Tchusse by Miso - opens at Gorker Gallery tonight!

Street art by Miso

Awww. Got a super sweet email from Melbourne street-art darling Miso the other day...

"Hi Lucy,

I just wanted to write a quick thanks. Because of my Design Files interview,

one blog link to another, I ended up getting a book launch/show at Black Rat

Press in London. It's pretty much a dream come true. So thank you!"

How great is that!? Yay for blogs!

Also, Miso let me know about her new show, Tchusse, which opens tonight at Gorker Gallery! The show is inspired by her home city, Kharkov (Ukraine), and she has installed a floor to ceiling installation incorporating paper, recycled doors and timber panelling, portraits of strangers, friends and folk stories... one of her most ambitious projects yet! (sneaky peek of the installation-in-progress below!)



Tchusse by Miso
Gorker Gallery
395 Gore st, Fitzroy (Cnr Gore and Kerr)

Opens Tonight, 6.00pm - 9.00pm
Show runs until Sunday Dec 20th
Hours : Wed - Fri 3.00pm - 7.00pm, Sat and Sun 11.00am - 7.00pm.

Miso will be also giving an artists talk on Wed Dec 16th from 6.00pm.

Craft Victoria COUNTER online shop - 20% discount!

From top left - Queenie Brooch, handmade in Melbourne by Emerge - $39, Chicks on Speed limited edition poster - $35, Re-make it Home book - $49.95, Very Busy, Very Important, by Kearnsie $25.00. All available in the Craft Vic COUNTER online shop.

Did you know Craft Victoria have a brand new online shop? The COUNTER online shop showcases a carefully edited selection of locally-crafted items and craft-related books etc, and what's more - they are kindly offering all Design Files readers 20% off online sales for the month of December!

To receive your discount, simply type CRAFT when prompted at the checkout.

Wow what a generous month December is!

Lulamae pop-up shop in Melbourne Central - by Breathe Architects

Just can't get enough of the pop-up shop at the moment can we? Brunswick-based Breathe Architects have just designed this fabulous one for fashion boutique Lulamae, which just popped up in Melbourne Central this week. Very cute! I really love the tall buildings drawn on the exterior, and the cut-out windows!

On closer inspection, Breathe Architects have a lot of great and quite varied work to their name - including everyone's favourite 'not-so-secret-anymore' cafe - Seven Seeds, and it's smaller CBD sibling, Brother Baba Budan.

OH and they also have a ridiculously cute website.

The fabulous Seven Seeds in Carlton

See!? ridiculously cute website.

Romance alert! - Guy Shield's unique illustrated marriage proposal

Incredible illustrations by Guy Shield

You guys know I love great illustration. You may not know that I am also a massive sucker for old-fashioned schmoopy romance... (not that I get much personally!) So this wonderful project by Melbourne illustrator Guy Shield really made my day yesterday! It is SO awesome!

Great illustration + Romance = Guy's latest project - a unique and brilliant marriage proposal!




What a lucky lady! Read the full story here! (brought a little tear to my eye...!)

You should also check out Guy Shield's excellent folio here. Oh, and I just noticed that on his Blogger profile, Guy is apparently just 27. Jeepers.

via Jeremy Wortsman - aka Mr Jacky Winter

THE GREAT DESIGN FILES CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY! (+ reader survey!)

The Great Design Files Christmas Giveaway prize pool!

It's been hard keeping this a secret for the last few weeks... But today is finally the day to launch The Great Design Files Christmas Giveaway! SO EXCITING! Just look at the incredible prizes up there...!

This giveaway I hope goes some way to say a huge and heartfelt THANKYOU to all you lovely people who read this little blog and give me a reason to write everyday! I wish I could send every single one of you a Christmas present (truly!) - but this is the next best thing!

Above you will see 12 incredible prizes from 12 SUPER generous local designers and retailers. These companies are all genuine Design Files favourites - designers whose work I love, local creatives who I have interviewed and featured on the site over the last 2 years, and fantastic Australian retailers who sell beautiful locally-designed things, and who have been generous enough to sponsor my site this year and offer their gorgeous wares for you guys to win!

In order to enter the Great Design Files Christmas Giveaway, there is one little itsy-bitsy thing you have to do! Please pretty please click here and fill out my first-ever reader survey!

After writing this blog for almost 2 years, I have realised that although you guys know quite a bit about me... but I don't really know much about you! I truly value your feedback, and would really appreciate if you could spend 5 minutes on the survey! Your feedback will really help me make some much-needed improvements to the site in 2010! Click here to take the survey and enter the giveaway!

OK enough chatter... here's the Prize Pool! -

- Stunning deep red Dinosaur Designs 'Shell' salad bowl - rrp $300

- Super-cute stripey Summer Scarf from Melbourne knitwear designer Ella Sanders

- Notemaker fabulous stationery giftpack - pack contains MT Masking Tape Twin Pack (Citrus), MMMG Matryoshka Card (Blue), O-Check Notebook 'Day Book' (Black), Delfonics Wooden Ballpoint Pen (Purple), Delfonics Elastic Notebook Band (Yellow), Rhodia Bloc Pad #08 - (Orange), O-Check 2010 Wall Calendar, MMMG Recycle Bag (Red Grid) - rrp $127.21

- Luscious (and very posh!) Missoni 'Hugo' beachtowel from Safari Living - rrp $297.00

- A giftpack of reusable BYO Coffee Cups from HookTurn Industries (thanks Mum!)

- A beautiful handmade 'Lino Royale' brooch from Melbourne designer Betty Jo

- The fab new David Shrigley doona cover set from Third Drawer Down (which comes in its own printed totebag) - rrp $275

- The gorgeous 'Morning Tea' sterling silver ring set from Melbourne's sweetest jeweller, Victoria Mason - rrp $175

- A prize pack from Kikki.K’s fantastic new 'Bon Voyage' travel range - including Leather Travel Journal, Coated Canvas Passport Holder & Luggage Tag, Sticker Sheet and Gel Pen - rrp $100.

- A delicious Safe Summer Essentials pack from Bloom Cosmetics - including Daily Shield body, face and lip products, Instant Bronzing Gel, Gradual Face Tan and exfoliating gloves!

- A blue signature cushion from Beci Orpin's fabulous new range

- An incredibly generous prize-pack of Murchison-Hume eco-friendly cleaning products including a classic 6-piece boxed set ('premium' glass polish, 'Counter Intelligence' food safe surface spray, 'Spit and Polish' chrome stainless steel cleaner, 'Everyday Furniture Spritzer'. 'Boy's Bathroom' cleaner, 'Effortless' floor cleaner) PLUS a Laundry Soak, Original Garment Groom and Liquid Handsoap! rrp - $140.90

Phew.

In the end there'll be 12 lucky winners, each of whom will receive one of the fabulous prizes above. The winners and prizes with be selected randomly. You have from now until December 24th to complete the survey! At the end of the survey you will be asked to enter your email address - this automatically enters you into the giveaway draw (your email address will be used only for this purpose - promise!).

Thankyouuuuuu! And a HUGE thankyou to all the fabulous Christmas Giveaway sponsors!


Ok I think I need to go and lie down now.

The Cullen

Melbourne's newest boutique hotel - The Cullen

Did you know that Melbourne has a new designer boutique hotel? Must admit this one kind of crept up on me... I had heard whispers... but didn't realise The Cullen opened this month!

The Cullen is a $48 million(!!), 115-room hotel, and is the first in a series of six proposed Art Series Hotels - a $300 million hotel group conceived by property developer Will Deague. Each hotel is inspired by and named after a prominent Australian Artist - The Cullen takes its name and inspiration from artist Adam Cullen.

Adam Cullen is one of Australia's most collectible artists, and is best known for winning the Archibald prize in 2000 with a portrait of David Wenham. Seven of Cullen's large-scale artworks grace the walls of the hotel foyer, other works and digital prints feature elsewhere in the hotel, and glass screens in each room are watermarked with Cullen's drawings. Each room also features designer details including Kartell ghost chairs and glossy design book! And apparently the hotel also has bikes and smart cars decorated with Cullen's work for guests to hire. Ooh la la!

Well I must say, I think Melbourne is sorely lacking in the boutiqe hotel department. Although I am not sure if a 6-storey, 115 room hotel counts as 'boutique'. Anyway, it looks pretty snazzy, and it doesn't seem too expensive. It'll be interesting to see how the other 5 Art Series Hotels unfold. Next in line is The Olsen in South Yarra, named after celebrated painter John Olsen, which is due to open its doors in March.

Interview - Max Kater of Murchison-Hume!

The beautiful, non-toxic, eco and kid-friendly, Australian-made Murchison-Hume product range!

Laundry bags and 'Heirloom' dishwashing liquid by Murchison-Hume

Top - Max's vintage apothecary bottle collection which inspired Murchison-Hume's stunning amber-bottle packaging. Bottom - Details from Max's beautiful bright and very organised home!

Oh Max Kater's Sydney home is just stunning, isn't it? How about that blackboard wall in the kitchen? You might recognise these shots from Apartment Therapy a little while ago!)

Now listen. If there is one deliciously luxurious thing you can do for yourself, your home, your family AND our precious environment... it's switch your cleaning products. Murchison-Hume products are the most simple, natural, organic, eco and kid-friendly Australian-made cleaning products money can buy. (And they're not expensive!). They're grey-water friendly, they're packaged beautifully... they're truly the most glamourous and guilt-free way to clean your home!

Murchison-Hume is a small, Sydney-based Husband-and-wife business set to conquer the world. Truly! This inspiring young Australian business is the brainchild of LA-born Max Kater, whose 'light bulb moment' came initially as a response to her kids' allergies. She couldn't find any products on the market that were visually appealing, genuinely green and truly effective - so she made her own!

I find Max's story so inspiring - with no experience in this area, she has grown the Murchison-Hume product range and brand to global recognition and impressive international orders! (They just got their first order from Anthropologie in the US!! Hold onto your seats!). Max is a busy working Mum, and I truly have no idea how she finds the time to run her business from a home office (which double's as her eldest son's bedroom!), between the hours of 9.00am and 3.00pm!

As you'll see below, Max takes it all in her stride - she's unaffected, family-focussed and she has a wicked sense of humour... read on for a thoroughly entertaining insight into the clean, green and very inspiring world of Murchison-Hume!

Tell me a little about your background – what path led you to what you’re doing now?

If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would end up making organic house-cleaning products, I would have suggested a nice cup of tea and a lie-down in a darkened room.

Having said that, my years as a Fashion Editor certainly helped to sharpen my personal aesthetic and my inner Domestic Goddess really kicked into overdrive when I became a Mother. I like to think I’ve brought that mixed bag of skills together in Murchison-Hume. Sexy styling meets domestic practicality…why not?

Tell us about the genesis of Murchison Hume.

Well, imagine the shock of working with the most beautiful clothing, shoes and accessories in the world to using yellow plastic dish brushes and Pine O’Kleen on a daily basis. Ugh! I decided then and there that cleaning products needed a makeover.

How did the concept originally come about?

I guess my “light bulb moment” came soon after having my second son Charles. We discovered that he had inherited my perfect trifecta of allergies; eczema and asthma.

A stylish Parisian friend (aren’t they all?) sent me an article about toxicity in the home and how they can exacerbate allergies and eczema and the more I read, the more I learned that it’s fairly easy to keep a clean house without using products that can be harmful (not to mention downright dangerous!) to our families and the planet. Sadly, there was nothing out there that was appealing visually, genuinely green and truly effective…so I made my own!

Max's son Ben's beautiful blue bedroom

What challenges did you face in realising your ideas, and making your idea a commercial success?

Really the only barrier was time. I’m sure every working Mother can relate to this, but seriously, the real challenge to starting any venture is to be able carve out the necessary time to be creative (while still managing to keep you and your family fed, bathed and clothed). And you can forget about getting your hair done. Learn to embrace the ponytail!

How is it working in a husband-wife partnership!? Can you give us an insight into the structure of the company – do you have other employees, and which significant tasks do you outsource?

Everyone says: “Oh how can you work with your husband, don’t you drive each other crazy all day?!” And the short answer is: “of course!” But I think Husbands can drive you crazy whether or not you’re in business together, don’t you? On the plus-side, I get to sleep with the boss.

Seriously though, I think we have a very complimentary skill set: Peter manages the business end of things, including our small staff of six at the factory and I do the creative bits from my office at home…I live only for art and beauty darling!

Which creative minds did you collaborate with when developing the Murchison Hume range?

I am lucky because my friends happen to be a fairly productive and creative bunch. Susan Sheller from Cotton Love Home was my constant guinea-pig from the very beginning. Shannon Fricke taught me how to enhance the subtleties of colour; Charlotte Sherston encouraged me to write like I speak (a dangerous and controversial idea) and Samantha Wagner (from Sambag) gave me the inspiration and the courage to stick my neck out and take Murchison-Hume from “hobby” into business with gusto!

Did you enlist a designer to help with graphics or packaging? It is so beautifully presented!

Pretty early on, I had a clear idea that my cleaning products would resemble old-fashioned apothecary bottles (which I love and collect). And Geraldine Ward, who is my Graphic Designer and a genius mind-reader, was able to take my ideas and translate them into a logo, labels and a perfect website for us.

Which creative people are you inspired by?

Oh, how much time do you have? Beauty is everywhere. Good design is everywhere and I cast a wide net when it comes to looking for sources of ideas.

In Australia alone, I am inspired by stylists Kristen Bookallil; Glen Proebstel, Sibella Court and Megan Morton who like me, can find beauty in almost anything.

Fashion Designers like Carl Kapp and Josh Goot for their refined take on Australian style, shops like Becker-Minty, Space Furniture and davidmetnicole represent an eclectic mix of everything that good design has to offer and even the Coca-Cola sign in Kings Cross gives me a creative jolt every time I see it!

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

Typically, I try to be up and “dressed” by 7:30am. I put the quotes around dressed because working from home, getting dressed requires little more than a clean face, a neat bun and a T-shirt dress!

After the boys have left for school, I try and make sporadic attempts at exercise (on the Wii Fit). But mostly I spend the day at my eldest son’s desk (which doubles as my office during school hours). When I’m worried or trying to figure something out, I go and do a little tidy up somewhere… I know it sounds slightly OCD, but it calms me down to fold towels or re-organise my sock drawer. Sad, but true.

By 3:00pm the house is full of noisy boys and afterschool activities, snacks, etc. I try to snatch at least another hour or two of work before it’s time to make dinner and then it’s bath, pyjamas, bed and it starts all over again the next day. Clearly I need to get out more…

Refreshing and so inspiring to her that Max manages to run a business from a home office that doubles as her eldest son's bedroom!

What are you most proud of professionally?

Apart from the obvious fact that it’s keeping us in shoe leather, the fact that my quirky little idea is being embraced by people all over the world. Pinch me!

What would be your dream project?

Oh, easy! Re-fitting the Qantas First Class Lounge (and all of its lounges and planes) with Australian-made Murchison-Hume products!

What are you looking forward to?

Being able to entertain at home again, now that the weather in Sydney is warmer!

Max's serene outdoor entertaining area... so very gorgeously Sydney!

NSW Questions –

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Sydney?

My house: employee dinner, last Thursday. We have just employed an American, Peter Lyle, to help me manage things on the domestic front and he made a mustard béarnaise sauce to die for!

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

At the moment, Saturday morning entails trying to read the papers with my youngest son, Charles (he always hogs the Real Estate section) while his older brother is at cricket!

Sydney’s best kept secret?

I’ll tell you if you promise not to laugh…remember, I am an expatriate and we never really lose our tourist habits: I lovelovelove the Chinese Garden of Friendship at Darling Harbour. Not nearly as cheesy at it sounds (how could it be)? I have a bit of a Koi fetish and I adore sitting in the Lotus Pond Pavilion, drinking tea and throwing bits of Char Siu Bao to the fish. The boys scramble over the rocks and we can languish there all afternoon…heaven!

Max's own watergarden, Koi fish and brand new waterlilies!

Thanks so much for Max for this interview, and for sharing such beautiful photos of her glorious home! I feel I should say, also, that I use Murchison-Hume products everyday at home and I can honestly vouch for their incredible effectiveness! My absolute favourites are the Counter-Intelligence chemical-free food surface spray (truly as effective as Spray-n-wipe - minus the ticklish nose!), and the Everyday Furniture Spritzer, which effortlessly removes sticky marks and gives timber furniture a beautiful sleek sheen. You gotta try it!