Those of you who follow my blog know its no secret that I admire the work of Stylist, Interior Designer, author and The Society Inc. owner, Sibella Court. The influence of her love of travel, history, the beach and personal memories is so profound in her commercial styling, interior design and the items she curates for The Society Inc. I love the fact that the store undergoes a complete colour palette and theme change 4 times a year...something I find very thoughtful and true to what she does best as a stylist and designer.
So naturally, when I found out she was conducting a book signing session at Potts Point Bookstore, I was excited to get the chance to meet her. I was so un-blogger like as to not prepare myself to interview her because I thought it might be too busy tsk'tsk (Obviously something I'm still learning about as a blogger). So when I discovered she had plenty of free time to sign, take a photo and have a little chat, I was pleasantly surprised....as well as kinda bummed that I didn't prepare anything :P.
Sibella was very polite and attentive and mentioned that she had come across Lola Lovely Pre Adored when I told her the name of my blog, which I was quite chuffed about! Apart from that, my lack of preparation reduced me to being a bit of a nervous wreck; apologising for taking photos, fumbling around my mind for questions whilst listening to her generous answers, and my indecisiveness as to which book I should get her to sign.What I had discovered during our conversation, was that her 3rd book Nomad will be hitting bookstores internationally on the 1st of November. Its theme as the title suggests, is styling with items collected throughout her travels. I was fortunate enough to have a sneak peek into Nomad and was taken aback by the beautiful photography and layout of styled vignettes filled with the colours, textures and the ornate ethnic patterns of objects picked up during her travels throughout the Mediterranean, South America, Asia and the Middle East. Definitely a book for people like myself, who love to collect all sorts of curio during their travels...PLUS, she also mentioned that she is in the process of working on a 4th book which will be released some time next year, so be sure to look out for that!
As some may know, Sibella works closely with Justin and Bettina Hemmes as an interior stylist for the Merivale Group where among others, she has styled and designed rooms such the Upstairs at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills and Ms G's in Potts Point (Which co-incidentally was the same restaurant I stopped to gawk at the interior of on my way to the book signing.). Sibella is currently working on several projects at the moment. She particularly spoke about the research she is currently conducting to convert an old 1920's bathing pavilion in Neilson Park into a bar. Her fascination with the locker rooms of old underground boxing gyms will present itself in the styling of this bar. I envisage old rust patina metal lockers, exposed bulb lamps suspended from the ceiling, worn wooden benches and cracked concrete walls. With an amazing eye and a bevy of local and international suppliers, I'm sure this space will deliver in style and ambiance and I personally can't wait to see the finished result.
'Upstairs' live music venue at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills
It was hard to think of insightful questions on the spot but as a budding designer all I wanted to know was where Sibella drew particular inspiration from. She mentioned her fascination for galleries and museums, some of which she had worked on several projects with. She also mentioned the great working relationship she has with local curators and artists. I noticed in particular on her blog, Anna Wili Highfield whom she is good friends with and an artist who I had blogged about in the past here.
thinking whether she noticed how flustered I was as well as the beads of sweat forming on my forehead (not sure if that was due to nerves or the fact that I had speedily walked several kilometres to get to the bookstore lol). All in all, it was a very pleasant, casual but inspirational experience. But I couldn't help but feel the pressure when she said she'll keep eye out on my blog. If that's not encouragement enough to push me along with my studies and what I do with LLPA, I don't know what is!
xx Jo
For my previous blog on Sibella Court, click here.
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