Insider Trading

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday July 31, 2008

Andrea Millar

Where is the best fabric store? How do you find a good upholsterer? And where are the best sales? Andrea Millar asks five design industry insiders to reveal their secrets.

Greg Natale, Greg Natale Design

What are your favourite antique stores?

Ken Neale Twentieth Century Modern, Darlinghurst, is the bomb. But I also go to Sydney Antique Centre on South Dowling Street. I also like auctions such as Combined Auctions, Waterloo, and Parramatta Road. Ken Neale Twentieth Century Modern. Phone: 0410 463 121. Sydney Antique Centre. Phone: 9361 4902. Combined Auctions. Phone: 8399 2266.

What are your favourite fabric shops?

I like Hoad Fabrics in Glebe, and Brunschwig & Fils fabrics from Loom in Darlinghurst. Signature Prints in Rosebery is fantastic because they stock Florence Broadhurst fabrics. Hoad Fabrics. Phone: 1800 812 538. Loom Textiles. Phone: 9356 3463. Signature Prints. Phone: 8338 8400.

What recent design is set to become a classic?

Rodolfo Dordoni's "Still" side table by Minotti is new but timeless. Available

at dedece, Darlinghurst. Phone: 9360 2722; www.dedece.com.

Where do you go for rugs?

Designer Rugs in Leichhardt. Phone: 9550 9933; www.designerrugs.com.au

What websites do you turn to?

www.desiretoinspire.blogspot.com; they're so retro-forward I go there every day.

What's the best design gift you've ever given someone?

A Tivoli radio in walnut, from Top 3 by Design (Crows Nest and Bondi Junction). Phone: 1300 867 333; www.top3bydesign.com.au.

What's your favourite furniture store?

Mortice & Tenon, Darlinghurst. The furniture is so beautifully made, the quality is amazing. Phone: 9357 2446; morticeandtenon.com.

What's a secret haunt for interesting furniture and homewares?

McLeods Antiques, cnr South Dowling and Flinders streets, Paddington. There's great stuff in there. Phone: 9361 0602.

Nicole Page, designer and retailer, DavidmetNicole

What are your favourite antique stores?

Definitely Peppergreen Trading Co. in Berrima, two hours south of Sydney. Although it's a trip to get there, you can make a day of it and the destination is worth it. Their pieces are high-quality antiques, from fabrics to cutlery.

Phone: 4877 1488.

What are your favourite fabric shops?

Bargain Upholstery Fabrics in North Seaforth. There's a whole string of shop-fronts along a little street in suburbia that are all just one big shop. They have everything you'll ever need at great prices. I look there for linens,

curtain tracks, curtain fabrics, even cushion fabrics and upholstery fabrics. It's direct to the public so anyone can go.

Phone: 9948 2996.

What's your favourite gallery?

The Art Traders in Darlinghurst. The great thing about this gallery is that they buy and sell art people don't want anymore because they're moving overseas or have moved house etc. Their collection is quite diverse but always really good and relatively affordable. You can see all their pieces online. Phone: 9361 3010; www.thearttraders.com.au.

Can you recommend a framer?

Rococo Framing on Enmore Road, Newtown. I think it's good to support your local framers if you know they do a good job. Phone: 9516 4740.

What's your favourite paint colour?

Porter's Paints satin finish in black. It's going to be our new kitchen colour because anything against it looks amazing, and it also looks great with natural woods. It's

like white, but much more visually rich and interesting. Phone: 9698 5322;

www.porterspaints.com.au.

What's your favourite market?

There's an antiques and collectables market at Harold Park Paceway in Glebe on the last Saturday of every month. It reminds me of markets in London.

What is the best place to shop for accessories?

I don't really shop for cushions and things because I design and make my own, but

I go to All Buttons Great and Small in Newtown for the detailing on them. It's a specialty button store with lots of treasures. Phone: 9550 1782; www.allbuttons.com.au.

What's your favourite boutique interior design store?

Chee Soon & Fitzgerald in Surry Hills. They have great contemporary design pieces

as well as fabrics for covering lampshades and stretching over canvasses.

Phone: 9360 1031.

Can you recommend a place that repairs old furniture?

The Chair Clinic in Padstow - you can take broken or worn chairs (and other things such as tables) to be given a new lease of life. Phone: 9773 5708.

Sharyn Storrier Lyneham, director, EDIT

Interiors and fabric designers

What are your favourite antique stores?

The Country Trader in Waterloo and Parterre Garden in Woollahra. In Mittagong I go to The Shed - it's not well known but has great collectables. If you are in the market for really beautiful decorative arts, no one does it better than Shapiro Auctioneers in Woollahra. The Country Trader. Phone: 9698 4661. Parterre Garden. Phone: 9363 5874. The Shed. Phone: 4872 2295. Shapiro Auctioneers. Phone: 9326 1588.

What are your favourite fabric shops?

I've worked with No Chintz [in Woollahra] for years. Owner Chrissie Jeffery is always looking for new fabrics. I like Ici et La in Surry Hills for striped fabrics. No Chintz. Phone: 9386 4800. Ici et La. Phone: 9699 4266.

What recent design is set to become a classic?

The Kebab Lamp by British designers Committee: I love its quirky design. Also, anything by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.

What's your favourite tile shop?

I like Pazotti in Bondi Junction. I like their passion. Phone: 9387 4500.

Where do you go for rugs?

I've always liked Ross Langlands' range at The Nomadic Rug Traders in Pyrmont

- his knowledge of tribal rugs and kilims is extraordinary. He travels and lives with

the rug makers to learn more, and it's in his soul. Robyn Cosgrove Rugs in Woollahra is the other one. The Nomadic Rug Traders. Phone: 9660 3753. Robyn Cosgrove Rugs. Phone: 9328 7692.

Can you recommend an up-and-coming designer who is a face to watch?

Chen Lu. He is a Sydney-based interior designer, furniture designer and stylist.

He does wonderful things for Hermes.

Who are some of your favourite artists?

I have many! Luke Sciberras, Gria Shead, Jonathan Delafield Cook, Oliver Watts, Jessica Wright, William Kentridge, Fiona Hall.

What's your favourite art gallery?

My philosophy is that you have to visit lots of galleries and pick something you truly love. One gallery I admire is Chalk Horse, in Surry Hills. It's owned by young artists who put on interesting things using their own money. Phone: 9699 8999.

What's your favourite paint colour?

Two colours I am seeing a lot of in Europe for accessories are similar to raspberry and oyster from Porter's Paints. I think Porter's are the most innovative in this town, but I've always loved Farrow & Ball - it's from Britain. Friends send me colour cards so I can match them. They have names like Elephant's Breath (taupe). Porter's Paints. Phone: 9698 5322.

What websites do you turn to?

www.firmdale.com, www.vessel.com and www.20ltd.com.

What's the best design gift you've ever given someone?

A charcoal drawing of American red hawk tail feathers by Jonathan Delafield Cook from the Rex Irwin gallery. Phone: 9363 3212.

How do you give your home a quick lift?

Candles, flowers, a new cushion, or I add something to one of my cabinets.

Cressida Kennedy, interior designer, Space Control Design

What are your favourite antique stores?

I really like the '70s period so my favourite is Vampt Retro 'n' Deco in Surry Hills. They have Danish as well as Australian mid-century modern furniture and their new big showroom has really upped the ante. Phone: 9699 1089; www.vamptvintagedesign.com.

What are your favourite fabric shops?

I tend to go for fabrics by Kvadrat Maharam in Surry Hills, but because they're wholesalers you will need a decorator or designer to order it on your behalf. Phone: 9212 4277.

Can you recommend an upholsterer?

Finesse Interior Furniture in Marrickville; they're fantastic. A lot of good furniture stores use them too. They also make up all my curtains and cushions. Phone: 9518 0053.

Who has the best sales?

Poliform and Spence & Lyda, both in Surry Hills, have great sales. Poliform is great for designer furniture pieces and Spence & Lyda for end-of-season Missoni towels or linen. Poliform. Phone 9690 0777; www.poliform.com.au. Spence & Lyda. Phone: 9212 6747; www.spenceandlyda.com.au.

What recent design is set to become a classic?

Patricia Urquiola is one of my favourite designers - her Smock chair by Moroso is hot. From Hub Furniture Lighting & Living, Surry Hills. Phone: 9217 0700;

www.hubfurniture.com.au.

Can you recommend a framer?

I use Acme Framing, Surry Hills. They're switched on and design savvy. Phone:

9698 7731; www.acmeframing.com.

What's the best piece of furniture you've ever bought?

I love my Patricia Urquiola B+B Italia "Lens" table from Space Furniture, Alexandria. Phone: 8339 7588.

What's your favourite paint colour?

I'm loving peacock, emerald blue. Although the colour I most frequently use is Dulux Linseed. It's a great neutral to use on walls and cabinets. www.dulux.com.au.

What's your favourite market?

Rozelle Markets. There are new people each week and you can find good mirrors, furniture, even clothes.

What's the best design gift you've ever given someone?

My sister and I bought my dad the Eames walnut leather recliner. It was expensive [but] it was to thank him for all his support.

Iain Halliday, interior designer, Burley

Katon Halliday

What are your favourite antique stores?

Howell & Howell in Woollahra. Their range is always fresh and they're constantly updating what's in the store. Georgina and Frank Howell run it and so it's very personal and they both have an incredible eye.

Phone: 9328 1212.

What are your favourite fabric shops?

I like Order Imports in Rushcutters Bay and South Pacific Fabrics in Paddington. They

are wholesalers so you'll have to go through a designer or decorator. Order Imports. Phone: 9360 3565; www.orderimports.net. South Pacific Fabrics. Phone: 9327 7222;

www.southpacificfabrics.com.

Can you recommend an upholsterer?

Ambiance Interiors in Alexandria. Phone: 9698 7522; www.ambianceinteriors.com.au.

What recent design is set to become a classic?

There's a wonderful seat by Future Systems for Established & Sons called Drift. It's an elongated bench seat in fibreglass. It's available through Format Furniture, Surry Hills. Phone: 9331 5050.

Can you recommend a framer?

Charles Hewitt Gallery and Framing Showroom, on South Dowling Street, Darlinghurst. Phone: 9331 4988;

www.charleshewitt.com.au.

Can you recommend a florist?

Grandiflora in Potts Point. Flowers are either right or wrong. It sounds so ungracious to say, "They're shocking flowers; I want to rip them apart and take the good ones out." But everyone does it. Phone: 9357 7902;

www.grandiflora.net.

What's your favourite paint colour?

Dulux Louisiana Sands - it's a sort of pink/beige make-up foundation.

What is the best place to shop for accessories?

Arida in Potts Point is good. But I should say Palm Beach Home - it's my mum's shop at Palm Beach. Arida. Phone: 9357 4788;

www.arida.com.au. Palm Beach Home. Phone: 9974 2117.

Where do you turn to for good wallpaper?

Porter's Paints have recently started making wallpapers. Otherwise I'm working a lot with de Gournay. They're very traditional wallpapers, all hand-painted, and they customise their designs to suit you. Phone: (03) 9593 9471; www.degournay.com.

Can you recommend a sewing service for curtains, cushions etc.?

Blind and Drape Store in Woollahra. They're good at bedcovers, cushions and curtains. They do all that for us. Phone: 9327 2725; www.blindanddrapestore.com.au.

How do you give your home a quick lift?

The simple answer is to get candles and flowers, and to paint everything white.In Insider Trading in the August issue we listed incorrect details for Ambience Upholsterers. The correct details are: Ambience Upholsterers, 25b Doody Street, Alexandria. Phone: 9669 2669.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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