It’s probable that Sibella Court needs no introduction – she is, after all, an interior stylist of international standing, an author, TV presenter, globetrotter, retailer and lifestyle raconteur. Sydney-based Sibella is a prolific and versatile creative, with a very distinct aesthetic. To describe her work, you need only look as far as her book titles – Nomad, Bowerbird, and Gypsy.
The end of 2014 marked the relocation of Sibella’s beloved homewares store, The Society Inc., from inner Paddington to a new destination address in St Peters, in Sydney’s Inner West. Upsizing from 80m2 to a whopping 300m2 warehouse, the new site has provided an exciting opportunity for Sibella to expand both the retail and design arms of her business. ‘The new housing allows for larger interior possibilities and installations more in tune with my books, and the hospitality interiors that dominate my work’ Sibella explains. ‘I wanted the space to feel as though you’re walking through the pages of one of my books’.
This large, conceptual retail space provides a backdrop for the treasures Sibella sources on her many travels, and celebrates crafters, makers, manufacturers, designers alongside Sibella’s raft of regular collaborators. Where the Paddington store was small and intimate, the new space is now open to interpretation – it will be used for events, workshops, and photo shoots.
Visitors to the reimagined The Society Inc. can expect an evolving display of wares via two container drops per year, sourced from the countries that Sibella has recently explored. Amongst her current favourites in store, Sibella names her ‘Earthbender Anna-Karina’ ceramics, hand-carved forest-foraged faceted gems in wood, coal, stone by Felix Allen, dyed mosquito nets in collaboration with Shibori, and, of course, her very own range of The Society Inc. range of handcrafted and tinkered hardware.
AND if you’re wondering what happened to The Society Inc’s previous lovely old corner terrace in Paddington, fear not! Still part of the ‘house of Sibella’, the old site has now become a pied-a-terre, available for rent through airbnb, as well as for intimate parties, launches and events, set against Sibella’s ever-changing backdrop of treasures.
As usual, 2015 holds much in store for Sibella Court – including the completion of five hospitality venues, collaborative design projects in New York and a new TV show, ‘Restoration Australia’, to air on ABC!
The Society Inc. Warehouse
Warehouse 3.02
75 Mary Street
St Peters, NSW
Open Monday to Saturday, 10.00am – 4.00pm.
