Design is at the core of who I am and what I do, day in and day out. When I walked into the Javits Convention Center, I wasn’t there to find out what or who was the next big thing in design. I wasn’t taking notes about any of the latest technologies or who had the most impressive booth. I was there to see and experience design in my own way. The International Contemporary Furniture Fair, the National Stationery Show and Surtex were all under one roof and through my camera lens, I took it all in.
With texture, contrast, pattern, shapes and colour everywhere, I couldn’t have been any more in my element.
New York’s ears must be ringing by now as everyone who has a love for design has been talking about this city for weeks. So many incredible shows and events will be going on beginning this weekend and I’ve been lucky enough this year to be able see it all unfold.
I will be sharing my journey through blog posts and tweets and will do my best to let you in on all the design deliciousness I will be privy to. I cannot even begin to describe the excitement I am feeling. This trip will be something I won’t ever forget, the main reason being that the people I will be surrounded by are the peers and mentors I hold close to my creative heart. This is going to be good, very good.
Living with design on a daily basis can work for you in two ways. When it inspires, your mind explodes with ideas and the creative possibilities have your heart racing. Just the thought of being able to apply them makes you feel empowered and totally in tune with your artistic soul. However, too much of it can throw you into a creative rut as it seems to have done with me recently.
So, in this case I’ve decided to indulge myself here which, I’m afraid, means there will not be any particular focus on this post. As you can see, it consists simply of interiors. With rooms like these, I’m reminded of what I truly love: comfortable, rustic, real and attainable home designs.
Sometimes it’s just great to appreciate decor on its own, without any specific reason or agenda and these are the ones that speak to me today. After any rut, the inspiration will come and because of places like these, I know and trust it will.
If you have a minute, come and pop by Adele from modernemotive’s lovely blog where we share a sweet chat over lunch. You’ll be glad you did as her blog and work are phenomenal.
Design sense, either you have it or you don’t. Cortney and Robert Novagratz of Sixx Design do with their ability to push the limits so far out of the box that rules, as they say, no longer need apply.
They ignore all typical limitations often imposed on designers and that’s the way they like it. Their work defies and challenges all decor traditions and incorporates other unique artist’s work to create the likes of places and spaces never seen before.
Having as many kids as they do (they have seven) and a life as chaotic as theirs, can become a challenge, but to me it’s a factor that has no doubt contributed to their success. From private residences, to gyms, to hotels, no project is too big or too complex to tackle for this husband and wife team.
I’ve always admired such free-spirited designers who, without any true formal training, land themselves in a field that they truly love. Cortney and Robert have done just that and each and every square inch of their rooms reflects their dedication and passion for their profession.
Throughout this journey that Holley & Gill has taken me on, I’ve found myself with several newly acquired passions. For me, a passion is when you are suddenly no longer aware of what time it is, what you need to be doing and where you need to be.
It’s happened before when I’ve been blogging or planning designs, the times escapes me and I’m not bothered one bit about it. But this specific passion made my heart race and my creativity soar to heights I’d never felt before. It began on a simple sunny morning, our bedroom became our make-shift studio for the day. I began to style our shoot for our very first catalogue and the rest became a blur of giddiness and excitement.
Interior styling is what creates and evokes that emotion. A ray of sun coming from an open window, a chair slightly turned towards the lens, or even a “just tossed there” item can intensify an otherwise ordinary room. It creates a persona, you begin to see the story and it leaves you wanting to know more. It definitely left me with wanting more.
It is truly astounding when your original vision can branch out to create so many other outlets to explore and learn from. I’m extremely grateful for this ride and cannot wait to see what comes next.
What new passions have you discovered and how did they come about?
Since the age of 6, when I came home from school one day with a drawing of an apple tree, my parents always knew that I was somehow going to end up in the field of arts and design.
Both sides of the family were and still are artistic and creative. My Great-Grandfather was an architect in England and designed things like confessional boxes with designs so intricate you didn’t know where to look first. I also remember my Mum’s drawings she did when she was a little girl, I would be so envious of her talent not really knowing she had passed it on to me yet until I was in college and completed my Fine Art and Illustration degrees.
There are many aspects of being artistic that I enjoy and feel so blessed to have. I’m able to envision compositions, layouts and colour schemes without even laying them out first. Concepts for new designs tend to come quite quickly when I need to draw one up. On the flip side, design is what my mind sees everywhere without my eyes even acknowledging it. I can drive Conrad crazy with this as my brain will go into self-scanning mode as we wander and he can see that I’m not necessarily taking in our environment, more so the patterns, colours and design that make it.
I try some days to only take in a space as a whole and not focus on the details. It’s tough, but with so many beautiful and inspiring landscapes, I only want to learn how they become exactly that. To me, the world is a visual learning ground where I can keep up with trends as well as focus on what works so that once a project comes up where I can apply these theories, I’ll definitely be confident in my choices.
What are your views on being creative or the artistic nature of people?
Sometimes it’s just great to appreciate decor on its own, without any specific reason or agenda and these are the ones that speak to me today. After any rut, the inspiration will come and because of places like these, I know and trust it will.
Both sides of the family were and still are artistic and creative. My Great-Grandfather was an architect in England and designed things like confessional boxes with designs so intricate you didn’t know where to look first. I also remember my Mum’s drawings she did when she was a little girl, I would be so envious of her talent not really knowing she had passed it on to me yet until I was in college and completed my Fine Art and Illustration degrees.
There are many aspects of being artistic that I enjoy and feel so blessed to have. I’m able to envision compositions, layouts and colour schemes without even laying them out first. Concepts for new designs tend to come quite quickly when I need to draw one up. On the flip side, design is what my mind sees everywhere without my eyes even acknowledging it. I can drive Conrad crazy with this as my brain will go into self-scanning mode as we wander and he can see that I’m not necessarily taking in our environment, more so the patterns, colours and design that make it.
I try some days to only take in a space as a whole and not focus on the details. It’s tough, but with so many beautiful and inspiring landscapes, I only want to learn how they become exactly that. To me, the world is a visual learning ground where I can keep up with trends as well as focus on what works so that once a project comes up where I can apply these theories, I’ll definitely be confident in my choices.