Fabric Loving

I took this photo at Black & Spiro before our sale last month.  The reason I am posting it is because I love the fabric we used on the antique chair pictured.  It's always so exciting stumbling across a fabric I haven't seen before.  It inspires me and gets me thinking about the possibilities of what I can do with it and what other fabrics I can mix with it.  Even though this chair has now sold I think I might need to have something else covered in this fabric...

Black & Spiro Today

I quickly snapped this photo as I was leaving the shop tonight of our front desk.  Today we replaced the black and white ikat desk skirt, which we've had on the desk since our re-opening last year, with a new gathered navy and white ticking skirt.  This photo gives a very small indication of our new look for the entire shop which will hopefully be in place within the next 3 weeks.  There is going to be lots of red {I am very into red}, navy, pale blue, green, yellow and a softer/warmer pink than the one I am normally known for. 



I wish that all of our lovely new things would arrive sooner as the shop is a little bit empty due to our recent annual sale.  However, as I keep telling myself - beautiful things take time to come to fruition and as my mother always says - good things come to those who wait!!

What's Next

For me, creating a home with soul is the most important thing I hope to achieve for my clients and myself. 

No matter what colour or style preference you have, it's about selecting furniture, fabrics and pieces which strike a chord with you.  It's also about having your children's artwork on your walls and your grandmother's vase on your fireplace mantel.  It's about personal preference and the use of items which have personal meaning.



I have found that it's the most unusual pieces which stay within the walls of our family home.  For example the Antique Dining table we purchased just before we got married will never be replaced or sent to the shop to be sold.  Collecting Antique furniture does take time and money but I think it's worth waiting for the perfect piece and collecting pieces over time certainly helps when it comes to funding such items. 



Over the coming weeks we will be taking delivery of lots of wonderful new things at Black & Spiro including numerous Antique pieces which I have been collecting over the last few months from far afield.  There will be new fabrics and a wonderful new colour palette which I think will be fresh and exciting. 



I continue to put all my effort into sourcing and creating inimitable things for Black & Spiro and I am sure you will all be very inspired and excited by our new offerings...



I look forward to sharing photos in the coming weeks.

New Things

We've had another influx of new things at Black & Spiro this week.  The new blue and white inlay chest of drawers which we have placed in our front window with the butterfly fabric is very beautiful.  We also have new pale pink cockatoo lamps which we've had custom made for our store, lots of new cushions in fabrics I bought when we were overseas earlier this year, a pair of antique armchairs and yet another delivery of our special blue and white ginger jars. 

It certainly has been a busy week getting all of our new things into the shop.  Here are a couple of photos I thought you might like to see.  The colourful, mismatched and at times very wild style we seem to be known for is very noticeable in these pictures.

I can't believe it's Friday tomorrow already and another long weekend.  I don't know about you but I'm finding it hard to fit everything I need to do into these short weeks!!

Today

I think these lilies which we have in the shop at the moment are the prettiest lilies I have ever seen.

I am smitten with our new hot pink {well it's actually fluoro/neon pink} love heart fabric which just arrived onto my desk this morning.

This vintage rug in my office keeps me smiling all day.  I love it.

And these new baskets in the shop are calling out to me - "take me home".....

New Things

New Tables

New Paintings

New Blue and White Bone Inlay Boxes and Pink Inlay boxes too...

Another new painting

And another fabulous and very reasonably priced table

It really is like Christmas at Black & Spiro lately with all of the beautiful new things we have arriving from our overseas suppliers and also our wonderful Australian suppliers too.  Here are a few things which just arrived in this week.  I am finding it hard not to take things home.  I whisked one of the new pink inlaid trays home with me yesterday and I am obsessed with it...almost as much as my garden!!!

Thanks Goodness it's Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where did the week go?  I have no idea but I am glad it's Friday.  I am thrilled to advise that our 2 back rooms at Black & Spiro are now open again.  We've had a lot of customers waiting for the doors to open so thank you for your patience with us.  It takes time to make things beautiful!!!  I thought I'd share a few pictures as above.  We also have lots of blue and white in again which is great.  We actually have a brand new supplier of  blue and white so the pieces are all a bit different to the ones we've had in the past.  Oh and we just got in some more I love New York cushions too.



I think it's time I left the office.  I'm heading home to the garden...hopefully it won't be raining this weekend.  See you next week.

xx

Anna

Black & Spiro Today

I haven't posted any pictures of the shop lately so here is a little corner in the shop today.  The chest of drawers is one of Stuart Membery's which we stock and the antique chair is one of 2 we have covered in our pink embroidered fabric.  There's lots of great things arriving which is always very exciting...especially the the things we bought in New York recently.  That little painting in the picture above {which looks much brighter in real life} came in today and it sold to the first ladies who saw it.  I think if it didn't sell it was on it's way home to my house!!

NY Cushions

For a bit of fun we picked up some I love NY tote bags when we were in NYC a few weeks ago to make into cushions for the shop.  We selected a few different fabrics to put onto the backs of them.  We only have 3 left...we should have bought more!

Black & Spiro Today

Today we changed our front window display.  It was a little overdue I must admit.  The fresh blue, white, pink and yellow in the windows is nice for a change.  Our Max range of furniture is now available in a console table which we have placed into this display in yellow.  The nice thing about this furniture we are making is that it can be made in any colour and it only takes a few weeks to have it manufactured and delivered.



Isn't it hot today!!  I can't wait to go for a swim when I get home this afternoon...

Brown Packages

The bounty of goods we purchased in New York has started to arrive.  Today we received our first deliveries.  One of the things we opened was the wonderful HUGE vintage one-off Chanel poster we purchased along with some colourful fabrics.  I was suprised to see these things arriving so quickly.  I am looking forward to the next delivery of special things we went to the other side of the earth to find for our clients and customers.

Pretty Vintage Chairs

Sometimes I find it so hard to let go of the lovely things I have at the shop. Today this chair and it's partner {there were a pair of them} left to head down to a beautiful client of mine in Melbourne. The fabric I used to cover the chairs in is so fun but it is now discontinued and never to be repeated again. Luckily I have this fabric on a piece at home too but I just had to post this picture so that I can look back and remember them. You probably think I'm a bit mad but this blog is about keeping a record of things I've done over the years so now I'll never forget these pretty chairs!!

Oh and just in case anyone is as crazy about that fabric as I am, we have 2 cushions made in it in the shop...we had 4 but 2 have already gone so that leaves 2 for some lucky person!!xx

Black & Spiro Christmas

Here is our Christmas display at Black & Spiro which we installed today. I collaborated with talented Brisbane artist Sue-Ching Lascelles to create this installation. Sue made all of the amazing animals and wreath and screen in a mixture of paper and fabric....she is very, very clever!! We conceptualized the design with Mexican otomi textile as our inspiration. Unfortunately these photos aren't great so if you are in Brisbane, make sure you pop in for a visit. We'd love to see you...

Black & Spiro Today

Here's a little shapshot of some things in the shop which I am loving right now. Our new purple inlay chest of drawers is like a breath of fresh air...it's so pretty! I really am having a purple moment! One of my favourite quotes {by Virginia Woolf} which I had hand written and framed in an old white-painted frame - "Arrange whatever pieces come your way". This quote really is wonderful. I love it!

Black & Spiro Today

This morning I pottered around my garden at home and collected a few flowering things for the shop. I arranged some pink bougainvillea and some native gum leaves in a couple of shell encrusted baskets I picked up in Bali a while ago. There's something so Summery and vibrant about bougainvillea and I do love it mixed in with a few classic blue and white ginger jars.

Above is one of a pair of amazing hand beaded African chairs we have in the shop at the moment. I think these chairs are a favourite of mine right now. To think of the work that goes into them...

We just received this gorgeous geometric patterned rug in today. The girls and I couldn't wait to put it in place under our bright orange coffee table in our front lounge room display. I think it has added so much colour to the shop...I just love it and I am very tempted to take it home!

Just thought you might like to see a few of the new things we have in at the moment.

Black & Spiro Today

Pretty cushions fill the shop at the moment. The 2 above are some of my favourites.

I came up with the idea of covering this little pair of antique gilt chairs in black and white gingham and then Kelly wrote on the fabric in hot pink fabric paint - "I love old gold chairs covered in big floral fabrics with pretty coloured trim". We used fluoro yellow tulle frilled around the edges.

I love these hand painted Staffordshire dogs which are from a UK artist.

These glasses come in green, blue and clear. I love them!

We have lots of blue and white ginger jars in the shop but also lots of gorgeous colourful ones too!

I was going to use this one-off eastern embroidered cushion above in Max's nursery however, it ended up being too big so it's now in the shop.

I thought I'd do a "Black & Spiro Today" post. It's been a while since I have done one as the shop has been closed. Here are a few bits and pieces I am loving which are in the shop at the moment. Look away now if you don't like lots of colour!

Gardens & Garden Furniture

I like these gardens pictured above because to me they are informal. I don't want a formal garden. I want one which is filled with lots of different plants just like these are. I also adore the gravel pathways which to me seem less formal than paving. The chairs in the top image remind me of the furniture we are now stocking at Black & Spiro which is all handmade by a lovely man down South using timber from his property.

Here are some of the pieces which we are having made at the moment. We are having them custom painted for us in lots of different bright colours. We currently have some white rectangular side tables and one orange round table at the shop.

New Window Display

We installed a fresh new window display at the shop this afternoon. The pretty blue, yellow, green and white floral fabric in the background is a current favourite. We teamed it with some classic blue and white lamps, fresh bright yellow roses and a set of Antique Victorian jugs. Over the next few weeks we have lots of lovely new things arriving which is always very exciting!!