kids nursery styling shoot

So the latest issue of real living went on sale yesterday. It features two styling shoots I did for the mag. The first was the shopping feature for May - nurseries. I put my hand up for this one as I was excited - and determined - to create cool spaces.

I really wanted to show that you could create a pink girls room (lots of friends say their girls are obsessed with this colour) without it being saccharine sweet. Enter "Pastel Princess" - the last room. I also wanted to do a room with colour - a space that was fun - but still pulled together. This is "Circus Kids" - the second last room. And, finally, I wanted to create a room that I'd be happy to have for Little C - one that was interesting and engaging but with grown-up touches so it didn't scream kids room - this is "Young Explorer" - my favourite of the three looks.

As usual I got completely carried away with the "makes". In "Young Explorer" we (yes, it was another mammoth shoot so I had some wonderful helpers) created a feature wall of explorer maps, painted a budget chest-of-drawers and made newspaper hats. In "Circus Kids" we hung Bholu's beautiful Mavis Monkey wallpaper. And in "Pastel Princess" we painted a grey and white striped wall - click on the image to see it - and a string of pom poms (instead of bunting). We also created a doll's house - inspired by the amazing one that Jacqui Lewis created here - and got a handmade height chart from Belinda Graham at The Happy Home. There's a whole other story to that one, which I'll have to tell you about on another day.

Love to know what you think, and which room you prefer.

images courtesy of real living and chris warnes

elki designer emma kaveney

I am a sucker for a Liberty print. I still have several items, including a paisley bag, that I bought from the store when I used to live in London. So it's no surprise that I like these pretty - in a old-fashioned yet contemporary way - baby clothes from Elki. It was started by sisters Emma and Georgina who grew up in a creative home. Emma went on to study visual communication and become a graphic designer while Georgina studied fashion. Emma lives in central west NSW while Georgie is based in Bowral. The sisters import the fabric from Liberty of London and design and make the products themselves.

Which five words best describe you? Passionate, creative, dreamer, designer, Elki.
What was your first job and what path have you taken since? I'm a graphic designer and studied and worked in Brisbane. My first design job involved designing furniture catalogues, deep-etching hundreds of images and styling photoshoots. I then moved to Sydney, where I worked as a designer in a design studio in Surry Hills for 3.5 years. My sister and I were both creatively frustrated in our positions and started Elki design. I met a country boy and moved to the country, and my sister moved home to Bowral which allowed us to start our dream of creating our brand and work full time on it.
What's the best advice you've received? If you want something, go and get it. Don't let anything hold you back.
What’s your proudest career achievement? Launching Elki's online store - it was the pinnacle of about 2 years of ideas, designing and planning. Designing and creating all brand elements and products was exhilarating and exhausting, but very rewarding.
What has been your best decision? To stick to our guns about all elements of the brand. We are fortunate that with our skills, Georgie having studied fashion, and I as a graphic designer, we are able to design and manage all aspects of the design process, from concept to sales. We believe this has allowed Elki to be truly unique and special.
Who inspires you? My sister and business partner, Georgie. We are both so similar in thinking and passionate about Elki, yet different enough to bounce ideas off each other and work together. I'm not sure we would have got this far, had we not worked together.
What are you passionate about? I am passionate about good design, quality products, affordability, Australian owned and made, and available to the everyday person. It shouldn't matter whether you live in Bondi or Bourke, these days there should be little limitations or exclusions. We hand make each product and pride ourselves on standing behind each product, because we know where its come from and who made it (us!).
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Coco Chanel, she created an empire, through hard work and determination. Plus I think she would be rather fun at a cocktail party!
What dream do you still want to fulfil? To further extend our products - we have so many ideas and plans. But ideally, our dream is to open an Elki store in regional NSW. To stock other beautiful hand made and unique products, a place where you could grab a coffee and a gift or simply stop by.
What are you reading? Blogs - I spend all day on my computer, so any free moment I have I quickly flick to one of the many blogs I follow. I find reading them so rewarding, there is something new everyday, interesting links and in a snippet I can be pulled in a new and interesting direction.

images courtesy of elki