I'm
very excited to announce I am launching The Design Residency with
Lorraine Lock, co-founder of Australian Fashion Week. The Design Residency, located in Potts Point, Sydney, Australia is a
space to nurture and mentor young designers in product design, fashion
and interiors. At The Design Residency we will be helping designers navigate the world of business, media,
sales, contacts. The Design Residency will be providing the best, most respected and ground breaking in the industry to help designers along their way in the scary world of business.
If you are needing that extra push, need help in developing your range,
need a showroom, need a desk and live in Australia then we would love to hear from you. We
are taking in our first round of Residents this February . Hurry we have
limited spaces. Email amanda@snoopglobal.com if you are interested and
would like to hear more.
Have you got a dream tucked away? A nagging need to change the direction in your career path? Is it financial or is it friends and family saying you are having a mid life crisis that is holding you back? Over the last few years I have been so lucky to meet people who have kick started a new life for themselves. Some of them were made redundant in their careers, others took a leap of faith because they were sick and tired in working for "the man". They all wanted to take control of their lives by creating their own businesses that they are passionate about. I call this group of people the "Create & Control" tribe. They are industrious and they usually start their thriving business from home.
I was recently contacted by South African based providore and blogger Matt Allison on Twitter. He had bought my book Rethink: The Way You Liveand found a connection with his own life when he read the pages. This wonderful video showcases his story from musician to urban backyard farmer providing produce to some of Cape Town's prestigious restaurants and cafes.
Carrots Don't Always Grow Straight!
The biggest joy in producing a book likeRethink: The Way You Live is how wonderful folk
like Matt share their stories with me in how they have rethought their lives. If you are sitting on the fence dreaming about a new career,
a life long dream then I highly recommend watching this this video. Matt's
story is living proof you can do anything as long as you are passionate and willing to put in the hard work.
Comfort! When you ask a designer, furniture buyer, magazine editor, advertising agency, customer what do we want when it comes to our homes the first answer is always comfort. I'm it's biggest ambassador, comfy sofa, comfy chair, comfy bed, comfy bath, comfy pillows, comfy shoes, comfy trousers. Some say to live in casual comfort is the Holy Grail. BUT is comfort - the thing we strive so hard to achieve - our downfall for a healthy life?
If you are plonked on a sofa, bed, or chair right now American scientists claim you probably have "sitting disease". Apparently we are not moving our bodies enough. Australia is ranked fifth among advanced nations in terms of obesity
after the United States, Mexico, New Zealand and Chile, according to the
OECD. The Wellness Index, compiled by polling firm Roy Morgan Research and an initiative of health company Alere, have found over the last five years 736,000 more adults are now obese in Australia.
Is having a super comfy sofa with slubby cushions and chunky throws causing us to prolong, morning-to-bedtime sitting? Doctors call it sedentary
living and research claims it to play a significant role in many
of the most troublesome health issues of our time, from obesity and heart disease to diabetes to depression. I shudder the amount of hours I have wasted lying on my sofa watching crappy TV.
Until recently, experts considered the antidote to sitting disease to be
formal exercise sessions. But new research is turning that thinking on
its head. As it turns out, just being up and about throughout the day
can be healthier for you than doing a rigorous workout, then sitting the
rest of the time. This then raises the serious question would we be more likely to get up and move around our home if we didn't strive for our cosseted home to be so damn comfortable?
Last year I met a young successful Sydney architect Kelvin Ho, for Sunday Life Magazine,who refused to have a sofa in his home. When he watched the tellie he sat on an uncomfortable wooden stool. He believed by not owning a sofa he would watch what he wanted and wasn't enticed to keep watching. Not having anywhere to really chill out except for the bed he was forced to go outside to surf, cycle, catch up with friends and entertain around his dining table. Kelvin did however give into a designer linen sofa eventually when a serious girlfriend (now his wife) came on the seen.
Perhaps there is something in the idea of minimalist design favoured by the Japanese and British architects John Pawson and David Adjaye. The fewer pieces of furniture we have in our home the more likely we will move around than plonking ourselves in one spot.
New York architects Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins who founded Reversible Destiny Foundation dedicated their life work in aiming to create homes that reduce the aging process and prevent death. "People, particularly old people, shouldn't relax and sit back to help
them decline," he insists. "They should be in an environment that
stimulates their senses and invigorates their lives." Arakawa died at age 73 in 2010 flawing his philosophy of transhumanism, or reversible destiny. The thing is I still think there is something in their radical ideas.
The Tokyo Reversible Destiny Loft In Memory of Helen Keller is the eccentric but thought provoking work by Arakawa + Gins. The space isn't designed for furniture. Using natural landscapes as inspiration seating areas are incorporated into the floor. Residents have included hammocks and swings into their homes.
Arakawa + Gins believe to achieve everlasting life our homes should be inconvenient, uncomfortable and stimulate the senses far beyond what we are used to in our daily lives, keeping us nimble. Their work has steeply sloped floors that threaten to send visitors hurtling into its kitchen; more than three dozen paint
colors; level changes meant to induce the sensation of being in two
places at once; windows that seem too high or too low; oddly angled
light switches and outlets; and an absence of doors that would
permit occupants even a modicum of privacy.
In Tokyo one of the tenants in their famous Reversible Destiny lofts says he feels a little younger living in the building. Nobutaka
Yamaoka, who moved in with his wife and two children about two years
ago, says he has lost more than 20 pounds and no longer suffers from hay
fever, though he isn't sure whether it was cured by the loft.
Lets face it though their work is ugly and I personally wouldn't like to live in a house like this. However just like a couture runway show we can learn from and introduce the ideas into our designs in a much more aesthetic and realistic way.
I know this all might seem a little crazy but the fact there is an alarming amount of people in the western world overweight we need to look at solutions in getting us to move around more. And you know what they say when you want to fix something up - always start at home first.
I've shelf-surfed to bring you a vivid reinterpretation of one of my favourite tomes. January, last year I was magnetised to the introduction of the beautiful Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights. On the the first five pages is a haunting picture perfect description of Heathcliff''s home.
Talented photographer Tony Amos and I got together and created our version of the legendary home. I previewed the images on Instagramyesterday and I thought I would share it here on SnOOp.
"Above the chimney were ….a couple of
horse-pistols and by way of ornament, three gaudily painted canisters disposed along its ledge”. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Photo: Tony Amos | Styling: Amanda Talbot - 'Versalilles Fluo' porcelain vases by SELETTI from Space Furniture; Distressed chair by The Country Trader; Cow Hide from Spence and Lyda. Heathcliffe wears Gucci and RM William Boots
“Happily, the architect had foresight to
build it strong; the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall…”
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Photo: Tony Amos| Styling: Amanda Talbot. Moooi, Blow Away vase by Font; Moooi, Soft Clock by Kiki van Eijk;
Muuto, Raw Candelabra by Jens Fager; Oval Tray by Ibride ALL from Space
Furniture
“Mr Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to
his abode and living. He is a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and
manners a gentleman: that is as much a gentleman as many a country squire.” - Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
"One end indeed,
reflected splendidly both light and heat from ranks of immense pewter
dishes, interspersed with silver jugs and tankards, towering row after
row, on a vast oak dresser, to the very roof... It's entire anatomy lay
bare to an enquiring eye, except where a frame of wood laden with
oatcakes and clusters of legs of beef, mutton and ham concealed it."
“He’ll love and hate equally under cover,
and esteem it a species of impertinence to be loved or hated again…rather slovenly, perhaps, yet not looking
amiss with his negligence, because he has an erect and handsome figure; and
rather morose.” - Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
I would like to introduce you to - Sailan. This marvelous and bold look in design is the nickname I came up with to describe Urban Sailor and Japanese Craft colliding into each other. It's not refined, nor mass produced and the colours display a new dynamic confidence in the makers. The objects may not necessarily be made in Japan but ancient influences from this remarkable country is marked with great sentiment onto the designs.
I was asked by Volkswagen to partner with them for the launch of their new award winning car UP! When they told me their launch name was RETHINK! Well how could I say no. It was a perfect fit for Rethink: The Way You Live. Here is a little video we did together.
Rethink: The Way You Live was born when I created this blog. It was here on SnOOp my attitude to design and how we live in our homes and community changed.
It was on here I started to ask questions like can our kitchens be a living farm? Can we have a garden indoors? Do we only sleep in our bedrooms? Do we want a lo-fi life? Major trends have been uncovered on SnOOp way before we saw them in our media and many terms on SnOOp have been adopted by some of the worlds most respected trend forecasters.
I'm so proud of my book Rethink: The Way You Live. It is a beautiful book but I should alert you now. This isn't your typical interior book filled with pretty pictures. This book I hope will challenge and inspire you to reconsider how you think about design and how so many of us all over the world want our homes to fit our family's lifestyle like a glove.
It's no secret I love to camp. I haven't been in a long time but the feeling of finding the THE spot to pitch your tent, set up temporary home, build a campfire is bliss. I find it fascinating that all we need is a fabric wall to feel safe from predators. The idea of Nomad living has played a very big part in my life this year. Have a wonderful day everyone.
Meet Sydney textile design duo Timothy Rouse and Anastasia Phillips from Rouse Phillips
This is a small selection of samples by Rouse Phillips found in their Sydney studio. Photos via Hub*
*sneezing with excitement* Watch this space - colour samples for hand knotted rugs in wool and silk - exclusive to Rouse Phillips Textiles. You can see them being made in Nepal on their blog
Find Rouse Phillips Textile at Suite 7, 66 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia 2010
Welcome to my first in the series Made in Sydney.
OK drum roll... Meet six month old textile brand Rouse Phillips. Tim [Rouse] and Anastasia [Phillips]
saw a gap in the Australian
interior textile market for fun and eclectic fabrics. Other than very
typically Australian design or high end European fabrics there was
nothing that they felt really did anything different. The first
vibrant collection is a mix of art-deco, floral, and illustrative design. I love what they are producing and I predict we are going to be seeing their designs popping up everywhere soon. It's exciting to see youthful brands full of energy. They are already planning to expand into homewares and rugs. You can read more about them here. To see more of their wonderful designs go here.
Why am I doing Made in Sydney?
EVERYONE (locally and internationally) it's time to support Australian Design.
If you know who to go too Australian design isn't overpriced or
inspired copies. There is a young generation who are seeing a gap in
the middle market, who are trying to manufacture locally, and are
finding inspiration and natural materials from this wonderful country
which has over 40,000 years of history to work with.
Since being back in Australia I'm shocked in the lack of support for local design talent by major retailers. It's been a huge contrast to the UK. When I first checked out major department stores Myer and David Jones I couldn't find obvious Australian interior design product. I contacted the heads of both stores telling them they NEED to support local designers how they do with fashion. Yes, I did find Donna Hay's Wedgewood collection, Kas textiles and Sheridan but surely they should offer shoppers something way more substantial? Where is Henry Wilson, Trent Jansen, Charles Wilson, Bonnie and Niel products in those stores?
I suggested them to adopt the business model ofHeals and John Lewis supporting local young designers in store and in the press. I also suggested an essential range which is good design at low prices. It isn't acceptable retailer to sell average, made in China, dessert bowls at $25 each. One of the biggest challenges young designers face is cost. They work very hard to make their product affordable for us to buy. If they had support from major retailers they would be given buying power in materials and labour to help their prices go down and exposure to hopefully become household names. I would love other stores including, Bunnings, Domayne, Harvey Norman, Freedom Furniture, Target to actively support young talent in Australia.
I live in Sydney and on a daily basis I'm coming across new talent. In a small radius there is an incredible amount of passionate people tapping away actively trying to help us live in environments we are proud of. This is my chance to share this with you and hopefully get the world buzzing about what is happening in my hood. I would love someone to commission (challenge) me so I can prove to you it is possible to fit out an apartment with beautiful locally made product for about the same price as a high street store such as Australian IKEA or Freedom Furniture.
If you want to see young Australian design talent supported by major Australian retail then please go to their twitter or Facebook page and write.
"Please bring together the work of the best up-&-coming Australian furniture & homeware designers in an exclusive collection. I would like to nominate (name of designer)". #MadeInSydney
Ahoy, SnOOper's I'm so into this! I would like you to meet Sophie Aschauer from Serpent Sea. Docked in New York she is hand weaving vibrant rugs from reclaimed sailing ropes out of her studio apartment. She has named the mats after 17th century pirates such as "Bonny", "Morgan", and "Killigrew". Please check out what Sophie has to offer at, Serpent Sea, and bring the nautical vibe into your home.
Do you guys know about super talented American designer Thomas Paul? I'm sure most of you do. I remember being sent images of his lovely little blue New York apartment in the mid 2000s. Well he has gone all nautical on us. A few years back I fell in love with his melamine whale platter I ended up giving as a 30th birthday present. I'm still not sure if it's cool to give melamine as a 30th pressie but the illustration is so amazing I can kinda justify it. Today I have just discovered he has branched his inky blue illustration into gorgeous nautical bedlinen, cushions, tea & bath towels, shower curtains and scarves. The nautical trend has been around for a while now. I first saw hipsters in New York and Tokyo dressing like hardworking fishermen in late 2009 early 2010. I even did a little SnOOp post about it last year as a Trend Alert here. I don't think I will get tired of this look for a while yet.
Make sure you check out his website because there is a whole world of lovely on it.
I'm letting you into a secret. I'm trying to get my second book deal. This is a risk in sharing this secret but I may as well start the words here... a place that has brought me a lot of joy... a place that led me onto the path for my first book deal. The book is called HAPPY. I'm on a quest to search and walk on the path again asking myself do I need to RETHINK what this word, HAPPY, means to me and those around the world? I'm asking how can the definition be translated into our homes so we can create personal and public environments that can positively shift our moods and wellbeing? OK no puking allowed and please don't feel like you need to punch me because I'm trying to be all positive like. Stick with me.
I had a mega light bulb moment when I finished my book 'RETHINK: The Way You Live'- after meeting all the amazing and inspiring people I interviewed in the book I realised we may take different paths but it is for one purpose ---- so we can find happiness --- so we can be happy.
The current times have been serious and many of us have done and are doing it tough. Design over the last few years, has been modest, paired back, sustainable and the rediscovery of the artisan. My book‘RETHINK: The Way You Live’is filled with what I’m describing. (have youpr-ordered a copy yet? :-)))
We are tired in seeing and hearing about doom and gloom. We are looking for positive ideas to lift our spirits.
My job is to always look ahead and dig deeper and follow the mind set of how we are doing and keeping an eye on what we want. My aim is to keep us developing spaces and product that are relevant to us.
‘Macarena Social – CyberCentre’ by Spanish architects MedioMundo
The design world is famous for being serious but we the humble consumer are exhausted with the hard times. We are looking for people, places, objects, more than ever, to make us smile and laugh.
You get it when you win a race and lose it when you get laid off. Governments put it in their policies, preachers in their sermons, writers at the end of their stories. Scientists say they’ve found it on the left side of the brain. Pursuing it, Americans spend US$20 billion a year on self-help and
antidepressants. But wealth isn’t working: people in the West are twice as rich as they were sixty years ago, depression will be the biggest health burden in the world. Joy, euphoria,
satisfaction, tranquillity, triumph. It comes in many forms.
So for now my fellow SnOOper's keep coming back to visit and follow my findings on HAPPY. Perhaps, just perhaps architects and designer when approaching their
next project will ask the same questions I will be exploring and produce holistic buildings that will bring those who occupy it with joy.
So what do you reckon? Do you like the idea for my new book? If yes let me know and help support me for book number 2. :-)
Who else is sharing tips on happiness this week?
Letter To Our World- New online sensation where people are sharing their definition of happiness Apartment Therapy - Very basic, not too deep - 10 simple things to make you happier at home Mia Freedman - A happy place can be revealing but one's happy place is another person's hell Red magazine- 'My Daily Dose of Happiness' The May issue shared from some famous UK ladieshow it is the little things that count.
I'm an interiors addict and I'm currently a judge on Top Design Australia. I have been involved with quite a few loved interior magazines across the globe. I was Associate Editor @ British ELLE Decoration and Homes Editor @ Livingetc. I have consulted for StudioIlse, WGSN and IKEA. What really interests me is how we all live in the space we call home. As much as I want to know about the latest chair, must-have-accessory and hottest trends - the thing that gets me really excited is how we use our everyday objects. This blog is a chance to explore, laugh and relate to different people and families from across the globe who all have one thing in common. They love their home. Enjoy
love Amanda Talbotxxx
