In this intimate workshop Sibella Court, interior stylist and owner of The Society inc, will discuss the process of styling and how items from our collections have inspired her work.

On an adventure through our historical archives, Court discovered the story of collectors from the 19th and early 20th centuries including Alexander Macleay, first resident of Elizabeth Bay House, and Frederick P Dodd, who created one of the most impressive Australian entomological collections. The story of Dodd’s creative sensibilities and the world and time in which he lived appealed to Court, and inspired her to share the many ways nature and history can be translated into an interior.
Refreshments included

Sibella Court is an interior stylist, owner of The Society inc. store., product designer and bestselling author of the books Etcetera etc, The stylist’s guide to NYC,Nomad and Bowerbird. She creates commercial interiors for clients in Australia and overseas, contributes to leading interior and fashion magazines and has a 110-paint colour paint range as well as soap, decorative hardware ranges. She works regularly with Anthropologie and will be launching a clothing, scent and bed linen range with the retailer this year.

Elizabeth Bay House
Saturday 29 June
2.00pm — 4.00pm

General $85 | Member/conc $80 | Bookings essential

BUY TICKETS HERE

The Society Inc. is holding a special ‘Welcome to Australia’ party for the New York duo behind Confetti Systems!

A friendship born from a shared love of communal celebration and craft-making, bought together Julie Ho & Nicholas Anderson to create this special brand. Julie and Sibella have been friends for a long time, and also worked together in New York.

Please join us at the shop on June 19th, 6pm-8pm to celebrate, mulled wine in hand.

There will also be products available to purchase on the night.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

http://www.confettisystem.com/

The Society Inc.

18 Stewart Street,

Paddington, NSW

Australia 2021

It’s finally that time of the year again! The Virginia Creeper is turning and it’s time for an early morning, hot coffee in hand, jaunt amongst The Society inc. fleamarket. Before Winter sets in for good, come and discover oddities & curiosities, fresh herbs & seeds, handmade treasures, knitted textiles for rugging up, shibori dyed cushions, ceramics & lots more.

As usual, our stallholders will be selling their wares from 8AM – MIDDAY. I’m all about treasure hunting, upcycling, passing on, lo-fi and of course, collecting, styling, new mementos & memories once home. See you there!

Saturday, June 1st

The Society inc.

18 Stewart Street, Paddington

NSW Australia 2021

Come – it’s free! I’m signing books afterwards and would love to have a chat.

Hoi An is a coastal town, once the main trading port of Vietnam & largely built by the Japanese & Chinese. Beautiful old shop fronts line the street selling their wares. The buildings & their facades fascinated me more than the most of the souvenirs. Bouganvillea & other climbing flowers drip from the eaves & faded lanterns look beautiful against chalky walls of turquoise & yellows. Walk the streets of Phan Boi Chau & have a look at the colonial riverside building that houses Brother’s Café. Wander through the central market for bamboo baskets, fruit & vegetable, handloomed natural mats, kitchen utensils & everything else. Cross over to Ngyen Thai Hoe to the lantern shop and pop your head into some of the historic houses. Then finish for lunch at the 2-story Mango Mango looking over the river. This is owned by gun slinging Vietnamese American, Duc. Delicious food, with a mix of subtle Vietnamese, Japanese & fresh produce flavours (leave room for  coconut & passionfruit ice cream).

Best to do this in the morning before it’s too hot or in the afternoon & then finish at Duc’s other restaurant, Mango Room.

The kitchen is teeny tiny with no cooked food on the menu, but plenty of yoghurt drinks, crossiants & other delicious things.

Check out the menu, beautifully handwritten in hardcovered old books. The tables are adorned with stenciled enamelware, fully blown roses against a backdrop of army green walls & exposed brick.

There are 2 locations in Hanoi (&rumour of opening in London)

152Đ-Triệu Việt Vương, Hai Bà Trưng

32-Điện Biên Phủ, Ba Đình

US-based company, One Kings Lane had asked me to go anywhere in the world on a shopping trip to fill a container to sell online, coinciding with the release of my 5^th book Gypsy in October 2013, and Vietnam was the destination!

I had been told about the basket fishing boats of Hoi An by my friends Morrison & Robert as an idea to put on my shopping list!

And on my early beach walk this morning, they were revealed in all their fascinating sculptural beauty. The beach up from super fancy hotel , The Nam Hai was scattered with them. Looking like beached whales, they are woven, then tarred for water resistance with a single loop rope on their perimeter to hold a carved wooden paddle. I watched as a fisherman rode a wave into shore maneuvering with circular motions of the paddle. He was as wirey & thin as a whippet!

They will definitely be appearing in the sale, I just have to convince a couple of fisherman to part with their baskets!

Jo & Will have lived all over & are now settled back in Australia, however their store is a showcase of globetrotting finds, lighting, new artist’s pieces, fabric by the yard, books, as well as their own tinkerings & makings.

I was lucky enough to be invited into their fabulous upstairs abode which they built with Argentinian salvage & a whole lot of genius. Beautiful proportions, finishes, fixtures & a great sense of humour. Check it out!!!!

On a Thursday night, instead of catching the ferry back to the mainland we headed to the cluster of tents located on the Western side of the island. I was there for a week with my core crew and we took over 4 tents to make our home for the night.

Everything you need for some serious glamping is on Cockatoo Island: cooking, bathing, tennis court and bar (haha). If camping isn’t your style there are a few houses & even residences to choose from. Ah, to waking up at dawn & walking around freely as the sun rises over the Harbour Bridge. This is something everyone should do – it is magnificent.

The island has so many layers of history. Like so many other historical locations, these layers stop in time at one point – but here they continue. It is now used as a location for art fairs, dirt bike tracks, film festivals, movies, residential rentals, camping, parties and so much more. Remnants are left of their presence to be embraced, celebrated & added to its appeal.

After last year’s bienniale I thought this would be a perfect location for part of my new book Gypsy, the companion to Nomad. After travelling to 5 new countries, I use the inspiration to concept interiors that draw on what I have seen, experienced & loved from patterns, colours, shapes, activities, people, architecture, markets, seasons and rituals.

We borrowed & looted from The Society inc. & fav shops out & about in Sydney, all the props, furniture, flowers, rigging & the rest, loaded it into a ute, then into a 4 tonne truck & hired a barge to deposit us on the island for the week.

An old warehouse was our holding space & we shot in over 15 locations throughout the island (with the kind use of golf carts & smaller trucks). I always shoot a large portion of my books in January, and this year the temperature reached new heights, an all time 100 year heat record! I worked with a core team of my brother/photographer Chris, right hand Hannah, truckdriver/rigger extraordinaire Jim & the hardworking assistants, Georgie & Nicky and here are some sneak peak behind the scene pics from our time there.

I love that I am now too, a part of Cockatoo Island’s history. Thank you to Karly, Alex, Eliza & Sally of Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Anthony & the rangers on Cockatoo Island, and all the shopowners/artists/florists that lent me their fab products.

I just love these Bonnie & Neil cushions with their lovely tassles and patterns but it is time they went to their new homes & made room for the next colour palette. Get into the shop quick because they are ON SALE and will go super fast! Call us if you want any put aside.

We look forward to sharing our exciting, magic & fantastical projects, books, photos, blogs & all the other cool stuff with you in 2013.

Happy New Year! xx

Shop closes Saturday 21st at 5pm and reopens Wednesday 16th Jan. Happy Holidays!