Escape to the Country

Now for something different, but I promise some architecture, so there is still a design element to it.

Let me take you on a Sunday drive through some towns in the Queensland scenic rim, about 2 hours outside of Brisbane.

As a designer I always love to see the pride that people take in their homes.

Green rolling fields, roads less traveled and the Great Dividing Range in the distance.

I love the hidden architectural gems in the country towns, parts of art deco, federation, colonial of days long gone.

Happy Weekend.

May you find serendipity in your travels. 

Bailey Retail Design shop

I have just marked my first week as an official retailer! Bailey Retail Design has a new home. The design business of 23 yrs plus has moved into the new location and we've added a retail arm to the business. 

The old corner store has been a newsagent for longer than I've been around. It's located on one of the 2 main intersections of my local area and has fantastic exposure. Wynnum is undergoing a huge building boom with many new apartment complexes and lots of renovations of the gorgeous seaside Queenslander style houses. I've often admired the retailers that I design for and how they become an intrinsic part of their local area and wanted to capitalise on the exciting development happening and show my support and love of this picturesque bayside location. 

When I started negotiations for the shop it still had all the left over newsagent fittings. It was packed to the rafters.

The land lord started clearing out the tenancy for handover.

Handover day arrived with a patchwork of walls and floor and old broken glass windows. The first thing I did was have the sparkie remove all the existing fluros and install super long cord bare bulb light fittings.

Then 3 full weekends and days in between started with painting and patching and repairs and the new work. With a lot of help from my wonderful builder and other friends (my support crew) we transformed the old newsagent.

One of the big features is the rope wall that separates the engine room (design side) from the shop but still allows full interaction with customers. Approx 220 lineal meters of jute rope was threaded thru every single hole top and bottom with stops to tighten each strand. It took a day and a half to thread.

On the cold Saturday morning starts our land lord spoilt us with coffee. During the fitout we were quietly working in our temp office on the fold out table, while we kept the windows covered with newspaper. 

Finally it was time for stock and pricing for opening. A big thanks to the warm reception from our local community and the support and encouragement of family, friends and locals. We are trading Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-1pm. As the business grows the weekend times will increase. The fantastic response has meant that within a week I am already placing my first lot of new stock orders to fill spots from our sales. 

LaBelle Designs Tarragindi

I often mention serendipity, but in this case visiting LaBelle Designs in Pring St Tarragindi was the destination for me. It's owned by Nicki Christian, whom I know from way back. Nicki is a very talented fashion designer as well as homewares manufacturer. 

Following her dreams she has opened a very cute store selling both her passions. She sources from international suppliers as well as individual bespoke local crafts people. Her product range is interesting, classical as well as quirky.

Nicki's extensive experience in the rag trade ensures an honest opinion but also expert advice with the clothing she sells. Not to mention she's always great for a chin wag in general.

She has recently added to her retail family and opened a coffee shop in the tenancy next door- with the cute name "Gindi". It's proven a hit with the local mums at school run time.

The shaded table area allows customers to watch the comings and goings along the beautiful leopard tree lined street.

Nicki's clever eye for detail shows inside with the bold wall paper and antique framed collage prints.

Definitely worth making this destination your serendipity!

www.labelledesigns.com.au

All that glitters...

You may remember this sketch from a few months ago. The newly relocated Xennox Diamonds in Brisbane's Queen St mall is nearing completion. The store has been trading at the new location for a few weeks now with some remaining items still to be installed by the cabinetmaker. 

The brief for the store called for increased display capacity and an updated look of elegance, as well as specialty work areas. 

The store's main retail area is a large central counter and has integrated stock keeping and security methods in keeping with high quality jewellery fitouts. 

When designing this store we used fabric covered wall panels, deep buttoned velvet upholstery and luxurious curtains to create a look of opulence.

The client asked for a special area for customer client consultations to discuss bespoke jewellery design. We created a "Design Pod" to give this privacy and seclusion.

The store also features a Champagne bar, a workshop viewing window and specially designated collection areas and other consultation zones.

The new Xennox is located on level 2 of 141 Queen St Brisbane.

Wild Canary

Birthday lunch calls for a special treat, so after many months of mouth watering images on my Instagram feed I made the journey across town to the Brookfield Garden Centre and the amazing restaurant attached- Wild Canary. 

The whole venue is nestled into a tropical oasis of bamboo where water dragons roam free watching the customers. The various dining areas are wonderfully shaded by the towering gently swaying bamboo, much to my happiness; I'm a bamboo lover since childhood. 

However it was the food we'd come for and it didn't disappoint. It was all beautiful and incredible. The restaurant is laid out in a series of rooms that look into each other and feel like home with a casual ambiance of polished concrete floors and seagrass mats and many windows with beckoning garden views.

If you've watched the Wild Canary feed on Instagram you will have seen the incredibly garnished cakes and meals that feature the fresh produce from the chef's garden out the front. Visitors can browse through the garden and admire the myriad of herbs and edible plants.

After lunch, as much as it's hard to get moving, with bellies feeling as full as the Buddha's, the nursery beckoned. So many beautiful garden ornaments and plants to look at.

Fantastic day in paradise- we will return!

www.wildcanary.com.au