{Upfront with...} Sibella Court, Interior Stylist & Author

In follow up to last week's feature on 'The Society Inc' here's a quick 'Upfront with...' interview with Sibella Court, I would like to thank Sibella and her team once again for this privilege.



Sibella Court is an interior stylist for the Merivale Group and private clients, author of Etcetera etc. and The Stylist's Guide to NYC (and Nomad coming out in October!), product designer and owner of The Society inc., a hardware meets haberdashery store in Paddington. She has a 110-colour paint range and 12 chalkboard colours, two nail polishes and a hardware range coming out with Anthropologie in September.

Also keep a lookout as Sibella also runs some workshop that you might be interested in.

When I was a child I wanted to….
discover new worlds! Which I did with my brothers & sisters as we went on wild & dangerous adventures at my Grandparent's property.

My parents always told me…
I could keep the fifty shells, smelly kelp, owl pellet and bunch of nasturtiums I had picked up on my adventure.

I wish I had…
a tiger. With a live-in tiger wrangler. I might settle for a Bengal instead.

My happiest moments are….
waking up and knowing I get to do cool things all day. Not to say I don't enjoy a cheeky G&T when the day is over.

At home I cook…
up ideas! Let's just say the kitchen is a very useful storage space.

My last meal would be…
hot chips!

I’m very bad at…
acknowledging that my schedule is full.

At the moment I’m reading…
part of the libary that I just ordered- I love books and I have hundreds and hundreds. Most recently I have been captivated by the story and pictures of my Ballet Russes: The Art of Costume catalogue from the exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia. The gorgeous textures and colours will be inspiration for an event I'm working on!

At the moment I’m listening to…
Little Dragon. I appreciate all music but it seems to be the only album my assistants ever put on.

I’m always being asked….
lots of things! That's why I hold workshops that are so much fun. We wine and chat and talk about cool stuff. It's all very hands-on. So far we've had colourbox, styling with stick, stones & bones, domarama plus more.

If only I could…
add a few hours to my day and days to my week.

Friends say I am…
always in a good mood!

My most treasured possession is…
my smile. Yesterday I lost it (which doesn't happen very often) but I found it in a jalapeno margherita at El Loco on the way to Chef's Warehouse.

If I wasn’t me I’d like to be…
Charles Darwin! I would love to live in the days when exploration and discovery happened on big wooden worlds & high seas and new ideas were challenging the way people thought.

I often wonder…
what the next super exciting project is going to be!

For updates 'like' The Society Inc's Facebook page
Image courtesy of Sibella Court

{Photography} Sibella Court's The Society Inc

I have always been wanting to visit Sibella Court's shop 'The Society Inc' in Paddington, ever since I've heard of her. She describes the shop as "A magical, make-believe space that transports you to a time-forgotten of merchants & traders". For me I felt like I was literally this biggest kid in the disneyland of candy store! ha ha ha! I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Sibella Court and her team for allowing me photograph her amazingly gorgeous shop! I can live here!

I will let the images speak for themselves and seriously do yourself a favour and visit her website - The Society Inc and swoon over a lot more images. I have two of her books 'Etcetera' and 'The Stylist's Guide to NYC'. She's just about to release a new book too called 'Nomad Bringing your Travels Home'.



























































For more information about the shop The Society Inc's website or for more information about Sibella Court click here and here

Photography: Luisa Brimble

{Personal} Vintage Bingo Set

Had such a gorgeous day today. A friend suggested that I visit St Vinnies in Charring Cross today and I was just so happy that I did because I found a white vintage stool for $15 and some mix and match tea cups and saucers. As I was just about ready to go back into the car to go home I thought I should venture out a little more and walk right at the end of Bronte Rd when I came across another vintage shop called Victory Collectables and found this old bingo set. I was also so very happy to be chatting with the owner and as you guessed it I've asked if I can do a photoshoot of her shop ha ha ha. So typical. Anyway we got talking further and she said that I can rent some of the items in her shop if ever I needed them for a shoot. So I left the shop feeling like this. Thank you Briar for posting that image in Sunday Collector's facebook page.

Photography: Luisa Brimble

{Upfront with...} Introducing a new blog segment

I'm very excited to be introducing a brand new segment here in the blog called "Upfront with…".

This will be a fun and interesting interview segment all about the most inspirational people we know. The creative world is filled with artists, photographers, graphic designers, crafters, illustrators etc and I would love to open a window into their minds so you can see their fun side.

So how the interview works is that I supplied them with the start of the sentence and they finish it off with an answer. So here we go… and your time starts now…

{Upfront with...} Sarah Rhoads - Photographer

Oh my goodness how is this for amazingness! Who turns out to be the very first person to answer my interview questions? None other than one of my top 10 absolute favourite photographers in the world – Sarah Rhoads!





















Sarah and her husband Chris are a lifestyle photography team based in Seattle, Washington. The international demand for their talent has sent them hurtling all over the globe for photography commissions of all kinds. Their love of life is obvious in their images, and the inside word is they also love their travel, their cat and a cup of tea on a rainy day. They shoot lifestyle advertising work (wearetherhoads.com) as well as lifestyle couples & families (www.sarahrhoads.com). What I love most about their photography is the movement in their images. Get to know them a little better by watching them at work here

Thank you so much Sarah and your time starts now…

When I was a child I wanted to….
Be a Broadway star ☺ I have always loved performing & grew up dancing for an incredible ballet company in Chicago. My parents took me to more than 50 different Broadway & off Broadway musicals growing up & those are some of my fondest memories.

My parents always told me…
They were proud of me & that I could be anything I wanted to be.

I wish I had…
Taken more time to live in the NOW.

My happiest moments are….
Shared with my best friend, partner in crime & soulmate, Chris Rhoads

At home I cook….
Ha! That’s funny. No time for cooking! We eat out wayyyy too much.

My last meal would be….
An amazing Italian feast with a whole lotta carbs, a good hearty glass of pinot noir, finished off with several scoops of fresh gelato ice cream… mmmmm…

I’m very bad at….
Painting my own nails.

At the moment I’m reading…
I’m in the middle of so many books right now… this is the story of my life really. The books I’m in the middle of: Art & Fear, The Genius of Photography, Keith Richards Autobiography entitled “Life”

At the moment I’m listening to….
I’ve been totally obsessed with Ellie Goulding & Robyn recently.

I’m always being asked….
“What is your favorite lens?” seems to be one that has been a steady favorite for a while now… (for the record, my 35mm 1.4 is the lens I tend to go-to the most)

If only I could…
Clone myself! Or Time travel! Or sing really well! – things that I have said this week

Friends say I am…
Passionate, driven, encouraging

My most treasured possession is…
Hmmm… I don’t value possessions much, but I guess if I had to choose one, as cliché as this sounds, it’s probably one of my cameras. If I was left with one possession on the planet that would definitely top the charts.

If I wasn’t me I’d like to be….
I like being me ☺

I often wonder….
How people got around before cell phones? I’m so dependent on my iphone it’s disgusting

For more information about the Rhoads check them out here

Here's a quick behind-the-scene video of their recent photoshoot for Sony.

Sony - The Era of You Campaign - We Are The Rhoads - BTS from We Are The Rhoads on Vimeo

Advertising Portfolio: http://wearetherhoads.com
Advertising Blog: http://blog.wearetherhoads.com
Couples Portfolio: http://www.sarahrhoads.com
Couples Blog: http://www.sarahrhoads.com/blog
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sarahrhoads
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wearetherhoads
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wearetherhoads
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarahrhoadsphotographers

Images courtesy of Sarah Rhoads.

{Personal} The Still Life Series

Photography: Luisa Brimble

{Photography} The Vintage Princess

Photography & Styling: Luisa Brimble
Make-up Artist: Megan Vaughan of Make-up by Megan 0421 610 150
Hair Stylist: Melissa Cauchi Hairdressing
Model: Naomi Wiesmann; Photographer's Assistant: Marione Lozano
Naomi was wearing Summerblossom hairpiece from the Vintage Princess collection