Under the big shed they’ve created a space for small shops and pop up sites called SO:ME Space. It’s filled with clothing, accessories, artwork and bikes – a fun place to browse before or after your market grocery shopping.

Some of the designers include previous blog favourites Wet & Wendy and Skinny Nelson at Jane, plus cool bikes and accessories from Bakerlite and a very eye-catching shop display at Stone Glint and Bone.

SO:ME Space, South Melbourne Market, 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne

Wed 9am-4pm
Thurs 5pm-9pm
Fri 9am-5pm
Sat 9am-4pm
Sun 9am-4pm

A few weeks ago I attended the Paris to Provence Festival as the end stop of the Melbourne Tweed Ride. It was a bright sunshiney day and perfect for strolling around the grounds of Como House eating and drinking French delights, doing a spot of shopping and apparently a great opportunity to pull out your mini Marie Antoinette costume :–)

While the festival has been and gone I wanted to share my favourite find  - Castlemaine-based homewares company Malmaison which imports French products and sells French-inspired items. In particular, I fell in love with their pocket advent calendar which is currently adorning the fireplace in my house in the countdown to Christmas.

I’ve filled each of the little calico pouches with edible treats – no dinky plastic toys or crappy chocolates for me!

What’s better than a pop up shop? A pop up house!

Melbourne design blogger extraordinaire Lucy Feagins has brought her blog The Design Files out of the interwebs and into real life. With the help of The Project Agency’s Esther Navarro-Orejon, Lucy has turned a swoon-worthy Fitzroy warehouse conversion into an even more swoonworthy display home – where everything is for sale!

That means inside The Design Files Open House all of the furniture, artworks, homewares, textiles, plants and food (and in theory even the Mini) can be popped into your shopping basket. Here’s your chance to bestow the gift of good design to your friends, family or let’s be honest, yourself.

Here are some of my favourite picks:

Baggu backpacks and totes in an array of colours.

A coat rack from Tractor Home that reads in rainbow colours ‘It’s beautiful here’. Very Miranda July I thought.

Maiike softies and Made by Mosey fabric mobiles. Awww.

I am obsessed with lamps. And my current obsessions is with these Workroom lamps. See them here…

..and here….

….and here!

A festive table full of kitchenware and sweet treats from Phillippa’s.

And when you’re done shopping and browsing, hang out on the rooftop under the  Basil Bangs umbrellas and enjoy some coffee and sweet treats from Coffee Supreme/The Abbotsford Club.

The Design Files Open House, 40 Little Napier St, Fitzroy

Thu Dec 1 – Sun Dec 4, 10am-5pm
Online from Mon Dec 5 – Sun Dec 18

Nestled in Johnston Street, in between the curry houses, Latin American restaurants and sweaty gyms is Zakkaya, a quietly beatific shop selling contemporary Japanese goods.

Their wares range from clocks, clothing, jewellery, toys, storage and everything is delicate, charming and oh-so-cute. It’s the perfect place to find a unique gift for that special person with an eye for design and craftsmanship. Lots of the things are made from natural materials like wood or stone or cotton.

Love these items…

A wooden hanging vase.

Kid-sized coat rack with animal heads on it.

Cute farmyard wooden balance game.

Colourful toy storage boxes.

I bought a Make Me Iconic Melbourne Toy Tram for a friend’s son and a beautiful Japanese papercut Christmas decoration as a Kris Kringle present – someone is going to be very lucky!

Look how beautifully they are packaged – typically elegant Japanese attention to detail. If you’re in a hurry with your Christmas chores, the gorgeous gift-wrapping is free too!

For other places to buy unique gifts in Fitzroy, try Little Salon or the Rose Street Artists Market.

Zakkaya, 52 Johnston St, Fitzroy +61 3 9419 1882

One of my discoveries for Melbourne Music Week is actually not directly about music. If you visit any of the bars at Melbourne Music Week you’ll find Lupe, an innnovative single serve filled wine glass that’s perfect for festivals and events. Today’s HOT Chat is with Georgia Beattie, the founder of Lupe (you’ll have to excuse the lack of accent on the ‘e’ of Lupe, can’t work it out on my keyboard!). Thanks Georgia!

Georgia, tell me a bit more about your background and the story behind Lupe?

I’ve grown up amongst all things wine. My father started making wine when I was young and of course he had us out in the vineyard picking grapes and getting amongst the very hands on process of making wine. I have worked with my father at his company Swords Select for the last 5 or so years which gave me a feel for the wine industry and running a business.

What inspired you to develop Lupe?

I was at a festival in Melbourne and I asked the bar staff whether I could have a glass of wine instead of the typical lolly water or beer that they usually serve.

It turned out that the packaging was the major limitation. Spirits and beer seem to have managed to create a user friendly package, I pondered why hadn’t wine?

So given my wine background and entrepreneurial drive I started prototyping my own single serve glass of wine. I came across some fairly major hurdles in the PET glass creation just about the same time I learnt of James Nash in the UK who had been working on a ready to drink wine product for the last 5 years.

I jumped on a plane with all that was remaining in my bank account shortly after finishing university and now I have the rights to Mr Nash’s product in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Having Mr Nash’s product opposed to my own creation gave me a much faster route to market as well as the confidence with a proven and tested product that was successfully selling in the UK and Europe.

What’s a typical work day for you and what advice would you give to someone starting their own business?

I usually go for a jog around the tan at 5.30 / 6am to prepare myself for the day (healthy body healthy mind). I have a coffee on my way to work (location depending on my mood – I don’t have a regular I’ll rotate between St Edmonds, Auction Rooms, Dukes Coffee, Cumulus Inc). Over a coffee I plan my day and to do list.

If I could predict the rest of my day it would make my life a lot easier, unfortunately I roll with the punches and try to cross as much as I can off my to do list.

What are your next plans for Lupe?

Lupe is essentially a packaging company so I’d like to walk down the liquor isle within 5 years and see all my favorite branded wines with a single serve version along side the 750ml bottle. We’re creating an entirely new market segment with the single serve that is complementary to the 750ml bottle. It’s going be extremely challenging but exciting at the same time. We’re currently in discussions with 2 large wine companies about packaging a single serve.

We recently launched in Japan and we’ll slowly roll out into Korea and Hong Kong next year.

Stuck for a unique, Melbourne-themed Christmas gift or holiday souvenir?

Then make sure you get to Melbournalia, a series of pop up stores open now in the lead-up to Christmas. Over the next few weeks four Melbourne CBD venues and one repurposed newspaper stand will host displays of Melbourne design goodness, with HQ being at Melbournalia Home in an out-of-the-way laneway (naturally) off Franklin St.

Melbournalia Home is a stylish converted warehouse filled with stationery, jewellery, homewares, fashion, coffee, art and design from some of Melbourne’s best-loved boutique design brands.

My covet list includes:

Gorgeous Neighbourhood throw and picnic rugs from Otto & Spike and make-your-own mobile from Ink & Spindle.

Tram roll cushions from Poulier & Poulier.

 Mattt cases for notebooks and laptops.

In 2011 our kitchen calendar is by The Design Files. In 2012 our calendar will be the designed by the giggle-worthy Able and Game.

Tonight Melbournalia Captains opens at Captains of Industry (Level 1, 2 Somerset Place, CBD) with a launch event 6-8pm and everyone’s welcome! Enjoy some wine and browse the Captain’s selection of Melbournalia gifts for the modern gent.

I chat with Anna in her Collingwood studio as she gets ready to launch her Spring/Summer 2011 range, some of which is available in my business CycleStyle.

Anna, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your weatherwear fashion line Wet & Wendy?

I’ve been working as a designer for over ten years, back and forth between London and Melbourne. It’s wonderful to have worked for so many brands and it really gave me a clear direction for my business.

Living in London meant that the weather became a big part of my life and after moving back to Melbourne and feeling a change was happening with even more unpredictable weather than ever before, starting my own weatherwear label just felt like the right thing to do.

I also wanted to do something which brought a smile to peoples faces and that’s how Wet & Wendy came about!

Where do you turn for design inspiration?

My inspiration comes from days gone by. Traditional weather products and the feeling of nostalgia. I love the way remembering a time in the past gives you that warm feeling.

Wet & Wendy is inspired by old films and advertising, photographs, stories and the fact that in the days of old you (or my grandmother!) purchased things out of necessity.

Mixing a traditional raincoat silhouette with a modern fabric in a fresh colour captures the perfect mix of old and new and a stylish take on necessity dressing.

What has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced in starting up your own business? What advice would you give to a small business owner?

Going out on my own is the most challenging thing I have ever done by far.

It is important to be ambitious and realistic at the same time. The right thing for me was to start small and to grow the brand slowly and in the right direction.

There are a lot of challenges but one of the biggest has probably been getting the product right, and getting it here. For people not familiar, the processes that happen behind the scenes to get products to store is overwhelming and being organised and working with the right people is key. Planning is the most important element, even in a creative environment, a clear plan and knowing what/ when/ who/why/ how is the only way.

What are your next plans for Wet & Wendy?

So many exciting things going on! We have designed a bike cart, like an old fashioned ice cream bike with Peter from PS Bikes. Its going to be riding around the Harvest Festival selling Wet & Wendy. We also have a new Pop-Up shoppe opening next month, especially for our Summer ‘Love The Sun’ collection and the Mens collection ‘Westerly by W&W’ is about to launch with Summer too. I am so excited to be working on next Winter, designing weatherwear is the most fun design work I’ve ever done! It’s hard work but someone’s got to do it!

Finally, what are your tips for what’s HOT in Melbourne?

My favourite things

Cafe- Proud Mary (cnr Stanley and Oxford Sts, Collingwood) for the coffee
Restaurant- Mamasita (1/11 Collins St, Melbourne) for the corn
Shop- Chapel Street Bazaar (217 Chapel St, Prahran) for the fact I always find something I love that’s been loved before.

Things to do

The view of the city down St Kilda road from the Shrine of Remembrance, it’s beautiful.
The Fitzroy Gardens, a blanket, sunbrella, a good magazine and a coffee is my idea of heaven.

Something very curious has landed in the courtyard of the Malthouse Theatre.

What is it? It looks like a big wooden box. No obvious doors or windows but if you listen carefully you can hear the faint scraping of string instruments.

It’s the Quartetthaus! The Australian National Academy of Music and lighting and design studio bluebottle have built a temporary space for the performance of string quartets during the Melbourne Festival. The venue only seats 52 people who sit in two rows encircling the round stage at which the four musicians play.

From the outside, no clues are given as to what lies within. The door opens mysteriously and you’re ushered in two by two between a row of coat hooks (very practical idea for an intimate space) and an inky black curtain adding to the air of anticipation. The bare wood of the outside of the Quartetthaus has been varnished on the inside to enhance the grain, bringing a warm hue to the interior very much like that of a violin.

At last the curtain is drawn back and we take our places. The lighting is subtle, turning the small room into a contemporary take on an 18th century candelit salon. The audience is hushed. No talking, no coughing, no fidgeting – the space is too small for that.

Each night there are three performances featuring musicians of the Academy. The night of my visit two of the works were unfamiliar to me – String Quartet No 1 Metamorphoses nocturnes by Gyorgy Ligeti (1953) and String Quartet No 3 (2007) by Richard Mills (2007). They were powerful works, at times discordant, at times melodic.  Being more of a classical music traditionalist, my favourite was the Schubert String Quartet Number 12 in C minor (1820).

At such close quarters you can hear the musicians breathe, see their brows furrow with concentration, admire the precision of their fingerwork and catch the tiny snippets of eye contact they make with the other members of the quartet. The stage rotates at an imperceptible rates, so you’re never stuck behind someone’s back. I watched the musicians sway on their stools and be transported by the music.

It’s been a while since my last visit to Cafe Vue at Heide and this time we decided to try the a la carte menu rather than the Menu du Jour set menu.

On a sunny weekend the cafe is a real drawcard for visitors to Heide Museum of Modern Art. There’s often a queue for one of the indoor or outdoor tables serving a casual, reasonably priced sit-down meal or you can get take away and picnic in the grounds of the sculpture garden.

The a la carte menu lists museum-cafe favourites with a twist. So instead of just a toasted sandwich there’s a duck cassoulet jaffle ($13). The burger isn’t just any meat, it’s wagyu beef ($15). And the famed Cafe Vue lunch box is a little surprise package of something savoury, something sweet and a salad ($15).

The jaffle was declared extremely satisfying, with beautifully grilled thick-cut bread (I dread to think the amount of butter needed to create such a golden crust) encasing a luscious stew that didn’t turn the innards of the sandwich soggy. The burger was also very well cooked with a brioche bun replacing the traditional burger bun.

The lunch box of the season contained a tomato-based chickpea salad (which would have been better warmed through), a spicy dukkah dip with crispy tortilla chips, a small sandwich bun filled with Provencal vegetables and a little tub of cheesecake with a crumbly macadamia top.

A museum cafe is often just a pit-stop for museum visitors but Cafe Vue at Heide is a destination in its own right. It’s a lovely cafe in beautiful, artistic surroundings – a perfect combination for a leisurely lunch.

Cafe Vue at Heide, Heide Museum of Modern Art, 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen +61 3 9852 2346
Tuesday to Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday and Sunday 9am - 5pm
Thursday to Saturday 6pm - 9pm

The theme for this year’s exhibition is ‘Dancing in the Dark: Small Solutions to Big Problems’. Basically, this translates to design that’s smart, green, sustainable and beautiful by designers, architects, planners and artists from all around Australia.

Here are some of my favourite pieces from this year’s Fringe Furniture. The list of this year’s award winners is here.

Winner of the Emerging Designer Award – RMIT furniture design student Elizabeth Bowtell for Tri. How nifty is this bench! It can be configured to whatever seating arrangements you need, from a long bench to a few small stools, or can be completely closed up when not in use. It’s made from sustainable bamboo board and stainless steel.

Convergence by another RMIT furniture design student Thom Lentini. I like how this outdoor bench combines straight lines with organic objects. This was highly recommended by in the Award for Sustainable and Waste-Wise Design.

Metropolis: Jardinière made of found wood by Nico Evans at Lab De Stu (Laboratory Design Studio). I liked how the plant seemed to be devouring and overtaking its urban surroundings like a giant green Godzilla.

The Tern Table (Barry Horsfall) and Atlantis sofa (Greg Lawson) made entirely from sustainable materials. They wouldn’t look out of place on the set of Mad Men.

By David Potts, chandeliers made from discarded bike parts – rims, hubs, spokes, cables and reflectors. Who knew these glittery little pieces of coloured plastic would make such a pretty piece of decorative design?

Bike wardrobe by Liam Prescott. A whimsical combination of the natural and the man-made serving a decorative and functional purpose.

Fringe Furniture, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford

Wednesday to Sunday 11:00am – 5:00pm until 9 October

Mad Men is probably my favourite television series. Besides the tight script and convincing acting I really enjoy seeing the beautiful 60s costumes and set design (I have a penchant for vintage lamps and mid-century furniture).

So I was quite excited to discover that from Thursday September 8 to Sunday October 2 Chadstone Shopping Centre is hosting Icons of Style, a free exhibition of some of the costumes from Mad Men. In all my years living in Melbourne I have never been to Chadstone (unbelievable, I know) but Betty Draper’s Grace Kelly inspired wardrobe to Joan’s Va-va-voom tailored dresses was enough to draw me there. (Note that this is a picture-heavy post!)

I went with the ever-lovely Marianne from Esme and the Laneway – elegantly dressed in vintage, perfectly coiffed and with immaculate make up.

Mad Men’s Costume Designer, Janie Bryant, has curated a selection of looks worn by the main characters in the show. They have been set up on a round stage in the luxury precinct along with some furniture and objects of the era – such as the covetable desk, vintage typewriter and drinks trolley – and Mattel’s Barbie Collector Mad Men Dolls.

The podium is bounded by perspex which is understandable as you don’t want people touching the garments, but on the other hand there’s no way to avoid the ring when taking photos, so please bear with the faint line and slight reflections that you see in the images.

While the womens clothes were pretty (I didn’t bother with the mens’ garments – a suit is a suit is a suit) they had been put on standard sized modern mannequins, which meant that some of the clothes didn’t quite fit properly (especially Joan’s dresses) and the vintage inspiration behind the costumes was kind of lost.

If you’re in Chadstone I suggest popping by to have a look. But I don’t think there’s any need to cross town to see this exhibition – just check out my photos or Marianne’s blog post :–)

Icons of Style, Mad Men Costume Exhibition, Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Rd, Chadstone

Thursday September 8 to Sunday October 2

Melbourne Writers Festival is over for another year and we’re in the middle of the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week – so this post straddles the two events nicely.

One of the events I attended this year at the Melbourne Writers Festival (along with the Jonathan Franzen Q&A which was really enjoyable – he’s the guy you want at all your dinner parties) was Dressed for Murder: Fashions from the World of Hitchcock.

What does vintage fashion have to do with books? Well, the presenter was Charlotte Smith, the author of two autobiographical books, Dreaming of Chanel and Dreaming of Dior, and the event was about her custodianship of the Darnell Collection. This is a private collection bequeathed to her by her godmother Doris Darnell which contains over 5,500 vintage pieces, from dresses to hats to handbags to shoes. Charlotte now manages the collection fulltime and shows off certain pieces around Australia and overseas at select events when she’s not storing, cataloguing and restoring items and recreating the stories behind them.

Charlotte was a very engaging speaker, articulate and passionate about her work and she really took you on a journey by building the story behind the collection. The most drool-worthy part was the fashion parade of some of the collection’s pieces, inspired by the fashions featured in Hitchcock’s films by beauties such as Grace Kelly and Kim Novak. They’ve inspired me to dress up more!

Vintage fashion is a passion for my friend and fellow blogger Marianne from Esme and the Laneway, so who better to accompany me to this event. Marianne has a gift with the camera so today’s photos are thanks t0 her work. For more images, check out her full blog post here.

Since I wrote about The Social Studio almost 18 months ago the social enterprise has grown and developed.

In terms of their cafe, it has moved from the back of the studio (where it was cute but small and hidden) to a bigger, brighter and more prominent site right next door. I’m so glad that they’ve taken over the forlorn Eatz and Treatz and jazzed it up to turn it into The Cutting Table. The cafe is part of The Social Studio enterprise and it provides hospitality training, work experience, employment and pathways to employment for refugee youth.

The menu has expanded too to encompass burgers galore. Eight African inspired burgers to be precise – from beef to chicken to lentils to tofu. The burgers are a variation on a theme – some sort of protein filling, some sort of sauce (shiro, spicy lovers sauce or tahini yoghurt), salad and all sandwiched between a Turkish roll. The menu states that all meats are halal and they use free range chicken and free range eggs.

I decided to go for the tofu burger marinated with spicy lovers sauce ($10). The burgers are not for elegant eating – mine was a hefty two-hander containing several slabs of spicy tofu. As with all the burgers it came with a small side of home-style African potatoes which were cold and frankly an unexciting mix of boiled potato, chopped carrot and a very mild sauce. I washed it down a smoothie ($5), a very vibrant purple coloured mix of berries, bananas, oats and cardamom, the spice taking it above the norm.

At lunch time the cafe was fairly busy so there was a bit of a wait on the food, but I would have expected dishes to come out much faster since most menu items were very similar. In fact, if you’re in a hurry at lunch time this is not the place for a quick feed – the service was a little haphazard but I understand that comes with the territory of it being a training business.

Besides the burgers they also have daily specials which commonly feature some sort of African stew. Seeing the other (African) patrons gnawing on drumsticks and cleaning their plates with injera bread makes me think that next time I’m going for the stew.  I also like the idea of returning on a Wednesday night for ‘African night’ which features an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, music and food.

In more Social Studio news, this Thursday 8 September they are launching their Magic Tent Collection at BMW Edge as part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. The gala event will feature fashion, food and music and tickets are $55 ($45 for Craft Victoria Members. For more information, click here.

The Cutting Table, The Social Studio, 128 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9417 2143

Café hours     7am-4.00pm, Mon-Sat, 6pm-9pm - Wed African Night

The Duldig Studio is a most unusual museum – because it’s housed in…a house.

From the outside it looks like any other residence on a residential street in Malvern. Go beyond the gates and you’ll find the building filled with artwork and antique furniture, a most restful and interesting sculpture garden at the back and the studio of the Polish sculptor Karl Duldig and his artist-inventor wife, Slawa Duldig (who invented the first foldable umbrella – isn’t that a great factoid for a trivia night!).

You can visit The Duldig Studioonly by appointment usually so I was most excited when NGV recently held an event at the studio. NGV’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition ‘Vienna: Art & Design, Klimt, Schiele, Hoffmann, Loos‘ is on at the moment and Karl Duldig’s work, Mask (1921), is included in the exhibition. Furthermore The Duldig Studio have also curated an accompanying exhibition called ‘The Duldigs in Vienna‘. Both Karl and Slawa studied in Vienna before World War II and escaped the Nazis by way of Singapore to settle in Australia in the 1940s.

The event comprised an insightful behind-the-scenes tour with Eva de Jong-Duldig- director of the not-for-profit museum, only child of Karl and Slawa, writer and international professional tennis player. She shared many personal anecdotes about her parents and the stories about many of the artworks on show, including how her father used to sculpt using potatoes when he had no other materials to use.

The entrance room, along with parts of the original house, have been turned into a museum that holds a large collection of sculptures, paintings, drawings and decorative arts by the Duldigs and other artists. The interior of the Duldig’s apartment in Vienna has been recreated in one of the rooms. The only reason that artworks and furniture from the pre-war period are in Australia now is because Slawa’s sister married a Frenchman and she had the wherewithal to pack up all of the Duldig’s possesions and transport them for safekeeping in France when the Duldigs fled Europe.

My favourite part of the gallery though was the sculpture garden. You can see the diversity of the Duldig’s craft, from abstract sculptures to keen likenesses, dotted all over the lawn and in unexpected nooks and crannies.

I particularly liked two sculptures – the bronze abstract torso and the portrait sculpture with the flaring of the metal, which was apparently a mistake but actually enhances the expression of the subject I think.

The studio has been pretty much left as is, with old tools, a small fireplace and kiln and rows and rows of sculptures on display. You really get a sense of what it would have been like working in such a space.

If you have an interest in sculpture then The Duldig Studio is a unique insight into a sculptor’s work. I recommend combining your visit with a poke around some of the nice-looking cafes and shops on Burke Road nearby – it’ll be a lovely way to spend a day.

The Duldig Studio, 92 Burke Rd, Malvern East +61 3 9885 3358
Individuals and group visits are hosted by appointment.
Preferred Visiting Hours:Tuesday to Thursday 10.30am – 3.00pm, Saturday 1.00 – 4.00pm

For those of you lucky enough not to work on a Friday, did you know you can give yourself a dose of classical music with your art every few months at NGV International?

Orchestra Victoria, the orchestra which accompanies Opera Australia and the Australian Ballet is presenting a series of free lunchtime concerts every few months in conjunction with NGV’s current Winter Masterpieces exhibition Vienna Art and Design. The orchestra is presenting a series of classical Viennese works in the glorious Great Hall under the stunning stained glass ceiling by Leonard French.

I attended a concert with a delightful Strauss, Mahler and Beethoven program and I’m already looking forward to the next concert on Friday 14 October, which will feature young Shanghai-born cellist Li Wei Qin.

The tickets are free and are highly sought after so must be booked ahead – just call Orchestra Victoria on 03 9694 3669.



The newest addition to the Fitzroy/Collingwood bike shop enclave is Tokyo Bike, a small independent bike brand hailing all the way from Yanaka, Japan via Sydney.

I’ve previously written about Tokyo Bike’s Sydney store on The Design Files and now husband-and-wife team Fuyuki and Yuki Sagahara have headed south to bring their colourful steeds to a lovely light-filled shop off Smith Street.

The fitout is simple but thoughtfully furnished with small tokens of Japan, from the sprig of cherry blossom at the entrance to the series of overhanging Japanese fisherman’s lamps.

Tokyo Bikes are made with the urban cyclist in mind. The wheels are designed smaller for more stop-start riding through city streets and are perfect for moving through Tokyo’s and Melbourne’s back alleys. The pared back frames are super-light and the colours are eye-catching. In fact, a Tokyo Bike is one of “50 things to improve Your life” according to the July 2011 edition of Monocle!

Four styles are available – the classic CS, Bisou step-through for the ladies (and enlightened gents), SS single speed and Sport for the speed demons. You are encouraged to test ride any of the bikes in streets around the store, hence the deliberate choice to have a shop off a main street.

The shop also has a neat curated collection of accessories, from Knog lights and locks, Gropes leather grips from the UK and Tokyo Bells.

Tokyo Bike Shop Melbourne, 5 Peel Street, Collingwood +61 3 9417 2845

Monday 11:30am-5:30pm
Tuesday closed
Wednesday 11:30am-5:30pm
Thursday11:30am-5:30pm
Friday 11:30am-5:30pm
Saturday 11:30am-5:30pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm

Greg, tell me a bit about your background and your involvement with Westgage Community Initatives Group Inc and LoveLuvo?

I have a background in the disability sector and have been working in this area for over 15 years.  During most of that time I managed disability employment services.  I have been with WCIG for over 5 years now and have been in various roles within the organization.  It is just recently that I have moved across to our social enterprises to work as their marketer.

My role is to build our social enterprises by marketing to private enterprise and not for profits.  With my role, “the sky is the limit” as there are many opportunities.

LoveLuvo is a social enterprise business. What is it that makes it unique?

Passion and enthusiasm.  As I said I moved from another part of WCIG and as soon as I arrived here it was noticeable. The culture is one of getting the job done but with a smile and a bit of fun along the way.  It is great to see the staff who have not been able to compete out in open employment come to a place of support and blossom.

I think there is one thing that stands out as testament to what we do.  We started in 2006 with 5 employees with a disability and today 4 of those remain with us.  That says that they have found their niche.  We have had other staff join us and move on but usually into open employment.

What kind of products will people find at LoveLuvo? Where do you source your products from?

We stock organic and environmentally friendly cleaning products for the bathroom and kitchen.  We also source organic and enviro- friendly beauty products for women and men.  All of our products are from Australia with nearly 90% of them coming from Victoria.  We like to keep a low carbon footprint as much as we can.

We are lucky to have some great suppliers who work closely with us to develop new products all the time.

Westgage Community Initatives Group Inc also has other social enterprise businesses including Cleanable and Onsite Catering – can you tell us a bit about them?

Cleanable is our commercial and domestic cleaning arm.  We have contracts with large organizations such as Western Region Health centre, Melbourne Health and Yarra Community Housing.  This has grown from a few contracts in 2006 to the size that it is now.  This has occurred because of the management’s determination to grow the business and allow opportunities for people with a mental illness to participate in the workforce.

Onsite Catering has only just opened this year and provides private and corporate catering services while providing training and employment opportunities for people with a disability.

What are some of the challenges you face opening a social enterprise business?

Changing people’s perceptions is the largest challenge that we face.  The image of social enterprises that most people have is of people working on very low rates of pay and doing monotonous work in a warehouse environment.  This needed to be changed and I believe it is.  There are very few types of social enterprises like that anymore and they are on their way out.

Building the brand was another challenge.  Many people in the inner west now know what we stand for and who we are but that was one of the struggles faced early on in the building of our social enterprises.  This was done by building strong relationships with both small and large organizations.  They were soon aware of the work that we did and word soon spread.

Finally, what are your tips for HOT places and things in Melbourne?

Go West!  There are some real secrets in the western suburbs.  Try the places below:

• LoveLuvo – of course! (174 Victoria St, Seddon)
  
• Los Latinos (128 Mitchell St, Maidstone +61 3 9318 5289) – the best south American food you will find
• Sourdough Kitchen (172 Victoria St, Seddon +61 3 9687 5662) – unbelievable organic bread
• Luca Haus (86a Charles Street, Seddon +61 3 9687 0039) – try the French vanilla slice

No, we’re not talking about those nasty fruit rubbers! Roll-Up is a new bicycle valet parking service which is launching at State of Design.

Instead of locking your bike up to the nearest lamp post, cyclists can get their bike valet parked for free by the fun-fair themed Roll-Up crew. It’s a great initiative as the provision of safe, secure and convenient bike parking will hopefully encourage people to take active and sustainable transport to festivals and events.

Melbourne is an official bike city, after all :–)

Specifically, Treadlie magazine contacted bicycle builders, from professionals to amateurs, and put together an exhibition of eighteen bicycles – from cargo bikes to elegant step-throughs, cruisers to single gears. Each bike comes with a story….

Here are some of my favourites:

Bumble Bee – Mick Peel, Busyman Bicycles – Concept and Leatherwork Design, Dan Hale, Shifter Bikes – Assembly and Wheel Build.

Can you believe that this bike was salvaged from a rusty old frame lying in the gutter? Mick’s eyes were drawn to the fancy key-lined lug work and pinstriping. He then set about repolishing and chrome-plating the handlebars and stem, adding new parts and finishing off the details with a beautiful customised leather seat with a bumblebee motif.

Big Mama. Whoa get a load on that bike! David Bowan from Bobo Bicycles was commissioned to build a load-carrying courier bike and while his frame building jigs were set up for that project he took the opportunity to build a load-carrying bike for child transportation and urban family use.

This bike can carry up to 3 kids with easily removable seats to give flexibility in either child or load carrying. Who needs a Toorak Tractor-style SUV for the school run?

Aemilia. Such a pretty name for a pretty bike. By Nigel Venning, Mrs Fairweather – Bike Spotter and Millwright and Connie Kosti – Storyteller and Opinionist. Aemilia was first spotted by Nigel in someone’s shed. He dressed her up with some new colours, some beautiful hand-drawn, laser-cut, wooden-veneer spats, matching timber handles and leather trim.

Dandenong Tea Cart. A gloriously decorated Christiana bike from PS Bikes. A Christianna No Box bike was purchased by RMIT’s Department for Art in Public Spaces. They then commissioned artist Aslam Akram to collaborate on the design and decoration of a traditional Afghan tea bike.

The Tea Cart is to serve as a micro-business for an existing trader making tea in the Afghan Bazaar Cultural Precinct in the Dandenongs. It also aims to promote Afghan culture through social practice and aesthetic impact.

Design Made Trade is on 21-22 July for trade and 23-24 July for public entry, 10-5pm all days.

Some of my highlights this year:

Karton. Living with a cardboard box never looked so good. I LOVED the low-lying Paperpedic bed (solid and very comfortable) which packs flat and can be stored in a cupboard or under another bed for lucky houseguests, the shelving units which you can paint in all sorts of colours and most of all their ram, part of their ‘Barnyard’ method of storage. I went online to buy a ram and it’s sold out already! But I’m told that new stock will be arriving in about a week.

Write to Me. I love the fitout of this stationery stall, especially the miniature typewriter that was apparently sourced from a store in Doncaster. Sadly, the machine doesn’t type teeny-tiny letters.

Edible Islands. Being an apartment dweller and quasi-green-thumb I like the idea that these planters designed for growing plants and veges on roof gardens, backyards and urban areas. Even better, they can be fit into lifts, through doors and up stairs. The planters are designed in Melbourne, made in Pakenham from 100% recycled plastic and come in a bunch of different colours.

DesignByThem. A Sydney-based design studio with a naive aesthetic. The cute StemTree brings a little bit of the outdoors to your indoors. It is gorgeous but unfortunately out of my price range.

Acewood & Mejo‘s Emotion Machine. Strap into their bike, start pedalling to power the car to play the music. As you pedal faster, your heartbeat increases and the music becomes more intense. The motion of your head and your mood’s brain waves are transformed into visuals on screen.

Chandelier and lamp by Jorge Criollo-Carrillo for Jam Factory. Jam Factory is a studio/gallery/shop in Adelaide which provides Associate training for tertiary-educated artists and designers. Staff and Associates work on Jam Factory products and commissioned pieces as well as their own work and commercialise it under the Jam Factory umbrella. I loved this chandelier by industrial designer Jorge Criollo-Carrillo made from unvarnished wood on the outside and smoked wood on the inside, barely treated with varnish. The lamp is made from walnut and oak and shares the same organic texture and shape as the chandeliers. Simply breathtaking.

The Traveller. Gift packaging for wine that’s safe to post! The cardboard is produced from recycled board using a  minimum of 95% post-consumer waste and is printed with various designs, including some specifically Melbourne ones like Federation Square and Southern Cross station. The packaging has been tested to the same extent as Australian wine packaging and has been dropped from 7 storeys just to check your bottle of wine will be ok in the gentle hands of Australia Post. There’s a space to write your personal message so it’s your greeting card as well. I loved it much I bought one ($6) even though I couldn’t think of anyone I was going to be gift-giving wine.

Design Made Trade is on 21-22 July for trade and 23-24 July for public entry, 10-5pm all days.

To refresh your memory, Look.Stop.Shop is a free, self-guided tour of window displays and in-store installations of some of Melbourne’s favourite retailers, from the flagship Melbourne Myer store to little independent boutiques hidden in laneways. They’ve all taken the State of Design theme for 2011 ‘Design that moves’ and intrepreted it in their own unique ways.

The best way to start the tour is to drop into the State of Design festival hub at Melbourne Central’s Shot Tower Square. There you can pick up a map and guide from some customised cargo bikes from PS Bikes (more design that moves!) and the hub will also be running various events, from parades to pop up shops, during the period of the festival.

From there, you can choose a short path, long path – or make up your own path!

From a total of 29 shops, here are some of the windows designed for Look.Stop.Shop this year:

RMIT Visual Merchandising Students designed the window for Kookai (Shop 134 Level 1 Melbourne Central) with a carnival fair theme.

Melbourne knitwear label Otto and Spike have constructed some giant knitting in the window of Wilkins & Kent (372 Little Bourke St). It’s real knitting – 2 people had to cast on the ‘needles’ made from discarded fabric tubing!

Sportsgirl‘s theme was ‘which side of the bed did you get out of this morning?’ (Shop 18-23 Centrepoint Mall, 283 Bourke St). Two videos were shot in East London – one on Super 8 and one on VHS, denoting the fabulously organised morning and the haphazard alarm-didn’t-go-off morning. The mirrored structure at the entrance of the store reflects the floor, the people and the store in a constantly moving tableau.

Finally, this year the program includes The Scale of Things, a mobile cart showcasing designs from some of Melbourne’s artists and crafters.

You can vote for your favourite shop here and to be in the running to win a pair of Brooks running shoes (pun intended), with the winning shop announced on 8 August.

You can become a fan of Look.Stop.Shop on Facebook.

One of my favourite festivals is State of Design, Victoria’s annual design festival. So get ready because from 20-31 July I’ll be bringing you lots of State of Design related blog posts. I’ve got my online Festival Planner all sorted and diarised!

This year the theme for State of Design is ‘Design that moves’. Interpret that in any way you wish – design that moves you emotionally, design that moves you physically. One of the events which falls into the latter category is Chasing Kitsune, a Japanese food truck – otherwise known as a  Yatai – designed by Melbourne architecture and design firm HASSELL.

Chasing Kitsune has been cunningly fitted out inside a Budget rental truck by another design firm Schiavello and it will be moving amongst various inner city areas during the period of the festival, with outdoor seating set up in each location. The Japanese street food is courtesy of Mopho – finger-licking-good chicken yakitori, okonomiyaki and pork ramen feature – and drinks are a choice between Asahi and Robot Ninja Sake.

Melburnians love their food and love a pop up, so I’m guessing that Chasing Kitsune will be a hit. You can follow Chasing Kitsune on Twitter or  Facebook or download the State of Design iPhone app to receive Chasing Kitsune location hints.

Thank you to HASSELL for inviting me to the launch.

For a grown woman, I get inordinately excited by Lego. Witness me lining up whilst 8 months pregnant to get into Brickvention, Australia’s premier Lego fan convention.

So as quickly as you can say ‘Lego Technic’ I hit the purchase button for tickets to The Art of the Brick, an exhibition of large-scale Lego sculptures by Lego artist Nathan Sawaya. His work is being shown in Australia for the first time at Federation Square.

As a lawyer myself, I love that Nathan used be a New York attorney and now works with Lego for a living. What an inspiring career trajectory!

As ticket entries are timed and there are only a limited number sold for the morning or afternoon session, the gallery space is pretty quiet and uncrowded. It’s the best way to appreciate the scale, beauty and craft of Sawaya’s work. Not only is it awesome seeing large objects built with tiny bricks (make sure you watch the time lapse video of Sawaya building a full sized human form), Sawaya’s ability to create organic and fluid shapes with something made of corners and right angles, plus give humanity to little pieces of plastic, is quite stunning.

My two favourite pieces spanned both categories – the imposing dinosaur skeleton which could be at home in any natural history museum and the extremely lifelike blue man in a chair. Just because his works are made with toys doesn’t make them any artistic or inspiring – Lego merely replaces clay or marble or steel as a creative material.

While Nathan is American, the exhibition does have a local flavour. The Melbourne Lego users group have built Iconic Melbourne, which features landmark Melbourne buildings such as the Queen Victoria Market and Eureka Tower.

As you leave on the ground floor, make sure you visit the Lego shop and place your “brick in the wall” to help build a mosaic featuring a famous Melbourne icon (it’s pretty easy to guess what it might be by now). Measuring 4.5 meters wide by 2.2 meters high, the mosaic will be made up of 168,000 Lego bricks and weigh 350kg.

To cap off a fabulous visit we scored the last of only 100 Sort and Store Lego heads (the gallery store is the only stockist in Australia). Basically it’s a plastic carry case which stores 1000 Lego pieces and contains an interior sieve so you can gently shake the head and separate the big pieces from the small pieces. It has a carry handle so that you can BYO Lego to play dates! Really RM and I are just suckers for Lego paraphernalia.

The Art of the Brick is only on for a limited time from 2 June to 2 August and tickets are expected to sell out. Get in quick – it’s amazeballs!

Benjamin, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your business SKAPA BILDA?

I have a degree in Painting from the National Art School in Sydney went there straight out of a country high school. I have worked as a props maker and spent time in the retail industry.

My partner, Kristina Sundstrom, and I started the business a couple of years ago while Kristina was completing a BA in Printmaking. Our business growth has been a wonderful organic process. There has been a blurring of the boundaries between design and art for quite awhile now, we definitely feel we have a foot in both camps. Within the design process we provide an artists perspective, which allows for a unique approach to design parameters and construction techniques.

We have been lucky enough to collaborate with other creatives in the design and art fields on a variety of projects, from a bespoke envelope to large scale installation. A big thank you to Christian Wagstaff for being the first to pluck us from obscurity!

What’s the story behind the business’ name?

Our business name is inspired by Kristina’s Swedish heritage. A rough translation is skapa = create and bilda = form. That’s what we do…..

You do some really creative things with paper. What is it about that material that draws you work with it?

Paper as an everyday object is fantastic, totally underrated. We draw on it, fold it, store information on it. I love collage and have always used paper in my art. Kristina has a strong affinity with paper ever since her childhood xmas card sweatshop days. Yes, she blames you mum and dad!

SKAPA BILDA utilises a variety of different papers from tissue, found and recycled, newspapers as well as the highest quality cotton rag papers from Japan and Germany (which will literally out last us!).

Paper carries the association of being fragile and ephemeral, however it is such a versatile medium. It is very malleable and has great structural properties and this allows us to push it into different applications. From embossing text to kilometres of hand spun paper thread, paper flowers, cardboard houses, to using old wallpapers and found lists/letters to create different layers and textures.

Why your focus on environmentally sustainable design? How does it constrain or enhance the design process for you?

To be environmentally and socially aware is a responsibility of everyone whatever field you are in. We try to support this notion through our daily work practice and as parameters for  design .

Every part of the design process we try to make accountable.

We do short runs, most of our work is made to order. Jobs are site specific enabling bespoke  problem solving ( less waste).

Because we do things in a small scale we try to source product and labour locally. We choose to do most of the work ourselves to provide for our clients a unique, high quality handcrafted object, made to last rather than a mass produced throw away item.

Environmental considerations are also inherent in our design and construction process. Finding the beauty in, and potential for off cuts, deleted lines, found objects is a regular starting point for many projects. Our lines of quilts, cushions and rope jewellery are all made of upcycled industry remnants. ‘not blowing strongly nor falling heavily’ recently exhibited at aRtECYCLE at the Incinerator Arts Complex is also an example.

Where can we find your work?

Our quilts are stocked at Mark Tuckey and online through Estralia. We also have a sculpture at Format Furniture.

We do a large variety of projects you may have seen a little piece of SKAPA BILDA in your home, at the office, in the post, at the races, on a bed, as a necklace. We also try to do two art exhibitions a year.

We also do lots of weddings, private and corporate functions… anything!

What websites, magazines, books and/or people do you turn to for design inspiration?

We’re going to list them:

Robert Rauschenberg and his combines.

Kurt Schwitters and Piet Mondrian – I admire how they lived their artistic lives and the beautiful way Mondrian’s work crossed over to design.

Bauhaus- how they merged art, industry and design.

Yayoi Kusama – she’s mad!

Eva Hesse – poetic

Rachel Whiteread – she cast a whole house out of cement!

Concrete and bricks in general…

Katie Marx- installation artist, nature lover

Georgie Kay and the team from Georgeous –  events extraordinaire.

Carmen Reid – Melbourne based installation artist

Lauren Brown –  conceptual artist based in Melbourne and Berlin.

Krista Mcrae – contemporary jeweller.

What advice would you give to people wanting to start their own business?

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, give up your day job and try not to work all the time

What are your next plans for SKAPA BILDA?

Focussing more on our retail ventures is main goal for us, promoting our quilts and exploring lines of jewellery and bags. We also look forward to future collaborations.

Finally, what are your tips for HOT places you like in and around Melbourne?

We’re currently building a studio and house in Malmsbury so most of our spare time is spent in the beautiful Macedon Shire. So head up the Calder and check out some favs:

A paddle of beer from Holgate Brewhouse.

Awarding winning vanilla slice from Bourkies Bakehouse in Woodend.

Piper Street is our new local in Kyneton.

The Sequoias in Malmsbury’s Botanical Gardens, designed by Dr Ferdinand von Mueller. (He also designed the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne)

When in Melbourne:

One of my favourite paintings which is usually on permanent display at the NGV ‘Moonrise’ by David Davies , oil on canvas, 1894.

The Bell Jar (656 Smith St, Collingwood +61 410 336 019), was a beacon of sanity we discovered last year while we did a three month job nearby. Great coffee and food, they are mean table tennis players as well.

Gills Diner (rear 360 Little Collins St, Melbourne +61 3 9670 7214) uses local produce and has an amazing interior.

The most coveted hotel room in Melbourne is back for its second season.

The Lost & Found Hotel Room is a pop-up hotel room which is open for 3 months from 1 May to 31 July. It’s in the heart of Melbourne, upstairs from gentlemen’s outfitters and cafe Captains of Industry (who also provided the winter-cosy catering for the opening and will be on hand to get you breakfast during your stay) and specially designed by Six Degrees Architects. The interior has once again been curated by Right Angle Studio, the people responsible for the Lost & Found e-newsletter for Tourism Victoria.

The room is free, fabulous and VERY Melbourne – what’s not to love? To apply for a stay, all you have to do fill out a form and cross your fingers. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak of what to expect as you await your reservation confirmation…

This year, the room is much bigger and they’ve really embraced the idea that one of the best parts of being in the Lost & Found Hotel Room is being able to share the experience with your friends. So there’s a lot more communal space – the living area is set out with gorgeous Danish mid-century leather couches Grandfathers Axe, while the dining area has a round marble dining table by Daniel Barbera matched with dining chairs from Grandfathers Axe and a floral arrangement by Cecilia Fox.

The rug has been specially designed for the room by Sydney artist and graphic designer Jonathan Zawada, who in a nice continuation of the Lost & Found story was a guest of last year’s hotel room.

The bed is a mattress atop a low platform, draped with a translucent boudoir-like curtain and with special L&F linen.

There’s an adjoining grass-green area next to bed, perfect for lolling about with a glass of red wine from Dal Zotto while nibbling chocolates from Monsieur Truffe and feeding your mind with literature from Mag Nation, World Food Books and the NGV Shop.

Along one length of the whitewashed room is a low shelf showcasing all sort of lovely objects, such as handcrafted ceramics from Mud and Shelley Panton, Japanese wares from Collingwood’s Cibi and Brunswick’s Mr Kitly and elegant stemware from Plumm.

Fantastical lighting from Dedece – and look at the view from the window!

Artwork from Utopian Slumps.

Once again, the Lost & Found Hotel Room has a cultural concierge who will help you make bookings and provide insider tips for exploring Melbourne. This year there’s even a budget for restaurants vouchers if dining out is on your cultural checklist for Melbourne (so pick your 50 word application carefully)!

You can check out my blog post about last year’s Lost & Found Hotel Room here and read my review of my stay in the hotel room here.

As if Fitzroy didn’t have enough markets already, on the first Saturday of every month the carpark of Fitzroy Primary School sprouts the Fitzroy Market.

What makes this market special? Well, it is small enough to enable dedicated browsing at every store and it has a lovely chirpy community feel to it. The market also raises money (through its gold coin donation entry fee) for various charities in the neighbourhood - Cultivating Community, the Fitzroy Learning Network and Live Wires programs.

It’s pretty much a car boot sale and I found the vintage/secondhand clothing and accessories on offer to be interesting and of good quality. I’m not much of an expert op shopper but in the space of my half hour visit I found a couple of gems, which pretty much never happens.

Pretty vintage girls dresses in excellent condition from the 80s (which makes me vintage too!).

A lightweight coat with a broderie anglaise like hem. There are stains on the front of it but for $15 I thought it was worth the gamble to take it to the dry cleaners.

Some homemade jam from the St Marks Church stall. I went for a large jar of plum jam $6.

Spotted – sequinned hotpants, leather handbags and a barrow full of terracotta tiles, all in one stall!

For market-going sustenance, a vegan, gluten-free black forest cupcake made by Carla, blogger at Easy As Vegan Pie, as part of the Vegan Bake Sale to raise funds for RSPCA Queensland. Vegan never tasted so good! (PS Carla just got accepted by CAE to teach vegan cooking classes so maybe she can teach you how to make these amazing cupcakes.)

Happiness by the Melbourne Ukelele Collective!

Regular readers will know that I have a penchant for 20th century vintage furniture. What used to be a mild browsing interest has turned into a mission with a purpose as I’ve just recently moved into an Art Deco apartment which deserves to be filled with furniture that, for once, doesn’t come in a flat pack.

My latest project has been finding a two-seater couch for our lounge room. For some unfathomable reason RM insisted that he didn’t want open armrests on the couch so for the past few months I’ve been stalking couches on eBay and my local vintage furniture stores on a weekly basis.

My eBay trawlings led me to the recently-opened showroom of Grandfathers Axe (they also sell a selection of their wares on eBay). It’s a place that you have to go looking for, as there’s no fancy shopfront at all and the windows to the warehouse are a dirty frosted glass, so it looks like an unused storage space. From the street the only clue to the wonders inside is the butter yellow ute painted with Grandfathers Axe parked out the front.

The showroom is very large and filled to the brim with mid-century gorgeousness, mostly from Denmark. There is so much furniture here that it literally fills the walls from floor to ceiling and you have to wind your way through narrow walkways to inspect the items. They have an amazing array of iconic chairs, some interesting bric-a-brac like these ballot boxes and gasp! more vintage tallboys than you could ever want.  The prices are fairly reasonable too.

As luck would have it on my first visit to Grandfathers Axe I spotted the perfect couch – brown leather, two seater, low back, closed armrests. It also had beautifully curved back cushions and narrow short legs to reduce the visual weight of the couch. One of the owners, Ed, kindly offered to hold it for me for a couple of days and when I asked about delivery he offered to deliver it for free instead of charging $50. Excellent service.

So our vintage furniture buying is now complete (for the moment). To read about other places where I’ve bought vintage furniture in Melbourne, check out reviews of 84 Smith Street, The Bitch is Back and Smith Street Bazaar.

Grandfathers Axe, 171 High St, Northcote +61 (0) 404451663

Emma, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to work as an illustrator? What’s the story behind your store name Belafonte?

I have always drawn for as long as I can remember but it always just sat on the back burner until about 18 months ago. I was working in retail and I was really bored and frustrated, so out of the blue I quit my job, locked myself away for a couple of months, created a folio then began studying illustration full time. It was a big adjustment to return to study after a five year hiatus, but it was absolutely the right decision for me. I’m learning so much and I love that I have no idea what’s going to come next.

‘Belafonte’ came about because when I was starting I was very afraid of embarrassing myself, or that no one would like my work so I thought it best to keep my name under wraps until I was sure this whole ‘illustration’ thing could work. It comes from one of my favorite Wes Anderson films, The Life Aquatic, where there is a massive cross section of this ship named ‘the Belafonte’ and you can see all the activity under the surface.

On your blog you describe yourself as ‘I draw girls. And sometimes triangles’. What is it that attracts you to draw girls and…erm….triangles?

I’m not really sure why I draw girls. People always ask and I can never really explain it, I just can’t help it. I can draw other things but I always come back to them.

But I can explain the triangles! It’s because I find it really relaxing to draw something without thinking about it too much, it’s just three lines but when you put them all together it turns out different every time. And the four year old in me secretly loves to colour them in…

Are your figures real people that you have model for you?

I use a combination of different references from anywhere I can find them! Sometimes I use sketches from life drawing classes as a basis for an illustration, particularly the figure, but  I can’t wait for the day when I can hire people to model for me!

Have you always drawn with pen, ink and watercolours? Why do you choose to use these materials?

I guess I started out with watercolour and ink because I really enjoyed they spontaneity and fluidity of the mediums. I could mix my colours then just see what happens on the page! Now I seem to be moving a little bit more towards pencil and gouache, still transparent media, but a more planned and considered with lots of pattern and repeating geometric shapes combined with the portraiture of my previous work.

What websites, magazines, books, people or places do you turn to for art inspiration?

Magazines- Lula, King Brown, Uppercase, Russh, Frankie (beautiful photography and illustration on nice paper)

Books-  ‘The Age of Feminine Drawing’, ‘Lifestyle Illustration of the 60’s’, ‘Street Sketchbook Journeys’ and heaps of illustrated children’s books

People- Miss Van, Tina Berning, Audrey Kawasaki and Abbey McCulloch (my favourite artists and no surprise that they all paint women!)

Places- the Melbourne Museum, Until Never Gallery, Outre Gallery

What advice would you give to people wanting to start work as an illustrator?

Get drawing and painting. When I decided illustration was what I wanted I took two months to just draw and paint everyday. Then I put it out there on the net, mainly through Etsy and my blog, and I have been so amazed by all the opportunities that have come my way from those two avenues alone! Also, I think it helps if you can identify a niche or market for your work then get amongst it. With the huge craft and handmade movement happening at the moment, I have found selling my work at markets to be quite successful in finding both clients and a following for my work.

What are your next plans for your illustrations?

First and foremost, I have to finish my course!  But I have so many ideas floating around in my head. I would really like to move into doing some larger scale pieces and temporary installation work and, when I get some time, I plan on developing my oil ands acrylic painting skills.

Finally, what are your tips for HOT places you like in Melbourne?

Metropolis Bookshop (3/252 Swanston Street, Melbourne + 61 3 9663 2015) the most amazing book store in Melbourne, I pretty much want everything in their art and design section

Mamasita (1/11 Collins Street, Melbourne +61 3 9650 3821) my favourite place to eat in Melbourne, especially the corn and the fish tacos, if only the wait for a table wasn’t so long!

Outre Gallery (249 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne +61 3 9642 5455)  They sell prints of my absolute favourite artist of all time, Miss Van, but there are so many talented artists hanging on their walls that I can easily lose an hour in there.

I thought it was amusing that the Finders Keepers markets were actually quite hard to find in the nether regions of Docklands. Once you did draw up to Shed 4 after a bit of searching, there were lots of treasures to be found at the  handmade, crafty, designer market.

Out of the 120+ stallholders in the huge warehouse space, here were my highlights from the pick of clothing, stationery, jewellery, home furnishings and toys:

Beautiful letterpress stationery from Bespoke Letterpress.

Innovative leather and silk accessories from okt-ober dee.

This tea towel from Able and Game made in giggle! In fact, lots of their cute cards made me giggle, including a series twinning cute illustrations with puns on Melbourne train stations – You can ring my BELL, You are my SUNSHINE, I’ve got my heart SEDDON you. Guffaw.

Chalkboard placemats from Sand, F, beautifully presented in a muslin bag with a sweet sachet of (dustless) chalk included. I bought a set of six to liven up my dining table, but I also thought they’d be great for keeping score during boardgames, as signage and of course for kids to play with.  They also had packets of chalkboard stickers, perfect for labelling jars and tins.

Cutesy-tootsie handmade leather shoes from All About Heidi.

Last but not least, blog favorites and previous HOT Chat interviewees Make Me Iconic and The Rabbit and the Duck.

The next Melbourne markets will be held in the same location in October – see you there!

I first visited Genki‘s Cathedral Arcade shop when I arrived in Melbourne way back in 2003. I immediately fell in love with the tiny colourful shop and the adorable aesthetic of their clothing and accessories, especially their ‘I love….’ range of T-shirts (I still own a limited edition tee designed to commemorate the 2006 Commonwealth Games – ‘I love the Games’).

Fast forward to 2010 and I discovered that after a hiatus from the retail world, Genki was reopening with an online store. As I browsed through their collection I realised what was missing – ‘I love cycling’! So on a whim I contacted Chanie Stock, the owner of Genki, and suggested that she launch a cycling t-shirt….and when she did I would stock them in my online store selling stylish cycling accessories, CycleStyle.

So today’s HOT Chat is with Chanie, who’s not only one of my suppliers, she’s also worked in a big law firm like me, has a love of fashion, is a mother and is a delightful bundle of energy. Thanks Chanie!

Chanie, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your store and label Genki?

I studied Arts/Law but my true love was always fashion. Even from a very young age I had a very clear aesthetic and dreamed of having my own label. My grandparents worked in the fashion industry so it must be in my blood, but unfortunately they sold the family business when I was just a baby. I got my first job at Portmans when I was only 14 and then continued working in retail all through school and uni and never tired of it.

I decided to leave my job as a lawyer after 2 years to pursue my dream to work in fashion and after a few years as a buyer, I decided to open Genki. Many people though I was crazy as there was nothing like it happening at the time and no one (except the first incarnation of Alice Euphemia) was in Flinders Lane. But I had such a clear vision for Genki – that it break away from traditional retail concepts and be something totally new. I wanted to create a space where it didn’t feel like you were shopping but more like visiting a friend.  When I discovered the Cathedral Arcade space I had butterflies in my belly, as I knew it was perfect and then with the amazing design by Six Degrees my dream became real.

I was inspired to sell all the things that I wanted to wear but couldn’t find locally (remember, this was 1998, well before online shopping). The original product mix was Japanese accessories, homewares and clothing, mixed with exclusive UK labels like YMC and US brands, Daryl K and Built by Wendy (which at the time were only available at Genki in Australia).   I also tested a few simple styles by the Genki home brand, which to my surprise really took off. So as time went by the Genki label developed into something very special with its own identity and great loyal following.

One of your most popular lines is the ‘I love…’ T-shirts. What’s the story behind how you came to develop that range and your collaboration with Beci Orpin?

This is a funny story which shows how even with a clear business plan things pop up along the way that you never expect.

I had a weird vintage t-shirt from when I was little that said ‘I love talking’ with the strangest illustration of a boy (like those oddball 70s tees that are NQR). At that time I had just started working with Beci, who I met through Misha Hollenbach (who designed the Genki logo and the graphics during the first year). The minute I met Beci I knew she was a kindred spirit. We instinctively understand each other’s language and working with her is effortless and always a joy.

So, back to the “I love..” t-shirts…. I went to Beci with the idea for an “I love talking” tee with a Genki character. It was an instant success. The rest just flowed from there. Soon they had a cult following and even now, 12 years later, people still love them.

Where do you turn to for design inspiration?

When I had the Genki shops, I used to get a lot of inspiration on my trips to Japan. It is a place that truly stimulates all the sense and is an aesthetic paradise. But it also gave me a break from the day to day so my mind would open up to new ideas.

Today I can’t travel as much as I did, but I find inspiration in the simplest of things. Food, nature, films, art, old magazines but mostly inspiring friends. There are some days when I wake up and feel fresh and clearheaded and I know something exciting will happen. I don’t want to get old, dull and boring so I need to keep learning and surrounding myself with innovative people.

You used to have very popular shops in the City and Windsor but now sell only online. What kind of challenges have you faced launching an online store?

Closing the city shop in 2009 was very difficult for me and while it was the right decision I still miss that part of my life. It was such a pleasure to go to work with fantastic staff and wonderful customers and do what I loved most. It wasn’t just about selling fabulous things. We laughed and chatted and built close friendships and a special community. My challenge with the online store is how to preserve some of that magic and create that warmth and familiarity in a virtual space.

It has taken some time, but since I turned the “Genki News” section into the “Genki Blog” so there has been a shift and I sense an online Genki community is forming.

What advice would you give to people wanting to start their own business?

The most important thing is really believing in what your business is about. Be it a product or a service, you must live and breathe it and know it inside out. Following on from that, it must be original and have your own fingerprint or flavour.

Assuming the passion and dedication is there the next step is good planning and discipline. A clear detailed business plan is essential and use the resources you have around you (for example if you have an accountant in the family or someone who has specialist skills). Never be afraid to ask for help.

What are your next plans for Genki?

I would like to develop the Genki Blog to touch on other aspects of life. Not just style, but food, hobbies and funny odd topics.

I will continue producing the “I love..” tees, the striped tees and the basic denim pieces as long as the demand is there. There have been many requests for our fleece hoodies and jumpers so I’m planning to bring them back for winter. My plan in the next 12-24 months is to reach new customers, especially the 18-25 year olds (the most popular age demographic back in the day).

Finally, what are your tips for HOT places you like in Melbourne?

Being a mother of three I don’t get out as much as I used to, but I do have a few special tips to share:

I adore De Clieu (187 Gertrude St, Fitzroy +61 3 9416 4661), Seven Seeds (114 Berkeley St, Carlton+61 3 9347 8664) and Brother Baba Budan (359 Little Bourke St Melbourne). The best coffee in the world and most excellent treats.

I still love Ciccolina (130 Acland St, St Kilda +61 3 9525 3333) for lunch or dinner and the new Ilona Staller (282 Carlisle St, St Kilda +61 3 is just fabulous.

Kappaya at the Abbotsford Convent (1 St Helier St, Abbotsford +61 3 9416 0070) is a haven for me. It’s so beautiful there and the food is fresh, pure, tasty and simple.

The Beatbox Kitchen and new Taco Van. Delicious great quality food with heart and a great soundtrack-too good!

The NGV (International and Australia) and other local gallery spaces in Melbourne. What a perfect weekend outing for the whole family. My kids love it as much as the grown ups and it reminds me how lucky we are to live in this wonderful city.