Australian Design Emporium: Koskela

After dropping a friend off at Sydney Airport on Sunday morning to catch an early flight back to Melbourne, we decided to drop in to a spot I'd seen pop up in a few media spots. Located in the industrial area of Rosebery - very close to the airport- a transformation has occured.

An big old beautiful warehouse has been giving some love and attention, a brush off of some old plaster and good sweep.

Kitchen by Mike occupies the entry. With sublime wafts of freshly baked bread, we could hardly walk past without stopping for a delicious coffee and wholesome breakfast. A feast for the eyes and belly.

The space is so cleverly divided. Quite a task standing in a huge warehouse with high ceiling visualisng how to create smaller more intimate spaces within. See the black oversized light shades above, they beautifully help to pull the space in.

How clever this wall of fresh growing alive herbs on the inside wall! Small greenhouse effect. Such a good variety too.

And then for the decor section.

All.
Exclusively.
Very cool.
AUSSIE designers.

The space so beautifully curated. Here are some glimpses. Enjoy. Please be in touch if you have any queries.

Till next time x

Heaths old wares

Bangalow, New South Wales, is a charming little town tucked in the lush hills behind Byron Bay. It plays host to some beautiful boutique home ware stores and food junkie outlets. As often when away from home one has the time to wander and stumble upon some gems.

Heaths Old Wares is one such store. Behind the main drag it is literally a shed full of treasures and trips down memory lane. The store is so well laid out that makes navigating it easy with all items neatly stored and not just a junk dust gathering arrangement.

Old fruit and beer boxes

Old milk vats, these could be so good as a painting.

Being a farming area there are some lovely old milk vats, fruit boxes, rakes and other agricultural implements. These and old ladders leaning against walls help conjure up some gorgeous country home, hearty soup interiors.

Take a look at some of the shots below. I bought some old beautifully shaped green bottles for some single flower arrangements next to the bed and in the bathroom.

Variety of bottles

The helpful and informative Heath

Scrabble letters



The beach at Brunswick Heads on a very wet day

The other fun thing we did up there, which was pretty rained out unfortunately, but would make for a fun day out was the 'old and gold' market at Brunswick Heads. Early June every year the town empties its homes of all sorts of bits and pieces and holds a town big garage sale.....good to see what some homes have held onto all these years

Melbourne - Flinders Lane

Recently on a trip to Melbourne, strolling along Flinders Lane, I felt like I was Alice who had fallen down the rabbit hole. Every gritty inch of it delivers a suprise. Coffee hole in the walls a plenty, graffiti lined lanes and art gallerys tucked behind and below back doors.

Shhh..a sneaky man...down a side lane

Its urban generation at its best, making best used of disused warehouse spaces and breathing new life into them in an extremely well designed and executed manner.

I started with a flat white, a delicious grenola and berry yoghurt at Cumulus Inc. armed with the paper 'Broadsheet' which suitably reports on many artistic topics.

Delicious breakfast @ Cumulus...I was in the clouds!

Then I popped into Flinders Lane Gallery and was energised and inspired by the colourful works of Karlee Rawkins.

Karlee Rawkins - Pea King

Next Hosier Lane, every inch covered with well done graffiti, this is art! Its right it has a gallery lane all to itself, and at the end of it the best tapas in town...Movida for lunch.

Urban Jam - Graffiti in Hosier Lane

Another beauty in Hosier Lane

Then to Degraves - one of Melbournes oldest laneways. It was buzzing with activity and we just had to have a further coffee at Degraves Espresso.

See the romance in the window...

The beautiful shop that is Bison, ceramics of colours made to sing

The laneways in Melbourne are a real feature and add such life to the CBD. Sydney has been taking notes and slowly little lively lanes are cropping up. It gives the city a much more human scale, away from noisy buses and traffic.

Autumn light hits the pavement

A florist shop front, an art work!

 Then to have a few cocktails in the basement speak easy bar that is Go Go's. Many of the places we went feel like you are going to be entering a car park, but no, beyond the eye lies the funkiest little bars alive.

Nothing beats an end to a good day than some cocktails with good friends

Take a morning to stroll Flinders Lane, you will not forget or regret it! Next time a little treat, I tracked down some of the designers of these cool spaces.

Emma Vic Art

Hello, its been a long while since I was last active on my blog and I have missed it!
I have some new posts I cant wait to get down on paper as I had a busy last while but right now Id like to share with you my new passion....my art. I'd love you to leave a comment to let me know what you think.

After having moved from London to Sydney I am having a love affair with the ocean. That and the heavy clouds and rainstorms really make for some inspiring subject matter.

I have opened an Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/emmav77, so go and have a look if interested.

Here though are some of what I've been up to. 

Pure and General - Sydney Store

Where have I been? Well...no excuses really, a bit of this, a bit of that and nothing much in particular. I was amazed when I had a look at the blog stats this afternoon, after a fairly dormant few months its amazing the people still find you - the internet, what a wonderful thing...

Almost as wonderful, but not quite, as this new Sydney store tucked in the side streets behind Kings X. What I love is that the owners have sourced their products world wide during a year long sourcing trip (aka 'the dream') They have found the most wonderful and quirky homeware from all over the world, added is the feel good factor of providing a platform for guiding and showcasing local artisans who are tucked away in the forgotten folds of the world.

Anthropologie on a smaller scale. (Speaking of which, have you watched Keith Johnson (Anthropologie buyer) 'Man Shops Globe'. Find episodes on you tube.)

Visit Pure and General you next can, it will keep you occupied for hours, in awe of what is created 'out there'

Illustrator Luci Everett

This work is so inspiring, from Luci Everett based in Melbourne Australia. The colours are eyecatching and the designs fresh....see her blog http://www.happinessetc.blogspot.com/.
Watercolours in illustrations are so on trend at the moment, classic and calm....I guess in line with all that is handmade and vintage. LOVE these....and somehow relate to that feeling the girl might be having with her head up the stigma of an enormous bloom!!

These event posters she creates are eye catching, why dont more events spend just a little more time creating something attractive and different, surely they would help pull in the crowds.

Lucky Luci to have such talent and flair....and good on her for using it x

Murano Lamps

I have an obsession lately, trawling markets and ebay looking for glass Murano lamp bases.
Murano is an tiny island off the coast of Venice, famous for its glass. I went to Rozelle Market in Sydney yesterday hoping to find my pair, there were one or two there but werent quite right....

They are so elegant and add a dash of colour with their organic and individual shapes.

Here are some of the lamps that have caught my eye...they sell on ebay from about GBP 30, not bad really and better than a new lamp in my opinion!

Beautiful and the kind of thing I think you'd always find a spot for and keep forever....