Kate & Kate | Carnival Collection in Collaboration with Arent&Pyke

The start of the year is always an exciting time for interiors with design brands launching their new collections. As always we've seen loads of inspiration coming out of Scandinavia, but now it's time to shine the light on some designers closer to home. Over the next few days I'm going to be sharing news from a few of my favourite Australian homeware brands, kicking off today with Kate & Kate who this week launched their Winter 2017 collection Carnival. A very special project that has been more than 18 months in development, Carnival was designed in collaboration with Sydney interior design house Arent&Pyke. An amazing fusion of creative talent between sisters-in-law Kate Pascoe and Kate Pascoe Squires and Juliette Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke, Carnival captures the joy of gathering together. A celebration of celebrations, both jovial and nostalgic, the gorgeous new collection includes classic geometrics complemented by painterly and spirited prints.

The result of a shared vision between the four designers and a process described by the Kates as "an absolute joy from start to end", Carnival offers a plethora of beautiful new pieces crafted from the quality materials we've come to love from Kate & Kate. In addition to cotton and alpaca blankets, large scale linen table cloths, linen throws, napkins and tea towels, the new collection includes both linen and leather cushions as well as hand woven bed spreads.

Styling by Claire Delmar / Photography by Jason Loucas

So much to love! Check out the entire collection Lookbook, and for more insight into the collaborative process, read this interview with Kate & Kate. Currently being launched at Life InStyle in Sydney, Carnival is now available for pre-order here. 

Images courtesy of Kate & Kate 

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Perfect Imperfect

Since its arrival last week, Karen McCartney's new book Perfect Imperfect has become a cherished addition to my collection of interior books. With styling by Glen Proebstel and photography by Sharyn Cairns, Perfect Imperfect explores the aesthetic of the Japanese principle wabi-sabi which advocates that beauty is found in imperfections. A celebration of accident, curation and collection, it features Karen's thought provoking commentary and interviews accompanied by stunning visuals from the homes and studies of international and Australian creatives, including artists, video directors, designers, photographers, architects, ceramicists, retailers, hoteliers, gallery owners and visual merchandisers. A collaborative process that has taken years to come together, it has involved working across continents from New York to London, Paris and Belgium as well as around Australia. 

Styling and photography by Michelle Halford for TDC 

I have long been a fan of Sharyn Cairns work and the book reflects all that I love about her photography such as the moody colours, rich textures and play on light and shadow. The book embraces both current design objects and those that are well worn, the result being a collection of beautiful interior settings that mix comfort, design and offbeat beauty. Published by Murdoch Books, here's a small taste of what you'll find inside, including the incredible Belgium home of interior designer Bea Mombaers below. 

Images courtesy of Allen & Unwin  

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The Home of Interior Designer Hanna Wessman

Today's home belongs to the multi-talented Hanna Wessman, a television host, blogger and interior designer based in Sweden. Her blog Hannas Room, also a platform for nine other bloggers and a shop is one I've been following for a long time. Always inspired by Hanna's sense of style, I'm loving seeing inside her home where she lives with her husband and two small children. Understated and elegant, there are plenty of incredible artworks and iconic design pieces to swoon over, but it doesn't feel at all pretentious. Instead it feels cosy and lived in. Hanna has recently teamed up fellow interior designer, friend and colleague Louise Liljencrantz to launch a furniture brand Rood. After years of designing site-built solutions for her clients, Hanna says it felt like a natural step. Their first products include a beautiful dining table and nightstand which you can see in the images below. 

Styling by Hanna Wessman and photography by Erik Levander

Images via Residence Magazine 

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Mim Design | Portsea Residence

Melbourne-based creative practice Mim Design was one of the first interior design companies I ever featured here on TDC. Their residential projects are sophisticated, refined and quite frankly awe-inspiring. The kind of 'grown-up' homes I dream about, I often find myself lingering over their portfolio of work, studying the many facets that make up their overall design which you can see is always approached in a thoughtful and holistic manner. About a month ago I was stalking their Instagram feed - a must-follow if you haven't already - and I came across one of their recent projects, Portsea Residence. An image of the kitchen featuring beautiful wood panelling and natural stone left me swooning, and it wasn't long before I was checking out the full house tour on their website.

Mim Design director Miriam Fanning has along with her team, created a gallery-esque pavilion style coastal hideout. The large family home, located in the the tiny coastal town of Portsea, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula has a simplified sense of calm. In keeping with the coastal location, the elements were chosen for their tactile nature and ability to foster a sense of casual, refined and modern seaside luxury. They include slatted timber wall panels, super soft knotted wool carpets and natural stone benches. The overall result is a beautifully relaxing home that feels both sleek and soothing. Stunning artworks by Kristian van der Beek and Kirra Jamison add a touch of colour to the predominantly grey and neutral palette.  

Photography by Sharyn Cairns

Visit Mim Design to see more of their incredible work.

Imagery via Est Magazine 

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Our Home on Design*Sponge + Giveaway Reminder

As one of the world's biggest interior blogs, and one that I have followed for many years, Design*Sponge continually inspires. Since launching back in 2004, Brooklyn-based founder Grace Bonney has been declared a “Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials” by the New York Times, with Design*Sponge reaching over 1 million readers per day. Needless to say, when I was approached about having our home featured in their most loved post Sneak Peeks, I very quickly said yes! Published early this morning, I was very excited jumping out of bed for a read first thing. 

My "favourite thing about our home" hand written note, that every homeowner is required to write for the Design*Sponge Sneak Peeks post

An added bonus is that it coincides with a recent redesign of Design*Sponge. The sixth one in 10 years, it has marked a an important time of reflection for Grace, resulting in a beautiful 'manifesto of sorts', comprising 10 statements centred around what the blog stands for. Laying their hearts, minds and beliefs on the table, their admirable goal is to connect with even more with readers as they move forward, into what will no doubt be a continually growing and exciting future for Design*Sponge. 

As a blogger, influencer, writer, stylist and home-owner every one of the statements resonated with me. It was hard to choose as they are all so good, but here are a few that really stood out. 

My favourite statement of all, 'The creative community online has the power to transform,  not just spaces, but lives', is explained here by Grace:

Design blogs aren't just about decorating. We're helping each other start businesses, find collaborators and friends, and more importantly, share ideas and tips that help us all build happier homes. When people have a place where they feel happy, safe and comfortable, good things can happen.

I agree whole-heartedly with this. Even though I have only been blogging for a short time in comparison, I have seen this on-flow of positivity first-hand. Read through all of the 10 statements here, and take a look at my home on Design*Sponge here. 

One more VERY important thing before I go, in case you missed my post last Friday. I have a signed copy award winning interior designer Greg Natale's new book, The Tailored Interior to give away, thanks to the first and only current NZ stockist Designer Rugs! 

A must-have coffee table book, it is filled with pages of Greg's stunning interior projects along with his generous and unique view into the creative process, his passions, experiences, advice and the philosophy behind his richly tailored, sophisticated style. For further info, and a look inside the beautiful book, take a look here.

To enter, simply email enter@thedesignchaser.com with The Tailored Interior in the subject line. Please include your full name in the email. The competition is open to New Zealand residents only and will close tomorrow, Thursday 18th December at 8am. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on the blog and Facebook page, and contacted via email to arrange shipping.

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