


For many of my styling shoots this year I've stopped off at shelf/life in Sydney's Surry Hills. The shop, run by Jess Ibbett, has a great mix of gifts and homewares, all with an eye towards sustainability. It's also just a beautiful space to be in.
One of the go-to places in Brooklyn, New York, for flowers in Saipua. However, the name is actually derived from the Finnish word for "soap". Since 1999 Susan Ryhanen started not only making bars of it from olive oil but also cutting and wrapping it by hand. In 2006, after daughter Sarah and her partner Eric had joined the business, a shop was opened in Brooklyn, selling flowers too. The studio with a storefront, pictured above (via The Scout Mag and Mindy Best), was opened in 2009 based on a design by architect Jeremy Barbour of Tacklebox.
Which five words best describe you? Fearless, cranky, loyal, dramatic, excitable.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I started playing with flowers after receiving a very pretty and unusual bouquet of black dahlias from my partner Eric on my 25th birthday. I would visit this unusual shop and purchase things by the stem and place them around the apartment. It made our little apartment feel exquisite. I was working as a curator at the time at Exit Art and the director, Jeanette, let me create big arrangements for openings and events. She was very supportive of my new hobby and eventually it was the right time for me to leave Exit Art to pursue flowers and our business. Isn't it funny how life works?
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? I'm not sure I've learned any good lessons yet! I know the lessons, but learning them and adhering to them is so much different. As our business has grown it has become a lot more complicated, clients, employees, now a flower farm - but I think the most important lesson for me is to always remember the flowers. Every single arrangement needs to be perfect. There should never be any skimping, never any, "it's good enough". As things get bigger and more chaotic it makes me more obsessive about keeping the small orders absolutely exquisite. Otherwise, we loose sight of why we're working so hard.
What’s your proudest career achievement? Being able to employ and provide health insurance for our staff. I'm really proud that Saipua can make a living for four people - seven if you count part-timers. I owe them everything for their relentless commitment.
What’s been your best decision? Hard to pick one - always repeatedly the best decisions come from listening to Eric's (my boyfriend and business partner) sound advice. He keeps my impulsive, rash side in check.
Who inspires you? Ariella Chezar. Thierry Boutemy. All of the talented Brooklyn designers who constantly put out stunning work; they keep me on my toes, asthetically. I love healthy competition, it keeps us driven and inventive.
What are you passionate about? My work, cooking, coffee.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Kate Bush
What dream do you still want to fulfil? I want to have a field of bearded iris one day. And sheep; I want a small flock of Icelandic sheep, to make some cheese. I want to learn more about dance, and make my own dance troupe. That sounds like a 13-year-old dream, but it's true.
I really want to do a book but finding the time for that is hard lately. And a pack of dogs that follow me around and keep deer out of my flower beds.
What are you reading? Eliot Coleman's The New Organic Grower.
images courtesy of saipua and mindy best; via the scout mag
Anthony Wyer had been working as a structural landscaper when he came into contact with William Dangar, one of Australia's leading designers for all things outdoors. (You can read a DI interview with Will here.) The meeting, and years under Will's tutelage set Anthony on a path to create AWLD in 2002. Since then he has designed gardens in Australia and Asia. Anthony is a horticulturalist and licensed structural landscaper, and a member of the Australian Institute of Landscape Designers & Managers and the Australian Institute of Horticulture. Also, his home has been featured inside and on the (April 2011) cover of Australian House & Garden magazine. I recently interviewed him for another place that he designed, in Sydney's Paddington, for real living.
Which five words best describe you? Engaging, friendly, fun, creative and driven.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I became inspired while working with former employer and now close friend William Dangar. He opened up a world of creativity and design. My business was closely affiliated with William for many years but has recently drifted along it own path as AWLD became it own identity within the landscape design world.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Creativity, attention to detail and honesty; I have always believed that one should strive to evolve design and from a business perspective it should be conducted honestly.
What’s your proudest career achievement? I am particularly proud of the gardens that the AWLD team produces, but on a personal level I am honoured to be an ambassador for National Plant A Tree Day.
What’s been your best decision? Without a doubt, marrying my wife and having a family.
Who inspires you? Travel gives me so much inspiration, whenever I return from an interesting trip I am always full of new and creative ideas.
What are you passionate about? My work; I love turning an area into an aesthetically beautiful and useable space, it is so rewarding. I am also passionate about keeping fit and healthy: I am up a 5am every morning cycling, swimming and in the gym.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Richard Branson – I admire his positive outlook on life and business.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? I would like to sail in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. There is a certain fear and endurance to the race that would be hugely satisfying.
What are you reading? Paths to Glory by Jeffrey Archer, which I am thoroughly enjoying.
images courtesy of anthony wyer
Haik Kocharian says art is in his DNA. He was born in Armenia to actor parents, and followed in their footsteps, studying at the Armenian Theatre Academy before moving to New York in 1994. Initially he worked as a photo journalist, before graduating from the Brooklyn College, with majors in photography and film. For almost a decade Haik has been working as a fine art photographer, and has held several exhibitions in New York. He also has been a finalist in the Smithsonian Magazine Annual Photo Competition. In a continuation of his theatre background, Haik has written and directed six short films, and is about to complete his second feature film Please be normal. He is exhibiting at the Robin Rice Gallery in New York until April 29.
Which five words best describe you? Free, internal, dreamer, seeker, me.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? To photography I was introduced by my uncle who bought me my first camera at the age of five. The rest, as they say, is history; I've been photographing since. I was born in a family of professional actors; my father is also a painter and theatre director. So art is in my DNA. Currently I work in fine art photography, film, as a writer/director and in music as a singer/songwriter. Aside from my solo exhibition at Robin Rice Gallery and my photography work, I am currently finishing my feature film Please Be Normal as a writer/director and have completed my new album "Children's Album" to be released in mid May of 2012.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Hmm. This is a tough one. There are many valuables lessons I have learned that have shaped me as an artist and an individual. The lesson for life is: Nothing in life is bigger than life itself. The lesson in work/art is: To win you must lose. The lesson in life's outlook is: A person in motion always stands a chance.
What’s your proudest career achievement? Every artistic achievement is a result of hard work and determination. Perhaps overcoming the doubt, the fear, the difficulty and pushing forward to achieve a full potential for your vision is what I am proud of most.
What’s been your best decision? To follow my calling, my passion, my dream.
Who inspires you? My mom, my darling love Natalie, and all who love and believe in me.
What are you passionate about? Life, Life, Life: it's a magical gift to be enjoyed every single moment.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Oh. The list is very, very long. Just to name a few. John Lennon, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Mark Rothko, Federico Fellini, Henri Cartier-Bresson. I would also like to meet President Obama.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? Achieve my maximum potential as a person and as an artist. Contribute to society in a lasting and meaningful way, enrich the lives of people I love and care about.
What are you reading? Currently I am reading a short novel by Werner Herzog Of walking in ice.
images courtesy of haik kocharian
"Pare down to the essence, but don't remove the poetry. Keep things clean and unencumbered, but don't sterilise." It's a quote from Leonard Koren, an artist, architect and author, and it can be found on the website of Small Spaces, a recently opened shop in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Redfern. The sentiment of the quote applies equally to the store as the actual goods found inside. Sarah O'Neil brought this philosophy to life after she decided to simplify her life. The result is Small Spaces.
Which five words best describe you? Warm, loyal, passionate, curious and (just occasionally) stubborn.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? Always had a passion and respect for design. Spent 16 years in fashion culminating in role as sales manager for Collette Dinnigan. The frenetic pace and disposability of fashion design led to a growing interest in the more lasting character of interior design and architecture. My mother had a company, Arkitex, which collaborated with some of the world's leading modern textile designers. She sold the business in 2004 and I've stayed in the industry since.
What's the best lesson you've learnt along the way? Oh, so many lessons: listen to my intuition, take risks, the value of gratitude, acceptance and resilience.
Who inspires you? Innovators. The Japanese. My family and friends. My mother's grace and resilience in the face of adversity
What are you passionate about? Small space living, wabi-sabi, nature, my family, Japan, good design in any manifestation, human rights, animal welfare... in no particular order.
What dream do you still want to fulfill? To see Small Spaces grow to become a destination for good quality, considered design solutions for modern small space living. To enable others to enjoy the freedom and richness of this simpler, lighter way of life. Oh, and a barn of my own.
What are you reading? Blogs and The flower shop: charm, grace, beauty and tenderness in a commercial context by Leonard Koren.
images courtesy of small spaces and matt palmer