Magazine Sneaky Peek - Inside Out Sep/Oct '10 (Issue 87)

Inside Out Sep/Oct '10 (Issue 87) - cover

Here's a little something to whet your appetite.

Hopefully a more in depth post tomorrow on this great issue.

Sandy K

[above image impatiently scanned by Sandy K]

Thursday Thrills

Every Thursday without fail, I make sure I obtain a copy of the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). I could be interstate, OS or even unable to venture down to the local newsagents. Somehow, someway, whether by bribing family members, begging co-workers or ringing the newsagent, I always get Thursday’s edition. I once forgot to purchase it & out of sheer desperation, put out a plea on a national forum & begged for someone to find a previous Thursday SMH to post to me.

Why such antics you may ask? Well, I’ll let you in on the reason for my compulsion/addiction/obsession. Thursday is the day that the SMH has the fabulous Essential Style lift out included.

The SMH Essential Style lift out

This little gem of a lift out has a fantastic editorial & writing staff. The Source by Melissa Penfold (or as it happened this week, by Alexia Briggs as Melissa is on holiday) is my first destination in the lift out. The part I find an invaluable resource is the Secret Sydney blurb. The information divulged is as good as gold. In it is revealed priceless info with regards to those artisans or places only known to the doyennes of interior design & style. It’s these contacts & addresses that I file away in my little black book for future use.

Melissa Penfold's latest tome - Melissa Penfold's Little Black Book

For example, this week happened to list the details of a highly regarded ceramic restorer. A previous week mentioned the picture-hanging expert, known cleverly as The Hangman, who is used by all the elite designers. Now, really, can you glean this info from the yellow pages & feel secure in the person’s ability or qualifications? No, I didn’t think so. But when it comes as a recommendation from one of Style’s high priestesses, then special attention should be paid.

Jonathon Lee aka The Hangman

The Source is also a great section for finding out that your favourite interiors destination is either having that must-not-be-missed sale or has had a fabulous to-die-for shipment of new goodies arrive.

The home mini trend is another section I love to peruse. Sometimes you come across that one fabulous item that becomes a must/lust have or it leads to you researching more about a designer or store whose product is featured.

The other regular interior design section is “My Village”. This section features the highlights of a particular suburb or street with the best of the best shops. Again, another fantastic section to broaden my resources especially as I don’t live in Sydney & must plan expeditions to the big smoke very carefully.

The other interior design sections seem to vary each week, from actual interiors, to homewares in general, to what is “hot right now”.

Last week’s “hot right now”, featured Peter Lewis of Porter’s Paints. Porter’s is an iconic Australian company that fortuitously appeared on the scene when interiors in this country were in dire need of a specialist paint supplier with a unique product. Porter’s Paints has some very exciting developments coming up shortly & later in the year that are deserving of it’s own post.

Porter's Paints
images via Porter's Paints
collage of images by Sandy K

From this post, you would think that the Essential Style lift out only features interiors. It is however a mix of interiors & fashion related articles. The fashion sections are just as inspiring & are of as high a calibre as the interior sections.

Alas, fashion will have to wait another day.

Sandy K

Let's dive straight in .....

OK. First post. Has to be done sometime & won't be perfect, but deep breath, here we go.

I have always been a design fanatic.

My family migrated from India to Australia in the early 70's. My mother has a great eye, but sometimes lacks the confidence in her ability to make the "right" decisions when it comes to the interior of her home. When my parents built their first home in the late 70's, my mother employed the help of an Interior Designer. How my mother came across this particular lady I'm not sure, but MD (I will refer to her as such as the magnificent lady has since passed & thus I am unable to ask permission to publish her name) was a woman of elegance & superbly refined taste. MD was an absolute professional to the end.

My interest in design was piqued when MD used to come to the house with her sample books & those amazing one off accessories which have stood the test of time.  I recall being fascinated by fabric samples & catalogues of furniture from a relatively young age. I actually did work experience with MD when I was 16 as part of our compulsory high school work experience program. My family background however, dictated a strong push to a health profession career. My interest in Interior Design & Architecture for that matter, were regarded as "hobbies" rather than a career I could succeed at or make a living from.

My current career as a health professional just doesn't satisfy me. It's great from an intellectual point of view & those instances where I feel I have made a difference to a person's health outcomes are truly wonderful, but they are few & far between. They say it's never too late to change careers, hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later for me.

This blog will mainly be about design related matters. It will be an ever changing thing as I get my head around html code & also finding the time to post. Please bear with me as I start this new adventure & learn as I go.

I love design as I am sure those that may one day peruse this blog do also. I hope you enjoy what I have to offer.

Sandy K