Since buying my own little apartment a few
months ago my Instagram stalking has been all about the #interiorinspo. After
bagging the essential (read: boring) big ticket items such as bed/couch/fridge
it was finally time for the fun bit: turning the house into a home. As luck
would have it around the same time Supa Centa Moore Park (SCMP) pitched an
awesome collaboration opportunity to showcase my finds in the centers diverse
range of stores. Let the shopping begin!
With my trusty photographer/voice of reason in
tow we set out to get an idea of what was on offer. The first thing that became
clear was: ‘I’m gonna need a bigger house’. It was a bargain hunters dream come
true with nearly every store on sale and yes, I simply needed everything! But in
light of the ‘no space’ technicality it was back to my trusty list of ‘must
haves’ I had compiled before the shop.
First stop was Harvey Norman for some colour
palette inspo. My bedroom décor was majority monochrome and I needed a third
colour to finish off the look. Seeing hues of teal and blue first in Harvey
Norman and then again in Bed, Bath and Table got the creative juices flowing. Finally
finding a Moroccan inspired teal lantern at Shack sealed the deal. Bed, Bath
and Table also helped out with another ‘must have’: European pillows! I found
they were the cheapest here with a range of pillow cases patterns to suit too.
I stuck to good old white cases then layered up with black standard size cases
from My House. Black cases were part style inspired and part strategic- it’s
easier to get any sneaky makeup marks off a black case!
While picking up the bedside lantern at Shack I
also made a mental note of some very cute door knobs at very reasonable prices
($8!). I’ve been buying second hand furniture online for some up-cycle DIY
projects (watch this space) and so far I’ve only been able to find handles
online that are sold in packs of 8 or more. These will definitely come in handy
down the track for a dresser I plan to do for the bedroom. Shack also catered
to my faux flower needs, while their wall of cushions held an impressive range
of textures and colours. Down the back of the store were French provincial
inspired bedframes, tables, chairs and clocks- that ‘bigger house’ wish was
definitely growing stronger!
A trend I noticed time and again during my walk
around the centre was metallics. It seemed every display setup had a hint of
gold, silver or copper, and oh did it look good! Since I had already decided my
lounge area would be black, white and grey picking up some metallic pieces to
finish the look was a no brainer.
We first saw metallics at Top 3 By Design in
the form of a water jug and some cocktail making equipment. Top 3 By Design was
one of my favourite stores in the centre and could be describes as a big kids
play ground. It’s home to innovative, stylish and quality knick knacks and home
décor from designers around the world and plenty of pieces ended up on my
‘when I get a bigger house’ wish list. One being the aforementioned water jug
and others being very cool rocking whisky glasses by Sagaform and magnetic vase
display. Internally melting (no dripping wax) Ester + Erik cone candles are
also firmly on the wish list for later. One thing I could bring home with me
this time was a S’Well thermal water bottle and it has been by my side ever
since. With 24 hour chill and 12 hour heat retaining capability it’s been great
to have constantly warm water to sip on during these winter days (especially the
mornings!). Oz Design was up next with more inspiration via their show room
displays. I picked up a metallic coffee table tray literally off their display
(it was the last in stock!) to tie my living room space together with the
metallic accents I already had on some sofa cushions at home.
By this point it was break time so we stopped
in at Dish Espresso café. Even though it was a Saturday and there were plenty
of people around I was pleasantly surprised at how relaxed the atmosphere was,
especially in the café area. I think this comes down to plenty of spacious and
comfortable seating coupled with high windows bringing in natural light. In
terms of the café itself a place with all day breakfast always wins my heart
and the coffee was top notch too. A couple of cappuccinos later and we were
ready to take the second half of the centre which included the twos stores I
had high on my list: Freedom and Fantastic Furniture.
Since I’m working with minimal space (sad face)
I needed some areas around the apartment to do double duty. I’m a massive book
worm and creating a reading nook was a high priority (if you follow me on
Instagram the reason I always have the same handbag is because it’s big enough for
a book!). And so I picked a curved floor lamp (on sale!) at Freedom to place
over a corner of my modular couch. A few cushions and an Adairs throw later my
chill out spot was complete. More metallic pieces were found at Freedom in the
form of copper tumblers and soap dispenses which polished off the bathroom
space- my toothbrush holder has never looked so good! The Ecoya and Palm Beach
candle display was heavenly and I couldn’t resist picking up a few, along with
some more faux flowers.
Over at Fantastic furniture I picked up a
butlers table with more ‘double duty’ in mind. The space I was trying to fill needed
something that wouldn’t block or clutter the high traffic area. The slim legs
of the table also matches the wall colour to give a lighter look while any
furniture that allows the floor space to still be seen (floating bed, raised
couch, ghost furniture) will always give the illusion of more space. The tray
itself is detachable for when guests come around (any day now…) so all in all
pretty handy for $35!
And so with everything thing on my list crossed
off, a few more sneaky pieces added in and approximately a weeks worth of
cardio done it was home time to arrange my new finds-and of course make another
list for my next visit!
SHOP THE POST
Freedom:
Fantastic Furniture:
Bed, Bath and Beyond:
European Pillow Cases
Faux Peonies
Lantern Candle Holder
My House:
Pillowcases
S'well Bottle
Coffee Table Tray
Photography: Paul Lui
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