Yellow, grey & a little textile

Loving the colour & textile print combination! I'd love to do a project with this much print, & you know I can't go past grey either!  

What do you think?

Elle x

Image via houzz

McLovin

Why don't you,

www.facebook.com/designformfunction

Who am I?

Here I am...

After sharing a room with my sister for many years, the excitement of moving into my own space was almost too much to handle. I remember lying on my bed with my hair hanging over the edge staring endlessly out of the ceiling to floor window. I vividly remember waking up in the middle of the night to rearrange my room. These days nothing has changed, except I now re-design my friends' rooms too.

After aspiring all throughout high school to be a physiotherapist, a last minute decision by my sister landed me in a design degree. (Thank you!) Four years later and now a qualified designer I am still staring out of the same window and still constantly re-designing my room. During my 4 year university degree I directed most of my attention towards textile and graphic design, finding great meaning from both. 
I am currently studying Interior Design while practising design across the board and loving every moment of what I do. 

The passion for my interior design work lies in taking a house and turning it into a home and establishing a space people can call their own. Consulting on projects whether it be a medical suite or the privacy of a couples bedroom brings equal reward.

You have to be comfortable enough in your space to make a mess!

My graphic design skills have progressed over the years with my strength in print design. Creating wedding invitations is a rewarding team effort. Together with the bride and groom I enjoy working to capture both their personalities and bringing together their style and the start of their new lives. 

Establishing a new business is no easy task but finding the perfect logo, slogan and all round business identity should be. I thrive on the task of creating logos, business cards and website layouts for clients ranging from edibles to IT professionals. 

In my down time you can find me with my loved ones or near the water.

When working on projects my clients notice I 'rarely talk without a smile on my face'. I enjoy what I do, and I hope you enjoy it too.

Feel free to contact me for a chat via the Facebook page
www.facebook.com/designformfunction

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Elle x

Sneaky Saturday

So, I don't normally post on a weekend but I simply cannot help it! Spring is in the air and I always feel like there is fresh inspiration all around as the seasons change.

One company I believe always gets is perfectly correct with floral textile prints is Zimmerman.

It is so easy to walk into their shop and be consumed by their prints. It's like you are instantly transported to their floral fantasy world. More than that, I feel their textile prints can be transferred easily from fashion into home wares. Their designs would look great as a cushion, a throw or even a wallpaper. 

Here are images from their latest catalogue, let's not even discuss the models... horrible, I know! ;)

Here are some images I took while in the Blue Mountains. They just scream spring time!

Melbourne Design Adventure

This weekend we are heading to Melbourne for the MASSIVE design weekend.

Below are the 3 exhibitions we are heading to! I am really looking forward to seeing what is on display this year. It is a great combination of well established designers and the enthusiastic up and comers.

 

 

Here is a quick review from the Harvest Textile's blog from Design Made Trade: 2011.

":After four big days spent launching our new range at the 2011 Design:Made:Trade it really feels like a whole new set of friends have been made.
What a pleasure to share our stand with local potter-extraordinaire Shelley Panton (one day soon I hope to be turfing all of my mismatched crockery from Savers and swapping it for a dinner set made by Ms Panton) and ceramic jeweller Yumi Ando whose charming pieces beckoned every time I peeped at them. Be sure to visit Shelley's store/studio in Middle Park - it is an old butcher shop that is jam packed with her own work and that of a whole lot of local makers.
Thanks to all who dropped by to say hello and a super big thank you to Craft Victoria for hosting us under their banner - you guys rock.
We look forward to officially photographing the range and making it look pretty for our online store. We've got cushions, totes, fabric by the metre and a whole lot of DIY kits. Stay tuned."

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/

Things I love

Graphic/textile design, lighting design, homewares & creativity (wood and copper), peonies & coffee...

 

 Images:

1. Designed by Ellen

2. Designed by Ellen

3. Designed by Ellen

All other images through google

Knitted Stools for any contemporary interior

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Knitted stools like any other incredible handmade goods that uses traditional craft techniques and skills seems to be very popular and appreciated in recent years. Thus, textile designers have brought in the spotlight old activities like knitting, sewing, crocheting and embroidering from which have emerged amazing products. They were able to bring fabrics to life and put them into a new light, giving them a modern twist suitable for any contemporary interior.

 

As a textile designer specialising in knitting, Ireland based Claire-Anne O’Brien have a sculptural approach to textiles and likes to explore the relationship between form, furniture and textiles to create playful and tactile fabrics for our homes. Knit Stools are a serie of unique and charming knitted stools designed by Claire-Anne O’Brien which are a great solution for informal seating, adding a burst of colour to the room.

To add originality to these products, the designer exaggerates the scale of the structures made of Lambswool and Sheeps wool and add them bold and textured forms. It was used a mix of hand and machine knit stitches to construct such beautiful structures inspired by elements of the knitted stitch itself such as rings and loops. Knit Stools look very cozy and comfy and add texture and warmth to a room, especially in winter season.

 

 

 

I'd love to have a few of these, so warm and friendly, especially the last little rings!

Photos: © Claire-Anne O’Brien.