Hi friends,
When people ask where the inspiration for my surface pattern collections comes from, I often think about the homes I’ve lived in over the years.
Looking back, I realise it started long before I became a designer.
When I was growing up, Mum would buy the Saturday newspaper and circle all the garage sales within an hour’s drive. We’d spend the day visiting them together. At the time, I would have much preferred to be doing almost anything else.
Our home was always clean, welcoming, and thoughtfully arranged. Mum enjoyed finding furniture, pottery, and other pieces that had been well made and well cared for. Although I didn’t appreciate the garage sale trips as a child, I always enjoyed seeing what she brought home.
Over the years, Mum also collected beautiful blue pots and terracotta planters. Today, many of them still surround our verandah, filled with plants that have grown and changed with the seasons.
When I bought my first apartment in my twenties, I naturally found myself drawn to furniture with a story of its own.
The apartment was built in the 1970s, and I furnished it almost entirely with pre-loved pieces. My blue and white striped couches stayed with me for many years, alongside an ornate timber coffee table, side tables, a chest of drawers, and bedside tables that gave the apartment warmth and character. One of my favourite pieces was a carved jarrah bookshelf from the Markets.
After I married, our home continued to grow and change.
Some furniture came with us, some pieces were built especially for our family, and others were gifts from parents and relatives. Crystal glassware, painted china, timber furniture, and practical everyday pieces all found their place.
When we later moved to our country home, we added even more character to the house. Some furniture had been left behind by the previous owners, some came from family, and other pieces were found in vintage shops, local markets, and country stores.
I have always enjoyed homes that feel lived in rather than perfectly styled. Natural timber, painted furniture, baskets, pottery, books, gardens, and simple everyday objects have always appealed to me more than following changing trends.
Looking back, I realise these homes and the things that filled them quietly influenced my surface pattern collections.
The colours I was drawn to, the flowers and foliage I enjoyed drawing, and the collections I created were all shaped by the places I had lived and the things I saw every day.
When I sit down to design a new collection, I naturally return to colours and subjects that feel familiar to me—Australian plants, gardens, timber, pottery, linen, books, and well-loved homes.
My hope is that these collections will feel at home in spaces that are lived in and loved, bringing warmth, character, and a sense of familiarity into everyday life.
Thank you for reading a little of the story behind my designs.
Stella x