writer susanna salk

As soon as I saw this book, I had to have it. I'm always on the hunt for inspiring kids rooms that are as much about style as substance. You could describe US author Susanna Salk in the same way. She helped launch Elle Decor and became a contributing editor. She later joined House & Garden as a special projects editor. Now she regularly contributes to NBC's Today Show, is a contributing editor for 1stdibs.com, and writes books, including A privileged life: celebrating WASP style and Weekend retreats. Most recently Room for children: stylish spaces for sleep and play was published by Rizzoli.

Which five words best describe you? Energised, focused, compassionate, sensitive, aware.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I started at Conde Nast International with all the international shelter magazines like Vogue Decoration and British House & Garden. From there, Elle Decor, then House & Garden. When HG folded, I vowed to not ever associate myself with a magazine again and instead explore opportunities online (I am a 1st dibs contributing editor), television (I contribute on design for NBC's Today show), and books (my third book: Room for Children just debuted this June). I love how today many mediums and worlds can all cross-pollinate one another!
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Don't put off anything you could do right now and if you have a gut feeling about something, stand behind it. Inevitably it will seem like such an obvious good thing in hind sight.
What’s your proudest career achievement? Being able to achieve creative things while still working from home so I can see my family as much as possible.
What’s been your best decision? Moving to the area where we live: its not too rural nor too urban. We're close enough so that I can dash into NYC for meetings but we live on a lake surrounded by gorgeous land. (With a great sushi restaurant 10 minutes away!)
Who inspires you? My 2 boys. Nature, blogs, anything funny or poignant. The first family. People who are truthful and committed.
What are you passionate about? Family and friends, always.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Leonardo da Vinci.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? Traveling as much as possible with my family.
What are you reading? Jonathan Franzen's Freedom of course

images courtesy of susanna salk

est editor sian macpherson

I looked at a magazine this evening and saw a shoot that made me stop and think about ideas. Only afterwards did I realise that it had been a while since that had happened. And, to me, that's what online mags can and should be about - presenting new ways of thinking, seeing, interacting. Of course, we all want to look at beautiful homes and dream a little, but it's good to think on other planes too. I'm so proud to say that the mag I'm talking about is an Australian one. It's Est. And if you haven't seen it yet, check it out because editor Sian MacPherson has been working around the clock to create a mag that has something new to say.

Which five words best describe you? Tenacious, tireless, borderline obsessive, frenetic.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I originally started in PR then studied interior design and started assisting interior designers and stylists - for little or no money in the beginning. I was absolutely fearless when it came to pursuing my 'design idols' and asking them to meet with me. I realised that idols are human too and are all generally only too willing to discuss their passions with like minded people.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? That openness and generousity of spirit always repays you two fold... much more so than being cagey and taciturn ever will.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Definitely the launching of Est - stepping out of your comfort zone is always a challenge and not one I shy away from, but producing something in the hope that people will love it just as much as we do with no a surety that they will is always daunting. I am proud that we have stepped up to the challenge and committed ourselves to it.

What’s been your best decision? To quit PR and pursue a career in interior design. It is not work for me at all - but rather a natural extension of living.

Who inspires you? Working mothers always inspire me - the saying, "If you want to get a job done ask a busy mother to do it" rings so true. My husband James is also a main source of inspiration to me - he has really stuck his neck out and re-invented his career. He is 'stepping out of your comfort zone' personified.

What are you passionate about? Ridding the world of excess "stuff". Most homes are over run with too much of it - I love the job of editing it. It is just so liberating to free yourself of stuff.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Emmanuelle Alt - she exudes nonchalant cool. I love that she only cuts her hair every now and then and does not take her grooming so seriously - a women after my own heart.

What dream do you still want to fulfil? Loads of travel, having three young children has hindered my travelling career, but I am confident with time it will again soar to great heights. It is also my dream to raise three young sons into three charming, kind spirited and successful young men - I have a way to go!

What are you reading? The Slap written by Christos Tsiolkas - not sure how I feel about it - a bit icky - because it portrays life so brutally. Love reading about Melbourne though - my new home town.

images courtesy of est magazine

leap magazine co-founders quentin brown & mark patterson

Quentin Brown and Mark Patterson

Leap magazine is another great mag out and about, although it's actually been running for a couple of years. It has just held an exhibition in Melbourne comprising submissions from the past four editions. The magazine was created by Quentin Brown and Mark Patterson, who are behind the agency Canyon. Submissions for the next issue are open until April 30.

Quentin Brown

Which five words best describe you? Serious, witty, smart, studious, fair.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? A group sacking from a Regent Street pub led to the beginning of a career in design with a London-based studio. I returned to Melbourne in 1996 working with a number of studios including Cato and more recently Cornwell. I am not defined by my work, but I enjoy it.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Be niceWhat’s your proudest career achievement? Establishing a genuine and inspirational team, backing ourselves in creating a business where we get things done.

What’s been your best decision? A business partner!

Who inspires you? The kids.

What are you passionate about? Great ideas! We work best when all parts of the business pitch in creatively, you can only do this if the normal guards are down in relation to defined roles. Ideas come from anywhere and anyone: identifying a good idea is the challenge.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Emil Zatopek.

What dream do you still want to fulfil? Consistent Gybing when sailboarding.

What are you reading? The Fermata by Nicholson Baker.

Mark Patterson

Which five words best describe you? Determined, loyal, forthright, genuine, intuitive.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I was working in corporate marketing and was frustrated with the lack of imagination and creativity in evidence so I jumped the fence to the agency side.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Always trust your own judgement.
What’s your proudest career achievement? Producing Leap magazine. Quentin, my business partner and I had this idea to create a vehicle that celebrated the wealth and diversity of Melbourne's creative community. Leap magazine is published bi-annually and the 5th edition is coming out in June this year. We recently held an exhibition where we showcased the work from the first 4 editions. It's been fantastic, so far we've had contributions from musicians, actors, painters, architects, industrial designers, graphic designers, fashion designers, photographers and school kids.
What’s been your best decision? Starting Canyon. I spent too long in big agencies where creativity gets commodotised.
Who inspires you? My wife Caitlin and my children Georgina and Rex.
What are you passionate about? Work and snowboarding. I love working with our clients to deliver creative solutions to commercial problems. Our clients see us as true business partners and in the main we get to work closely with the business owners so we can effect real change. I've been into snowboarding now for 20 years and just love the rush of it. I've gotten the whole family into skiing and boarding and it's a great way to spend a family holiday.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Hunter S Thompson. A true original who showed me that there was a different way of looking at the world.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? In business I'm very fortunate to be living the dream, I love what I do so my life dream is to spend an entire season in a North American ski resort. As well as being able to ride everyday I think it would be fascinating to experience the changing of the seasons.
What are you reading? Life by Keith Richards.

images courtesy of leap

outdoor table & chair combos styling shoot

I just did another styling shoot today so my head is still in that space and I thought it was fitting to share some more images from the November issue of real living, which went on sale this week. I styled this outdoor table and chair feature months ago but because of scheduling it's only running now.

The day before the shoot I wasn't feeling well, and the morning of the shoot I was almost bedridden with the flu. But I couldn't bring myself to cancel. Not when photographer Armelle Habib had flown up to Sydney from Melbourne for the occasion. Products had been called in, a plan had been sketched out and a location as well as removalists had been booked. How could I back out?!

I didn't. And I didn't take any medication for fear it would make me drowsy. I felt dreadful. Luckily I had some lovely and helpful assistants, not to mention Armelle and her assistant Lucy, who both chipped in lugging furniture indoors and out because did I mention that it rained for most of the day. Well, actually it showered. We would take the furniture out, it would rain, we would lug it under cover again. And repeated this several times. At the same time a cover shoot was underway in the living room of the house which looked onto the garden. "Natalie, can you just stay to the left," called out a voice from inside. It didn't matter that I needed to set up on the right. All in a day's shooting, I'm fast learning.

Thankfully sometimes some shots fall into place. I just plonked a whole stack of goodies on the "Modern Australian" tabletop and walked away. When I turned back to adjust I realised that everything was sitting nicely together; I didn't need tweak. A rare but sweet moment.

images courtesy of real living (photography armelle habib; styling natalie walton)

pooch publisher paul mansfield

Since going freelance I've got to meet a whole new group of people who are amazing and inspiring because they are just going for it - taking ideas and running with them.

Today meet Paul Mansfield. He is the publisher of Plump and Spry, which has just launched Pooch. A former art director (whose work is obvious in the design of the online mag), Paul started his career in London at TimeOut and went on to work for The Observer, The Big Issue and The Sunday Times Magazine.

I was flattered to be asked to interview comedian Josh Thomas for one of the first features on the site.

Which five words best describe you? Wow. That’s a tough opener. The best person to answer this is probably my wife... she seems to think: dry, thoughtful, curious, passionate, patient.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? Persistence. Once I’d left art school I was this cocky 21 year old and felt ready to take the world on. Problem was, so did thousands of others... At that age I was totally naïve and had no idea it was so competitive. It was a really tough time and I was out of work for 6 months. I persistently sent companies letters (no email then!), faxes and idea mock-ups until I got my first break at TimeOut London. I loved the tension and energy that came with producing magazines to deadlines and I’ve remained in publishing ever since.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? You make your own luck in life.
What’s your proudest career achievement? The launch of Pooch is without doubt my proudest moment. Pooch came about after a random conversation I was having with a fellow passenger on a plane. It so easily could have remained just another idea or conversation, but I felt a sense of urgency to create it. Before it’s current incarnation as a website I’d created dummy versions as a street mag and then a glossy mag. There was lots of testing and research going on. I even met up with Ita Buttrose one morning who very kindly offered her advice. I spent a long time raising cash, seeking contributors and developing business models to see if it was best as print or online... Pooch is the project I’m most proud of because after all this, it’s finally real.
What’s been your best decision? The decision to set up my own publishing business – Plump and Spry. It wasn’t an easy decision to make - I already had a great job at an agency, the Global Financial Crisis was worsening and I had a wedding to pay for! With all that as a backdrop, setting up Plump and Spry was a total leap of faith. However, so far, so good. Through Plump and Spry I’ve worked with some fantastic clients, met some incredible creative people and am feeling positive about the year ahead.
Who inspires you? This list could go on... However, on a personal level - my wife, Dan. Perceptive, ballsy, thorough, funny, gorgeous.
She keeps me on my toes!
What are you passionate about? I’m passionate about loads of stuff. But because of work, the thing that’s come more to the fore is that I’m a typographic nerd! All the beauties and intricacies aside, I love how a font can work on so many levels. A font can be used to point you in the right direction on a motorway at a quick glance, or seduce you and influence your spending choice as a consumer.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? When I was a kid I was obsessed with pirates. Still am. If I could go back in time I’d love to sink some rum with the much feared Blackbeard.
However, I’d probably avoid discussions on typography with him...
What dream do you still want to fulfil? On the work front, I’m looking forward to working on more creative custom publishing projects with brands. On a personal note, I always had a fear of heights until recently. I finally managed to conquer it after a few extreme measures. The most recent was I got to fly a plane which was both terrifying and exhilarating. I’d love at some point to go for a pilots license. How cool would that be? (Naturally, I’ll be needing a plane too...).
What are you reading? Private Eye Magazine - I love it. Proper investigative journalism, purile humor, genius covers.

images courtesy of and via pooch

designer michele michael

The beauty and simplicity of the ceramics that Michele Michael creates for her business Elephant Ceramics almost belies the breadth and depth of her life as an all-around creative. She has been a decorating editor for the US's House & Garden magazine, worked as a freelance prop stylist and opened a prop hire business. But when you look at her pieces, you can see that there's more than artistry at work. There is a deep knowledge of colour, texture, styling, photography and story. Almost as good as hers...

Which five words best describe you? Passionate, organised, earnest, motivated, driven.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I was working at a boutique in SOHO where one of my clients was a decorating editor at House & Garden Magazine. She hired me to be her assistant. Knowing that I had gone to school to study fashion design she told me that if after a year I was not interested in interior design and I still wanted to pursue fashion she would do her best to get me a staff position at Vogue magazine. I’m not sure if that would have been possible, but it was an offer I couldn’t refuse, and lucky for me I loved the whole world of interior design! My very first shoot was with the photographer Horst P. Horst and I worked with other amazing photographers such as Sheila Metzner, Oberto Gili, Eric Boman, Todd Eberle and Francois Hallard shooting gorgeous homes and apartments. I quickly fell in love with the whole world of design and learned a great deal from working there. From there I went on to work as an editor at several other magazines, write a decorating book, produce interior design stories and style shoots as a freelancer, open a prop house called Elephant Props, and now hand make my own ceramics.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Be happy in the moment.

What’s your proudest career achievement? This is a tough one. I think I am proud of my career as a whole. For me it’s a constant evolution. There is still so much to do and learn.

What’s been your best decision? To take risks.

Who inspires you? So many people inspire me. People who do so much with so little inspire me. They inspire me to keep moving forward everyday.

What are you passionate about? Animals and nature. And working in clay.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Dr Dame Daphne Marjorie Sheldrick who has spent a lifetime saving orphaned baby elephants and baby black rhinos in Kenya. She lives and works in Nairobi National Park where she runs an orphan’s nursery and manages The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Daphne Sheldrick has campaigned tirelessly at an international level against the abuse of captive animals and has promoted wildlife conservation worldwide. I would love to go to Kenya, meet Dame Daphne and visit the orphaned elephants.

What dream do you still want to fulfil? Traveling to so many places I still have not been such as India, Japan, Greece, Mexico, Vietnam, Argentina, The Seychelles, Madagascar, The Faroe Islands and many other places.

What are you reading? I love reading mysteries and thrillers. I just finish the book The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer, which was so riveting I didn’t want it to end.

images courtesy of elephant ceramics, portrait jennifer causey

scotland island house

It says something about the Scotland Island weekender that belongs to Craig and Leigh that shortly after I visited for a third time to produce a feature for Warnes & Walton, I booked a holiday to return. There is so much to enjoy about this place - not just its location, but also the way it has been transformed into a place to rest and relax. And that's just what I did on my return visit. I read several of Craig's books from cover to cover, and stopped to enjoy life.

The log cabin is listed on Stayz - so you can visit too.

Also, I must thank not only Craig and Leigh for making this feature possible - which appears in the JanFeb 13 issue of Inside Out - but also some of my regular haunts when styling for shoots - Project 82, Orson & Blake, Le Forge and Elements I Love.

images courtesy of inside out (photography chris warnes/warnes & walton; writing, styling and production natalie walton/warnes & walton)

INTERIOR STYLIST IMOGENE ROACHE

Working in a large publishing house where there are multiple "homes" titles, catering to different sectors of the market, you get to meet a range of stylists. However, these encounters tend to be fleeting as "in-house" stylists are often out on shoots, on the sourcing trail, or riding the goods lift trying to track down couriers. During my time at Bauer Media (formerly ACP), I came across the always stylish Imogene Roache. She was sweet and kind, and never seemed flustered. Imogene always gave the impression that she was happy to be there, doing what she was doing. And while she's still quite young, Imogene has plenty of experience under her belt, thanks to her time on staff at House & Garden magazine. Now, working as a freelancer, she is working for a range of publications, and advertising clients, as well as pursuing personal projects, as displayed in the imagery above.

Which five words best describe you? Calm, loyal, independent, ambitious and in-love.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I discovered what a "stylist" was just before leaving high school, and instantly became obsessed. Without wasting any time, as soon as I graduated year 12 I landed a fashion assistant role at YEN magazine assisting stylist Imogene Barron. A year later I realised my real passion was interiors, and got straight into assisting some of the best interior stylists out there. A few months later, all my hard work paid off and I was given the role of junior stylist at House & Garden magazine. Soon after I moved up to stylist and had taken on House & Garden's food shoots, as well as interior pages. After four years passed I knew I had the experience and skills to take my career further, and as of this year I have been freelance styling in the big wide world.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Trust your instinct, be grateful, and always stay inspired.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Being only 24 I feel way too young to answer this just yet. But I guess I am most proud of the progress I've made in my career path so far. All of the unreachable goals I gave myself at the beginning of my career I have achieved, and I'm proud of that.

What’s been your best decision? Jumping straight into my career at an early age. When I have an idea or goal in my head I have to do it asap - so the best thing I ever did was jump into the unknown and to see where it would take me.

Who inspires you? My unbelievably creative friends, stylists - local and overseas, my partner for his endless knowledge and ease at being happy, and my mum in every way.

What are you passionate about? Organising, learning, creating good work, beautifully made objects, delicious food and, more recently, gardening. 

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Japanese flower artist Azuma Makoto.

What dream do you still want to fulfil? I have thousands! But the one dream I get more excited about every day is eventually buying a house and filling it with everything I love.

What are you reading? Elle Decoration, Gather Journal, and taking notes from Down to Earth: a guide to simple living by Rhonda Hetzel. 

images courtesy of imogene roache

Day in the life: Sibella Court

A little while ago I was asked to contribute to TradHome, a collaboration between the online magazine Lonny and the long-standing print interiors magazine Traditional Home. I really wanted to focus on Australian design and creatives who were making inroads or known to the USA market, and people who I hadn't featured previously on my design*sponge guest blog a while back. At the core of Daily Imprint is the idea to showcase people who are passionate, creative and courageous all the while creating beautiful work that has integrity (just like them).

But sometimes these can just sound like words. And to live such a life is not always an easy path. Whenever I meet someone who inspires me I always want to know more: exactly how they found their way, and how they juggle their day-to-day responsibilities to make stuff happen. After all, any achievement is built on a million smaller foundation blocks. Daily Imprint deals (I hope) with the latter. So I thought it would be interesting to focus on the former - the day to day - for TradHome.

The first person featured in the magazine is stylist Sibella Court, known to many of you. I interviewed her for Daily Imprint here. And now you can read about her daily life for TradHome here.

Enjoy

images courtesy of sibella court and chris court

styling shoot: love your home

The latest issue of House & Garden magazine includes a 10-page feature that I styled, called "Love your home". It was an exciting and interesting process being commissioned by another publication after predominantly working for real living for the past 18 months. For a start, I didn't have to worry about every single item being budget-focussed. Also, I could go for a slightly more mature aesthetic. On the day of the shoot an art director from another magazine kept popping in to check out the sets I'd built. She loved the one with the Tracey Deep branch "frame", and the one with the plates on the wall. They'd have to be my two personal favourites too.

images courtesy of maree homer, chris warnes and house & garden