Wee Birdy

December 6, 2010

Sydney shopping: Finders Keepers market

Phew. I'm a bit puffed. We moved into our new place last weekend and I've been trying to conquer the seemingly expanding mountain of boxes (I think they're breeding) while dealing with a 27-week baby bump and an ever-growing list of utterly mad pregnancy maladies.

But I was so delighted to take a break on the weekend and finally delve into some Australian independent design, in the form of the brilliant Finders Keepers market at Eveleigh's CarriageWorks.

It was my first visit to CarriageWorks and my first real foray into Australian independent design since returning from London. And after covering so many design markets in London (including Bust) and seeing the best of UK talent, I wasn't really sure what to expect. After all, when I left Sydney in February 2007, there wasn't an awful lot happening with local design and craft, but the scene has really taken off since then.

And joy, oh joy, Finders Keepers was an absolute treat! I was not only impressed by the high standard of work but also the diverse and beautifully collated line-up of 75 exhibitors, spanning furniture, fashion, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and stationery. The carefully considered mix of designers offered a new surprise at every turn (my head was just about spinning), neatly avoiding the trap of 'samey-ness' that can sometimes plague design markets.

CarriageWorks itself is a wonderfully cavernous and light-filled industrial location to hold a busy Christmas design market on a humid Sydney weekend, complete with an excellent bar and cafe.

Here are some of my Finders Keepers highlights, with more posts to come over the week. Overseas readers can also purchase some great Australian design by clicking on the websites, which link through to contact details, blogs and online stores.

Super-sweet rabbit characters adorn The Storybook Rabbit's collection of vintage plates.

Loved the 'Noice' biscuit tea-towel at Materialistic's stall.

Sophisticated simplicity from Mr & Mrs White's range of homewares and furniture.

Charming handprinted stationery at Write to Me features adorable vintage motifs.

Cory Child's beautifully pleated fabric necklaces.

Loving Bride and Wolfe's Scandi-inspired circle wall shelves – perfect for collectables and displaying children's figurines.

Vintage fabric and a whimsical timber panel illustration combine to make a gorgeous and unique handbag at Oktoberdee.

The Missing Piece's handcrafted stools feature beautiful organic design and unexpected pops of colour.

The most splendid pre-loved vintage books have been repurposed as journals, photo albums, diaries and sketchbooks at Rebound Books.

'Scratchie' cards, advent calendars and beautiful graphics at TMOD.

Adorable handcrafted creatures (think pugs, owls and foxes) and whimsical embroidery at Cat Rabbit. (Nice website, too.)

Lox+Savvy's brilliant installation of a paper metropolis and eye-popping collection of stationery.

Finders Keepers markets are bi-annual events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Visit their website (and check out their brilliant blog) for more information about the next event.

For more photos, click here for my Flickr set.

Share this story by clicking one of the links below.
Tweet this   Post to Facebook    Stumble this    Add to del.icio.us    Email this   

← Birdy (and Xmas) pick of the week |  Main |  Wee Christmas finds: Jonathan Adler’s tree decorations →