Yesterday I went to the launch of Sibella Court's interiors book etcetera etc. at her shop The Society Inc in Paddington, Sydney. If you haven't heard of her you can read an interview with her here. The book is gorgeous with literally a handmade feel, and I got a cool cloth bag and bookmark with it.
The aspects I admire most about her style are her attention to detail and the way she uses things which could be described as 'ordinary', like string, stamps, feathers or paper to make beautiful still life arrangements. The objects in her shop and styling shoots have a pre-loved feel and the patina of age. Her style reminds me a lot of Ann Shore, whose London shop Story I attempted to visit in London last year. She writes very eloquently on her aesthetic and where it comes from. I'd just like to share an excerpt from her book:
'[T]he patina of age gives so many things - fabric, furniture and paper, tableware and ceramics, wood and metal - unique textural and colour markings. Look at the way a silver tea set tarnishes or the linen on a hardback book fades in the sun. Feel the crumbling paint on a second-hand chair or the smooth handle on an old hammer. These imperfections are hard to mass-produce and the marks of age tell a story of a life lived'.
The book itself is an objet d'art, like her shop and her magazine shoots. To me Sibella epitomises an aesthetic which is not a 'cookie-cutter' style nor can it be found fully-formed in design magazines, but is original, heartfelt and the result of much thought. I also see it as ethical as it respects other cultures, traditions and creatures, valuing what would often otherwise be overlooked.
Images of Sibella's book are courtesy of The Design Files post.
