and incorporates an immense variety of layered visual elements – from soft painterly splashes to strong linework and graphic photo prints. The range is available to buy through new Australian online store Inadesignerhome and also from Sixhands’ own website. It could just be me, but I reckon they could do with a few more interstate retail stockists. *hint hint*.
AMAZINGLY, all Sixhands textiles are designed and printed right here in Australia. Mucho impressivo.
I’m gonna go out with an extravagant simile and say these prints really are just like the Australian version of Missoni! Who’s with me!?
Textiles and rugs by Sixhands
Stunning homewares for bed and bath by new Sydney-based online store Dunlin
You might have noticed if you visited The Design Files Open House in December (thankyou thankyou thankyou!) that my dream home is filled with COLOUR. And yet, there is a little part of me, (perhaps the most ‘grown-up’ part) that wishes I could restrain myself to a elegant beige-on-beige colour scheme. It would be so very posh to have a home filled with white and neutral tones – linens, ceramics, antique lighting and rustic timber furniture – don’t you think!? How do people have this kind of discipline!? Perhaps that’s why posh people have holiday houses.
ANYWAY. If you are GROWN UP enough to have a restrained beige-on-beige interior colour scheme, then DUNLIN is your new best friend. I, for one, am smitten.
Dunlin is a new online store based in Sydney. They have the most excellent and extensive range of homewares, lighting, furniture, linen and accessories sourced from across the globe, in particular New York. That’s because Dunlin is the pet project of Australian architect Alexandra Bond, who has spent the last six years with her partner Nicholas Barber working in New York, and living between New York and Sydney.
Dunlin forms a retail extension to Alexandra’s architectural interiors practice, which has allowed her to bring in a great variety of her favourite US brands previously unavailable in Australia, including stunning Matteo linens, Original BTC and Davey Lighting and West Third candles. It’s a seriously stunning edit of classic pieces you just won’t find anywhere else in Australia!
I want EVERYTHING. For my imaginary holiday house.
Kitchen / dining goodness from Dunlin
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 
Leif – a new Australian-made skincare range from Sydney design studio Container
You gotta respect a company who know their niche and stick to it. Sydney based design studio Container have established a stellar reputation for one thing and one thing only – picture perfect packaging. This boutique studio designs and manufactures the most elegant containers for some of Australia’s best boutique skincare, haircare and cosmetics labels – brands such as Kevin Murphy and O&M. It is such truly beautiful, innovative, yet understated work – and perfectly exemplifies why bespoke packaging is so important in the beauty industry.
Late last year Container launched a very special personal project. After years consulting to high profile beauty brands, the Container crew were inspired to create their very own product range. ’Leif‘ originally began as a design study – but eventually grew into a fully fledged skincare range, which finally launched in November last year. One of Leif’s founders, Jonnie Vigar, says their goal with this range was to create a simple, natural product with a distinctly Australian flavour. Drawing upon botanical extracts including Lemon Myrtle, Wild Rosella, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus, the range is free from artificial colours, parabens, synthetic fragrances and all those other nasties. The packaging is 100% recyclable.
As is often the case with Australian tall poppies, it seems *Wallpaper magazine has outed Leif before us locals have even caught on! Doh – why does that always happen!? The Leif range was recently shortlisted for ‘Best New Grooming Product’ in the *Wallpaper’s Design Awards 2011. Very impressive and well deserved. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of these guys…!
For now you can buy Leif products only in Sydney! Outrageous. I challenge Melbourne retailers to get cracking and snap up this product before someone else does! On your marks, get set – EMAIL!
Packaging design by Container
Thursday, January 05, 2012 
Holly Hipwell, Chief Flower Enthusiast at The Flower Drum, at the new FLOWER DRUM POP-UP in Sydney’s Northern Beaches! Photos – Cloudy Rhodes.
Holly with her serious shopkeeper face on
I have such an immense girl crush on the fabulous and slightly insane girls from THE FLOWER DRUM! I believe them to be the cutest, cleverest and funniest girls in Sydney. Their blog is so laugh-out-loud hilarious I defy any of you to check it out without smiling. I mean really. It’s just one massive petal pushing giggle fest over there. (You may remember we featured The Flower Drum girls way back in Feb 2011 – worth re-visiting for a LOVE BOMB refresher course! It was actually one of my favourite posts of last year. So so cute and so so funny).
Anyway would you BELIEVE that on this fleeting and rather spontaneous jaunt to Sydney, I just HAPPEN to have found myself here on the same week that Chief Flower Drummettes Holly Hipwell and Mylee Grace have launched their first ever pop-up shop on Sydney’s Northern Beaches!? C’est encroyable, no?!
SO of course this sweet project was just destined for a spot on The Design Files! The pop-up itself is in fact a shop within a shop – it’s part of The Sugarmill Fine Surf Emporium – combining floral frivolity with custom surfboards, excellent coffee, clothing, not-for-profit fundraising and a great number of tanned and generally good looking Sydneysiders.
For their opening week (ie THIS WEEK!) The Flower Drum Pop-Up is open daily until this Saturday 7th Jan. THEN they’re open every Saturday after that – possibly forever :) Do pop in and support the madness that is The Flower Drum!
The Flower Drum first ever Semi Permanent Pop-Up
The Sugarmill Fine Surf Emporium
1329 Pittwater Rd
Narrabeen NSW
Ph.02 9913 3332
PS – Flower Drum groupies will be pleased to know we’re roping chief flower enthusiast Holly Hipwell in again for some more flower-loving antics next month on TDF – watch this space!
Mylee and Holly with newly blonde hair and matchy matchy polka dots at Sydney’s wholesale flower markets! I do not normally allow instagrammed iphone photos on TDF but the cuteness overwhelmed me. How anyone can look that cute at 5.30am is beyond me.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012 
Lip-smacking ‘artisan popsicles’ by Sydney based Liana Raine
Ok so I am secretly in Sydney this week for a semi-spontaneous mini break… and do you know what is seriously trending in Sydney right now? ‘Artisan popsicles’. In other words, homemade, super gourmet and kind of vaguely healthy seasonal fruit icy poles. They are everywhere!
One particularly delectable popsicle specialist is Liana Raine – just check out the supreme gorgeousness of their icypole collection above. As photogenic as they are delicious. With flavours like Strawberry Cream, Blueberry Basil and Pineapple Chilli (plus a few cheeky alcohol-spiked creations!) they’re winning fans amongst kids and adults alike.
Liana Raine treats can be found at various organic food markets across Sydney, and at cafes and restaurants listed here. They also cater weddings and events!
Another cute and slightly more dinky DIY duo creating equally luscious icy treats are Pure Pops – again we’re talking super summery, homemade flavours bursting with fruity goodness. These guys sell at various spots including the Bondi Farmers market and Kings Cross organic food market. They also have a super sweet blog in which they share lots of pics of their popsicle-slurping happy customers! Cute cute.
I am not aware of any of this gourmet artisan icypole business in Melbourne… perhaps it’s a Sydney thing? We have food trucks, they have gourmet icypoles? Which is all well and good, except this week its 40 degrees in Melbs and a much more friendly 27 in Sydney… so, I’m thinking…. perhaps Raph Rashid needs a new project?
ps. Apologies for the entirely non design related post today! Sorry! It’s summer. I like icy poles.
Thursday, September 29, 2011 
The work of Sydney artist Lisa Rodden
We just can’t get enough of paper cut artwork around here can we!? These amazing creations are the work of Sydney-based artist Lisa Rodden. Lisa has a varied background which stretches from colour consultation to interior design and more recently, working in the arts as a volunteer in Aboriginal communities – an experience which has taught her ‘the true value of our natural surroundings and community, the energy we get from the land and people, and the importance of nurturing our relationships with both’.
Many of Lisa’s works can been seen on her website, and can be purchased through the Art2Muse gallery in Sydney. She also takes commissions!
