If you love design and happen to be in Sydney between the 3rd and 18th of August, you might like to book yourself in for some of the excellent talks, tours and workshops lined up for this year’s Sydney Design.
Now in its 16th year, more than 75 events across the city will explore the theme, ‘Design re-think – can clever design save the world?’. (I bloody well hope so!)
My top picks? I’ll be making a beeline for:
The retrospective exhibition on ‘George Nelson: Architect, Writer, Designer, Teacher’ at the Powerhouse Museum. Nelson is the genius behind mid-20th century design classics such as the Ball Clock, Coconut Chair and Marshmallow Sofa (see above; photos courtesy of Vitra).
One of the guided walks led by the Australian Architecture Association.
It’s been a while since I posted about Sydney design, and when I stumbled across the latest work from Mr & Mrs White, I couldn’t wait to have a wee chat with them. Mr & Mrs White run a furniture and textiles business from their showroom and workshop in Mona Vale, on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Mr White makes all the furniture, from beds, tables and desks to chairs and drawer units. Everything is made using solid new and recycled timber. Their textiles range is also handmade and includes a range of linen, leather and hide pieces. I really love their beautifully simple linen duvet cover!
Read on for my wee chat with them about their work, local area and dream collaborators.
What’s the best-seller in your collection?
In the furniture range our best seller is the beam bed. It has been really popular for both adults and kids. In the textiles range, our best seller is the tan leather cushion.
What services do you offer?
Other than our range of furniture and textiles, Mr White also specialises in custom joinery. From floating drawer units, benches and hearths he can build a unique timber feature for your home or business.
Who or what influences your design?
We are really influenced by Japanese and European design. We both love the simplicity of Japanese design and the Scandinavians bring function and beauty together so well. Its funny, I tend to be inspired by designers not in my field. For example, I LOVE all of the futagami products and Nathan finds himself more drawn to architecture blogs as opposed to furniture ones. Some of his favourite are Matthew Hilton, Nicolas Schuybroek, George Nakashima and Amee Allsop. Anyone who makes simple look easy and effortless is inspiration to us.
Can you tell us about your background?
Mr. White did his apprenticeship as a shipwright and I studied graphic design. Nathan always loved working with timber – he grew up making wooden shoe boxes in his Pop’s workshop. After finishing his apprenticeship he worked as a cabinet maker for a few years and on the side started making furniture for our home.
After studying I found myself craving a creative outlet that didn’t involve a computer screen. My nan bought me a second-hand sewing machine and I fell in love with it. I think I found it really satisfying seeing a lump of fabric transform into something functional and beautiful.
Tell us a wee secret about Mona Vale.
We are situated in the industrial zone of Mona Vale but we are only a five minute walk to Mona Vale shops. Across the road from us on Darley Street there is an awesome little cafe called Coffee Brothers. Great coffee for us and our daughter Selah loves their berry smoothies!
What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?
We are currently working on a new range of furniture in collaboration with architect Amee Allsop. Amee is currently living in NYC, so the range will be fusing together ‘the city and the sea’….shhhh.
Who would be your dream collaborator?
We are pretty excited to be working with Amee Allsop. We actually love working with other designers – we never want to be just a one-man show. I think the best design comes from team work and being apart of a creative community.
Mr & Mrs White 3/81 Darley Street Mona Vale NSW Sydney Tel. 0431 914 814
Opening hours: Friday 10am to 4pm Saturday 10am to 4pm or by appointment.
Regular readers will know that it doesn’t take much to entice me to a traditional tea at a hotel, so I was delighted to attend The Langham Sydney’s Peter Pan tea on the weekend – with grandma and my two-year-old in tow.
This beautifully themed tea is a special school holiday promotion to entice the youngest fans of the boy who refused to grow up with the promise of Tinkerbell cupcakes with Pixie dust, pirate cookies, fairy bread finger sandwiches and scones studded with Smarties. Add to that a wee jar of gold coins and a green napkin fashioned into a Peter Pan cap and you have a fairytale tea worthy of the best Never Land dreams. My wee one was tired and wasn’t feeling very well at all, but one glimpse of the jar of gold coins and he literally rose from the stroller for a better look (and a nibble).
Now it’s not quite your average trip-to-the-museum school holiday activity, but it’s perfect for a very special treat or if you’re celebrating a special occasion. And while little ones nibble on fruit swords and sip on hot chocolate, grown-ups are treated to The Langham’s traditional Tiffin tea, a three-tier tray crammed with dainty finger sandwiches, golden sultana and plain scones, sumptous cakes and petit fours.
The Peter Pan morning tea is $30 per child (who must be accompanied by a full paying adult). The journey to Never Land comes to an end on 14 July 2013, so you’ve got a few days to book your fairytale adventure.
To book, tel 02 8248 5220 or email tlsyd.rsvn@langhamhotels.com
I’m super-excited to be Inside Out magazine’s guest pinner this month. Head over to the Pinterest board and check out all the things that are catching my eye right now, including awesome school holiday crafts, gorgeous interiors, DIY projects and beautiful design. Here’s just a peek at some of the things I’ve been pinning:
With Glasto kicking off the northern hemisphere festival season this weekend, I’ve put together a shopping guide to help you navigate all possible outdoor camping scenarios – from the ultimate rinse-free hand wash (that actually feels nice, smells heavenly and is kind to your skin) to the most chic beanie to ward against night-time chill (it has a netted veil, natch).
It’s funny – as I was editing my selections and double-crossing my list of essentials, it all felt strangely familiar. And that’s when I realised that packing for a grubby, muddy outdoor music festival isn’t too dissimilar to packing for a trip to the park with a two-year-old in tow. May your port-a-loos be unclogged, your exit strategy bottle-neck free, and may you get more than a wink of sleep. Have fun!
Disclaimer: Some affiliate links are used in this post, for which I receive a small fee per sale. Never fear – it doesn’t affect my decisions or selections. I wouldn’t feature any crap on Wee Birdy.
I know. Ascot is done and dusted. Apologies to my UK readers. I’ve been working on this post for months but I couldn’t publish it any sooner because I’ve been that darn sick. (Off topic: I hate to whinge but this childcare-lurgy-merry-go-round is doing my head in. I’ve just spent the past six weeks with a not-so-delightful pick-n-mix of the most horrendous viruses, culminating in agonising joint pain, vomiting, fever and chills. Geez, aren’t you glad you clicked through to read my self-pitying sooky lah-lah drivel? Time to move on.)
So rest assured that I haven’t forgotten about my dear readers in the UK who are currently enjoying a typical English summer (ie. freezing cold, grey skies) and while I may have missed Ascot, I’ve heard from quite a few readers with a wedding or two marked on the calendar. And that means HATS.
Hurrah! I love a good hat. One of the things that I find so endearing about Britain is that hats are just about mandatory for all female wedding guests. (Not quite so in Australia – generally, the mother of the bride is the only one who wears a hat, which is sadly a missed opportunity for topping off an outfit with something utterly fabulous.)
Maybe it’s the bird-lover in me but there’s something marvellous about perching something eye-catching and dramatic – often with feathers – on top of your head. And ladies, I’m talking about proper hats, not those silly headbands with a couple of pathetic sequins.
There’s nothing I hate more than a half-arsed approach to hats. I just about rejoiced when I heard that Ascot had finally put their foot down with an exacting dress code that specified minimum hat base measurements and banned fascinators from the Royal Enclosure. Hilarious and awesome. Who else would do this?
And if you can’t already tell that I’m dreadfully missing the UK, I’m just about sick with envy over the sheer amount of choice when it comes to shopping for hats. With the likes of internationally acclaimed milliners such as Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones calling London home, there’s no escaping the fact that no-one does hats quite like the Brits. (And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Queen or the late Isabella Blow, two of London’s greatest-ever hat wearers.)
Now, it would be all too easy to curate a collection of the most amazing designer options, but to be honest I’m more excited and impressed by the bevy of British high street designer collaborations.
Take Debenhams, for instance. Here you can pick up a hat designed by the likes of Stephen Jones, Julien MacDonald and Jasper Conran for a very reasonable sum of money. We’re talking around £80 for a Stephen Jones for Debenhams number, which would cost around over £900 at his Covent Garden boutique.
Then there’s House of Fraser‘s collaboration with London milliner Jane Taylor, who has emerged as this season’s ‘It’ designer and the go-to girl for the Duchess of Cambridge. And I’m blown away by the rather handsome collection of hats designed by William Chambers for Coast (the large images you can see in this post are from this collection).
For those of you looking for a design with a bit more of an edge, look no further than Filipino milliner Mich Dulce, whose work was recognised in 2010 when she won the International Young Creative Entrepreneur (IYCE) award for fashion at London Fashion Week. Her playful bunny ear-inspired designs manage to miraculously tick both chic and tongue-in-cheek boxes.
If you’re in London, hightail it to Fenwick, which is probably one of the most underrated department stores (and it rarely gets a mention in international press). It’s a veritable goldmine for accessories, hats and scarves. I spent many a lunch hour scouring the ground floor wall of hair accessories. Fenwick has a mildly Bond Street matronly appeal, but I think that just makes me adore it even more.
So read on for my (tardy) edit of the best hats for summer 2013. Silver lining? Some of these hats are now on sale. SCORE! So if you’re in the market for a new hat for an upcoming wedding or you (ahem) want to get ahead of next year’s spring racing season, read on. Also, this list can serve as spring racing carnival inspiration for my Australian readers. Just remember, black can be chic for the races, but rather gloomy for weddings. Best to stick to colour. Here we go…
It’s sales time and I’ve been scouring the web for the best designer (and high street) bargains for you. I’ve focused on timeless pieces – the kind of essentials that make a classic wardrobe. I often wait ’til sales time to purchase these kinds of pieces – and if I don’t need anything new, then that’s it – I don’t look at all!
It’s all too easy to get carried away by the lure of discounted items, and buying something for the sake of getting a bargain. And I reckon we’ve all got too much crap in our closets already. So for god’s sake don’t add to the chaos/potential landfill with purchases you don’t really need. Especially trend-driven purchases that date really quickly.
So I guess that’s why I put together this wee guide to the sales, cherry-picking what I consider to be really great, classic pieces that will stand the test of time in your wardrobe. But only if you really need them – agreed? For instance, I need a great pair of tapered black pants. Slightly cropped, almost capri style pants – the kind that Jean Seaberg paired with Breton stripes in Breathless. The thing is, it all comes down to cut and fit, and so far I haven’t had any luck. I’ve got my eye on these COS pants but unfortunately they don’t ship to Australia – yet. Come on, COS!
But if you are in the market for some spiffy new clobber, you better hop to it – things are selling out fast (I’ve already re-written my edit a few times). I’ll be updating this post with alternatives as items sell-out, so keep an eye on Wee Birdy over the next couple of days.
UPDATE: I’m now adding some cheaper high street alternatives into the mix.
Have you bought anything in the sales? What do you think of my edit of the best bits? Disclaimer: Affiliate links are used in this post, for which I receive a small fee per sale. Never fear – it doesn’t affect my decisions or selections. I wouldn’t feature any crap on Wee Birdy.
Now look what we have here! I’m super-chuffed to feature in the new July-August 2013 issue of Inside Out, the delightful Australian magazine that is beloved by design and interiors enthusiasts around the globe. I was interviewed and photographed for their feature on seven different kinds of shoppers – from eBay addicts to auction house devotees – and I was the poster girl for Etsy! Love it.
That’s me, third from left, and I’m photographed with one of my best Etsy buys – a hand-decorated vintage teapot by the inimitable Dutch designer and illustrator, Nina van de Goor from Ninainvorm. I’ve been a fan of Nina’s work since I first started blogging so I’m particularly proud to showcase her work in this feature.
Other good things in the new issue of Inside Out include an interview with UK blogger Will Taylor from Bright.Bazaar, a profile on awesome Melbourne-based artist Ghostpatrol, a round-up of the best bedside tables and a look behind the scenes (and the real-life homes) of Australian TV drama, Offspring. There are also loads of inspirational homes and shopping features with superb styling and masterful photography.
Here’s a peek at a feature styled by the marvellous Megan Morton and photographed by Sam McAdam-Cooper. I adore the clever wall feature of draped textiles hanging from a painted curtain rod, and I’m seriously coveting that Moroccan wool rug from Jardan in the second image (below).
Why hello there. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m sorry. I really am. Hopefully you’ve been following me via Instagram and Facebook over the past few months! I’ve had to take a little time out from blogging to look after other things – and people – in my life. But it’s good to be back. How have you been?
I was recently invited by Etsy Australia to be guest curator, so I’m delighted to herald my return with my top picks from Etsy’s Australian sellers. I was inspired by the colours yellow and blue: those classic hues that ‘speak’ Australian to me. Check out my favourite handmade and vintage finds:
You should all know by now that I don’t need much of an excuse for a good old-fashioned tea party, so when Twinings sent me a box of their limited edition Australian Afternoon Tea it didn’t take long before I had (a) cracked open a packet of Iced Vo-Vos; (b) whipped up a batch of wattleseed cupcakes; and (c) dug out some of my choicest vintage Australiana china and linen. Add half a dozen lamingtons, a knitted cockie teapot handle cosy and a pot of Twinings full-bodied Australian Afternoon Tea and I was set: a very Aussie arvo tea. Heaven!
I used this recipe for the Wattleseed cupcakes, and I decorated them with handmade sprigs of marzipan wattle.
They’re dead-easy to make: just grab a packet of marzipan, dye three-quarters of it yellow with food colouring, and roll tiny balls with your hands (about 7mm wide). Then add some yellow food colouring to a bowl of caster sugar, and roll the balls in the sugar for a fluffy wattle-like coating.
For the leaves, add a drop or two of green food colouring to the rest of your marzipan, and roll it out to 2mm thickness. Use a sharp knife to cut out leaves and use a bread and butter knife to imprint veins. Arrange your little wattles on top of your cupcakes and you have a rather sweet tribute to Australia’s indigenous national flower.
As for the tea itself – well, let’s just say it was the little Aussie hero of the party. I like it. I like it a lot – it’s a brisk pick-me-up blend created by Kevin Rudd, of all people, and funnily enough it’s a feisty little character. Kevin won Twinings’ challenge last year to come up with an original brew that best reflected the taste of Australia. The top five blends were put to a public vote and Kevin come up trumps with a blend that stands up against the most languid of Aussie arvos.
Twinings has raised over $120,000 to date for the former Prime Minister’s chosen charity, the RSPCA, through on-pack donations. It’s a timely cause as the RSPCA needs extra support at this time of the year with poor wee injured animals from bushfires.
Limited edition Twinings Australian Afternoon Tea is available in Coles stores now, while stocks last. So best be quick! You can purchase it in a splendid keepsake tin (as pictured above), or in a twin pack with either English Breakfast or Early Grey. The lovely Twinings people are also increasing donations to the RSPCA, with 50c from every tin and $1 from every twin-pack going to the charity. Tea-riffic! (sorry, couldn’t resist.)
WIN! Twinings Australian Tea
I have five tins of this lovely limited-edition Twinings Australian Afternoon Tea tins to give away. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment below telling me in 25 words or less what you would serve with a pot of Australian Afternoon Tea. The giveaway is open to all Australian residents 14 years and older, and it ends at 5pm AEDST on Feburary 1, 2013.
Entries will be judged by Nuffnang and the winners will be the ones deemed most creative. There will be five winners, all of whom will receive a limited-edition tin of Twinings Australian Afternoon Tea. Click here for the full competition terms and conditions. Please don’t forget to leave your email address in the space provided in the comments section – it will only be visible to me.
Happy New Year, dear birdies! I really do hope 2013 is a brilliantly good one. Thanks so much for popping in and joining me in the Wee Birdy nest in 2012. Can’t wait to bring you more lovely goodness – and a brand new look – in 2013. xxx
How wonderful is this New Year’s creative concept, art direction and photography by Argentinian art studio, Plenty? via Typography Served.
Wishing all my super-lovely readers every happiness at Christmas. Thank you so much for stopping and making Wee Birdy what it is today. I’ve really loved expanding the Wee Birdy community on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and meeting so many of you over the year.
I’m having a wee festive break with my family but I’ll see you all in the New Year. In the meantime, you’ll find me on Facebook, Twitter and especially Instagram, posting all my holiday pics. I’d love to see and hear about all of your Christmas festivities as well.
Please join me in Instagram and #ShowMeYourTree! It’s easy – here’s how to do it:
1. Head over to Instagram.
2. Take a photo of your Christmas Tree.
3. Upload your tree on Instagram and use the hashtag #showmeyourtree and tag @weebirdy.
Can’t wait to see your tree! Here’s mine (see top)!
This, my dearest birdies, is my favourite Christmas dessert. It’s the perfect way to end a too-stuffed-to-eat-another-mouthful-Christmas-dinner, as it’s relatively light (well, depending on how much you eat) and the raspberries offer an edge to the sweetness of the macaroons and cream.
I don’t really use a “recipe” as such (apart from the coconut macaroon bit) because it’s dead simple – and the amounts used depend on how big your trifle bowl is.
If you want the cheat’s version, use shop-bought coconut macaroons. You’ll be laughing at how dead-simple it is to put together, not to mention the ‘big effort’, maximum-impact results.
Now I’m not talking about French macarons of the Laduree variety, I mean rough coconut macaroons that are crispy and toasty on the outside with a deliciously gooey meringue-y centre. I like to make my own, but be careful not to overcook them as you won’t get the gooey/sticky/toasty/crunchy texture that makes this recipe so lovely.
Ingredients
Freshly whipped cream (I use two cartons of whipping cream, but you may need more or less, depending on how big your bowl is).
Raspberries (I use a mixture of fresh and frozen. I use one whole box of frozen raspberries, together with four punnets of fresh raspberries. It’s really nice to decorate the top of the dessert with a layer of fresh raspberries.)
Crushed coconut macaroons – either shop-bought or make them yourself, recipe below. Just pop them in a plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin/mallet/other handy whackable object. Don’t smash them to smithereens – you don’t want a crumb-like texture. More of a mixture of crumbs and little chunks.
Method
1. Place a layer of crushed coconut macaroons (around an inch high) in the bottom of your glass trifle dish.
2. Usually a spatula, place a layer of freshly whipped cream (around an inch high) on top of the macaroons.
3. Now place a layer of raspberries on top of the cream.
4. Repeat the layers until you get to the top of the trifle bowl.
5. Finish with a layer of whipped cream and decorate with fresh raspberries. Either throw your raspberries on free-form or go for a retro design of concentric circles.
6. Keep chilled until you’re ready to serve, then dust it with icing sugar (don’t do what I did last year in a fit of Christmas-induced madness and toss a heap of castor sugar on top. I misread the label. Not nice. Gritty. Oh dear.)
7. Wow your guests – they’ll love it!
Coconut Macaroon Recipe (the non-cheat’s version)
Ingredients
3 cups of shredded coconut
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of caster sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
Method
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius. Line three baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Spread the shredded coconut over two of the trays and cook in the oven, tossing occasionally for three to four minutes until lightly toasted. For the love of god keep an eye on it and don’t let it burn! Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate. Your kitchen will now smell divine!
2. Whisk the egg whites and salt together with electric beaters in a scrupulously clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Make sure you don’t have a speck of grease on your bowl or mixers or your meringue won’t work.
3. Once you have soft peaks, add sugar a spoonful at a time. Go slow and steady here! Look at the mixture carefully and make sure all the sugar has dissolved before adding the next spoonful of sugar.
Once all the sugar has been added, whisk for a further two minutes or until your mixture is thick and glossy.
4. Add the vanilla essence and whisk to combine.
5. Add the toasted coconut and use a large metal spoon to carefully fold it in until just combined. (Use a bit of TLC here. If you overdo this bit or stir too vigorously, your macaroons will be flat.)
6. Spoon tablespoonful of mixture onto lined trays. Leave around 2cm between each macaroon. Bake in the oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 12-15 minutes or until your macaroons are light golden and firm.
7. Leave them to cool for five minutes on the trays before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
8. Store in an airtight container for up to two days before you need them.
Photography by Trevor Tondro/Living Inside.
