Photo by Tara Pearce

I didn’t even have an Instagram account and I was well aware of Stephanie Somebody (aka Stamatis). This Melbourne designer and stylist has been named in this month’s Real Living Magazine as one of the design forces of today and is somewhat an Instagram sensation with over 126K followers!  All of her images have a common thread, a continuous story of beauty through the eyes of Stephanie and if you haven’t yet experienced it; I promise, like me, you’ll be hooked. I adore her very distinct styling that can be seen in the likes of Est Magazine; it’s raw and textured yet very authentic and almost always drawing on some form of nature. Today I’m thrilled to have Stephanie here to answer my 5 Decorating Questions.

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While I was in Sydney I had a great little outing to The Grounds of Alexandria, which has popped up since moving to Auckland. Some girlfriends of mine raved about it and knew that I would love it so we arranged to meet there for lunch with our tribe of children. I kicked myself for not packing my camera, this place is a playground for not only kids but also adults.

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Geraldine writes Little Big Bell, a lovely design and lifestyle blog out of London. She uses the blog as a creative outlet and way to unwind after her very long days as a medical physician in a hospital ER department. I really enjoy reading Geraldine’s true passion for design and interiors when she reports about her discoveries of England’s emerging design talent and it’s soon to extend over the Atlantic… Some very exciting news for Geraldine is that she’s been invited by Modenus to take part in the Los Angeles BlogTour in October! Thank you so much for sharing with us what’s on your wall Geraldine, I just love how you’ve played with the garlands and gorgeous prints.  

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There aren’t a lot of design shops that you walk in to that have the wow factor that Koskela does. When I first entered the showroom I felt almost overwhelmed by the immense size of the space and the amount of beauty that filled every inch of it. Husband and wife duo, Russel Koskela and Sasha Titckosky first opened Koskela in Surry Hills, Sydney back in 2000 and moved into their new space in Rosebery early last year after outgrowing it. I wanted to visit the last time I was back home but never quite managed to fit it in. This time I made it, albeit spontaneously after “The Horse’s Birthday Fete” next door at The School. Thankfully I had my camera on hand to do a little shop tour for you.

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When I read on Megan Morton’s Facebook feed that she was holding a Horses Birthday Fete at The School while I was in Sydney, I have to admit I was kind of thrilled that I’d finally get to see some of her magic first hand, and before her New Zealand Roadshow in November (more of that at the end).

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