Adore Home Magazine April Edition

It is a true honor to be an official contributor to the April Edition of the Adore Home Magazine. You can see my contribution below and read the magazine in its entirety here.

Come and join in the fun on Facebook, click here.

Elle x

Freedom New Season Launch

Out today,  Monday 25 February ... Freedom's latest range. All will be on their website by the morning.  You all know how much I love chairs so I will definitely be checking this new collection out online, and in-store.

Remember when purchasing an item for your home, as fantastic as the fabric may look online, it is not a  good idea to make a purchase without seeing, touching and feeling the fabric.

Another sneaky peek at Freedom's latest collection in store from today. Jump on the website tomorrow to see the goodies from the new collection.

Here are some images from the shoot collection that was taken last week down at Custom's House in Sydney.

Is it too early to start shopping? ;)

Megan Morton styled last season's catalogue, I wonder who will style this one and what the focus will be. Stay tuned...

Via the lovely ladies at www.desiretoinspire.com

Elle x

Chevron

A chevron (also spelled cheveron, especially in older documents) is an inverted V-shaped pattern. The chevron occurs in early art including designs on pottery and rock carvings.

Elle x

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Homeware Treasures

I was recently approached by a member of the industry to hunt down a few reasonably priced pieces for a client of theirs and I was so surprised at the quality and affordable prices of the items. 

I thought I would take advantage of this and share my finds with you all.

If you would like any of these pieces in your home please do not hesitate to be in touch. Simply comment below (please include your email address) or over at the Facebook page (which you can find by clicking here). 

Please note I will not be charging a finders fee of any sort, I am just happy to be sharing wonderful pieces with you all.

L x

Coral Bay Chairs $29.95 each

Coral Bay Chairs $29.95 each

Vintage Style Bed Stand $240.00

Small Vespa Framed Artwork $210.00

Tall Tea Candle Holders $9.00 (pair)

Tall Tea Candle Holders $9.00 (pair)

Tall Tea Candle Holders $9.00 (pair)

  

Thin assorted chair cushions $14.00 each

Large felt storage box $22.00

Large felt storage box $22.00

 

Glass bottle Oil Candles $18.00 each

Lx

White Forest Home - WFH

An overview of the beloved White Forest Home.
WFH is a boutique homewares company that designs limited edition prints. Each wall print focuses on the beautiful qualities of colour, design principles, painted textures and typography - all my great loves.

The team at WFH began the journey with the intention of capturing the current industry trends that inspire us all. Their design intention was to bring smiles and light to our day, at an affordable price.

The team at WFH has a special place in their hearts for colour, "colour is our world and we can't wait to share our colourful vision".

One may ask how a company is always up to date with the latest trends, colour and themes. Each week they review the latest and greatest trends to capture a collection of prints that work for their current palettes whilst providing a timeless appeal. 

We are all to blame of falling in love with an artwork or even a pair of shoes one week and questioning the purchase the following season. This is the reason WFH prides themselves on providing timeless appeal through colour, trends and prints.

WFH is designed and printed in Melbourne. They print on a soft and subtle marked textured fabric, which is acid free and therefore lasts a lifetime and will not fade.

What is new on their blog?

The latest news from WFH is their most recent feature in Home Beautiful Magazine, September 12 Issue. "It is a feature about the geometric/Aztec theme which is so hot right now". Their Geo Tri prints (pictured below) have been very successful for WFH. "The colours are different and lovely and show a unique take on this trend." They describe the prints as "simplified shapes and repetitions" - with a POW of colour.

My very own fabrics!

I have been designing fabrics since 2009, my second year at university and have used a process to transfer prints onto fabric by hand. Although this process does provide you with your print on a material it is very time consuming and not always never perfect. I began searching in Sydney for a company that was willing to print my designs on small rolls of fabric, without the large price tag - of course, no where was willing to do so.
Finally, I stumbled across a company in the US who is able to print onto almost any type of fabric for a very reasonable price, at any fabric amount!
Four weeks after placing my order, no only are my fabrics are now sitting in my hot little hands, they are also listed on the web for sale and can be made into any product possible. Let's think lamp shades, cushions, chair covers, bed spreads, curtains, book covers... the possibilities are literally endless.

 Below are images of the test swatches I had printed of 6 very basic prints.
I focused my attention towards basic designs as I was apprehensive about the printing process. However, now that I can see how fantastic the results are I cannot wait to display some of my more complex and interesting designs.

Please spread the word about the prints, show the pictures to anyone that may be interested in designs of any sorts. Feedback and requests are always welcome! Don't hesitate to send me an email at ellenjoannepollak@gmail.com

Watch this space for more exciting moments from Design, Form, Function in the coming days and a new Facebook group to make posting my blogs and inspirational images easier!

Big steps, it's time to start believing!
 

  

Trace Ellis - Aura, textile design dream

There is a really great interview with Tracie Ellis below. This was compiled by The Design Files in 2010. I had some contact with Tracie yesterday which was quite exciting. Her textile range encompasses exactly what I love and what I strive to complete one day.

In the most literal, descriptive sense, AURA makes bed linen and home accessories. It may be strictly true, but it in no way indicates the amount of passion and excitement a mere object can contain.

Because every Aura product encompasses the richness of the world, a luxurious embodiment of exquisite colours, unique fabrics and beautiful, handcrafted finishes found all around the globe.

http://thedesignfiles.net/2010/06/interview-tracie-ellis-of-aura/

Tracie Ellis is another incredibly inspiring Melbourne businesswomen I have been meaning to feature on the site for quite some time. After studying Textile Design at RMIT, Tracie time spent working at some of Australia’s most respected textiles brands and retailers (including Davenport, Country Road homewares and Myer), before an unexpected career twist prompted her to launch her very own soft furnishings brand, AURA, in 2000. 10 years on, AURA is now one of Australia’s most respected premium bed linen companies, and is stocked by some of Australia’s best known retailers – as well as internationally in well-known UK stores House of Fraser and Heals, to name a few.

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

I grew up thinking I wanted to be a Vet or a Marine Biologist, at one stage I had a great desire to study penguins in Antarctica! But then during high school I became quite creative rather than academic and having a mother that was a wonderful painter and sewer l ended up down a different path – I studied Textile Design at RMIT and majored in “knit” which lead me to varied roles in textiles and management; Davenport boxer shorts, Country Road Homewares, Myer Buying Office, Patons knitting yarn, Jockey underwear and then The Austin Group in Geelong, where I was given the opportunity to create my first homewares brand Domis.

After travelling to Geelong from Melbourne every day for over 2 years the Domis brand was sold, then the old saying – that some things are meant to happen – well this helped me head in a different direction and start a new brand and thus AURA was born and this year is a milestone being our 10th birthday! Some people say I am addicted to work and I need a hobby but designing and textiles is my passion and my hobby so I am lucky! 

What have been some of your favourite designs or creative projects in recent times? 

My favorite design has to be our bedding range Maxx, named after my beautiful Mini Schnauzer! Maxx was so popular we launched a range of jacquard towels in the UK this year at House of Fraser, and they are now going to be available in Australia from Sept 2011 – which will be fabulous, as I believe that we have a pretty limited range of “interesting” towels in Australia. 

Maxx Quilt cover in black and ivory

  FABULOUS brand new Maxx Towels from AURA

As this is our anniversary year I am very excited about the future as we have been venturing beyond the bedroom, and designing a new collection of kaftans, scarves, towels and table linen, using beautiful hand crafted details and hand screen printed fabrics. Of course this has meant that I have been lucky to travel to India more – which I love. Here are some shots of the screens and trying to match colours for our new tablelinen – just like we did at uni – its all very hands on! ….and also means that our new range will be very unique and individual.

Matching colours in India for the new AURA tablelinen range – and the finished product!

LOVE these shots currently on Tracie’s blog from her recent Spring/Summer shoot… top right is super-stylist Glen Proebstel working his magic…! The photographer was Isamu Sawa.

Have a look at their gorgeous website here, the styling is a little piece of perfection - /http://www.aurahome.com.au/