Do you come from a long line of crafty people? Have you always made things?
My Nana was always crocheting and my mother always sewing and knitting and baking and my Dad building cupboards, working with wood, knocking down walls and gardening. So I guess my love of textiles, wood, and interiors with the odd bit of cake stems from these influences.From a small age I ‘crafted’, decorating my bedroom with all sorts of fabric covered things, licked bowls of sticky cake mix and often made my younger sisters wear my clothing creations!
What other jobs have you had? Before One Small Room I lived and worked and studied in London for 8 years – doing a mix of temp secretarial and PA jobs, a stint in retail with much travelling in between, and I also studied interior design before landing my much loved job as a freelance stylist for interior design magazines.
Is fabric design your crafty dream come true – or did you arrive at it unexpectedly?
No, not at all – it was an opportunity that came my way and keeps evolving! In 2006 I was invited by Pamela Hall (nee Walker) to buy some fabric remnants that she thought i may be able to sell. When I saw the fabrics I fell in love with their simplistic, fresh design and relevance to today’s market and could see their potential if reprinted. So began the challenge of learning about textile design!The label Sproutdesign developed as the textile design arm of One Small Room and original prints were reworked with new colours and sizes and then made into products like bedlinen, lampshades, bags and clothing.
The range now includes the Designers for Sproutdesign collection which was the result of a collaboration with several of Australia’s very talented graphic, illustrative and textile designers (such as Moyra Proudfoot of Surface Art and Kristen Doran of Kristen Doran Design) who we’ve had the privilege of working with.
How much time do you spend on your craft? How do you manage the craft/life balance?
My husband and I spend many a waking and non waking hour on our design business, but for us it is part of our life and we love what we do. The challenge is being strict about work time and play time to achieve a balance. Sometimes we’d like to run away but in a way having children helps keep you grounded and focused on what really matters.What do your family and friends think about your crafty life, your blog and your work?
I’m not sure all of them actually understand what we do, but they love the mix of what we have created and the end results of our work. Some say they are envious that we are able to run our own business, walk out our back door to work, be with our children and actually enjoy our job.Who inspires you? Crafty or otherwise, and why?
My girlfriend Dominika Johnston for her ability to make the ordinary look extraordinary from the way she dresses, to the way she wraps presents and constantly moves things around her house! My husband for his ability to focus, get the job done but still know how to enjoy life to the full, and my children who constantly amaze me with their energy and wonderment in the everyday ordinary!What will you be working on in the coming twelve months?
Is there something you really want to do – or an area of your work you want to improve or learn more about? Being a great mum, finding time for a holiday and working with my husband on several interior/building design jobs while coordinating and designing the next lot of product for Sproutdesign. I’m keen to learn more about the printing process for all kinds of applications.What do you find difficult about this craft life? And what is the best part?
The reality that there isn’t enough hours in the day and the challenge of making things that are unique and cost effective. the best part is the experimentation and learning what you are capable of achieving and creating and seeing others embrace what we do.Do you find it difficult to balance the creative with the commercial when you are designing?
At times yes, as when you are running a business you want to design a product that will sell. As our goal is to be different from the norm the creative element of the design is influenced partly by this. When you are running a creative business there is a point where the balance of the creative with the commercial go hand in hand.Do you have time to make things for yourself?
Rarely, but when I do I’m obsessed with finishing it! Fortunately for me my creative outlet is also my business!What’s your view on the Australian Craft Movement – there seems to be a lot of people following both Contemporary and Traditional craft here. In your opinion, is it different to the US Craft Scene?
The Australian craft movement is vibrant and diverse and ever evolving. It is becoming huge and involves so many different forms of craft from the toy maker to the furniture designer to the textile designer. It includes the hobbyist and the designer, the blogger selling online to the retailer selling crafted products of a commercial standard.I think there have always been those that ‘make’ or ‘create’ in the traditional way and those that like to experiment. What is new about this Australian craft movement is the contemporary interpretation of these more traditional methods and designers being able to run viable business from their craft. The success of this movement stems from the ability for designers to mix traditional methods with modern technology, with exciting contemporary results. People are embracing it because craft is no longer seen as a hobby but about clever, beautiful, unique and often sustainable design.
I think any movement is the result of popular culture just as birds appear in design everywhere one year, crafters make all sorts of softies the next and designers try out their hand at textile design as is happening now. I’m sure the Australian craft movement has been influenced from the US movement to a point, but we are Australians in Australia being influenced by our own nature and society and mixed culture that makes the movement in itself unique.
Australians are recognised internationally for their ability to take a fresh approach to design in general and thankfully this new crafting movement – publicised through numerous blog sites and acknowledged in many a glossy mag – gives Australians even more exposure and confidence to continue ‘crafting’.
