Jen Sievers | Greenhouse Interiors

June 11, 2018

Before interior design became my life, what seems like a lifetime ago, I was a graphic designer. I was lucky enough to work with a variety of clever and talented people, and one of those people was the beautiful Jen Sievers. We were both working as graphic designers in a small marketing firm, but, as often happens, after the birth of our children we both changed direction slightly - me to interiors and she to fine art.

Jen has been going from strength to strength since she started painting again three years ago, and I have really enjoyed seeing her become so successful doing something she loves. Her latest achievement is so exciting, as she and I have both been huge fans of the two women Jen has recently collaborated with - Julia Green and Armelle Habib.

Julia Green is an incredibly talented stylist and writer and the founder of Greenhouse Interiors, an online destination for boutiques textiles, homewares, and fine art. Julia contacted Jen earlier this year interested in selling her work. Of course this was a no-brainer for Jen, who, like me, was a big fan of Julia's work. "So I painted a collection for her. It's been a whirlwind of work and excitement", Jen explains. "Being a part of her (Julia's) gang has been an impossible dream since the start. Life is full of incredible surprises!"

Julia worked her magic with Jen's new collection, styling each piece in a room setting which compliments and highlights the artwork. The settings were then photographed by another of our idols, Armelle Habib, who captures them so beautifully.

You can view all of Jen's latest collection here on the Greenhouse Interiors website. I'm sure you'll agree with me, the collaboration between Jen, Julia and Armelle is a winner!

Style a console with Rae West art

July 3, 2017

One of our favourite artists, Rae West, just happens to live right on our doorstep - Hawke's Bay is full of so many talented people! When she recently offered us one of her spectacular original tondo's for our showroom, we jumped at the chance. Her work is super beautiful, she uses resin and ink, and this particular piece also has gold leaf for an extra layer of subtle shine. It's quite hard to capture the beauty on camera, believe me when I say this art is even better in 'real life'.

We decided to combine Rae's piece with a little styling demo, and show you how we styled the console in our showroom in six simple steps. Styling flat surface like consoles, coffee tables and bookshelves is one of our favourite things to do. In my home I'm constantly changing things around to suit a new piece I've found, or just to keep things fresh and interesting.

It can be hard to know how to get the right balance, and how to make it look pretty but also have functionality. To help you get started (if you're new at this), we'll run you through our steps and explain why we've used certain pieces:

Step 1: We like to start with a large piece of art, or a mirror can look great too. Hang it just above your console - too high and it can look disconnected from what's going on below it.

Step 2: A lamp is a great starting point. It adds height as well as light for functionality. We've chosen a lamp with a fabric shade we had custom made. The shade will soften the light rather than having directional light like a desk lamp.

Step 3: Add something sculptural or quirky, purely for fun. We liked the curves of the swans next to the round artwork and the curve of the lamp. The brass links to the subtle gold found in Rae's artwork (although it's hard to capture this on camera).

Step 4: Books are a great tool for grounding objects, they act like a little platform for smaller pieces like bowls or vases. They also add a bit of weight and squareness to balance the curves. If you're anything like me (book crazy!) you'll love the chance to have some of your favourite coffee table books on display.

Step 5: To balance the right side we added a large floral arrangement. It's always great to add fresh flowers or greenery. They bring life and add another sculptural and textural element. We were lucky enough to have this stunning arrangement by Laura Jeffares, but if you don't have access to Laura, a pot plant in a beautiful planter will do the job, or grab your secateurs and snip some greenery from your garden.

Step 6: We could've left it at that last step, but that little space to the right of the vase felt like it needed something. A little dish, bowl or tray is handy for throwing your keys, sunglasses etc in as you walk in the door. It's a functional piece and also another low, horizontal element to balance the height of the vertical pieces - it's all about the balance.

So there you go, six simple steps to create a pretty good looking console. We've kept our colour palette consistent with greens and blues to compliment the artwork, and pinks, gold, and the light wood of the console to balance those cool tones.

This beautiful artwork is for sale, so if anyone is interested in purchasing a stand out piece for their home, please get in touch with us. You're welcome to come and see the art in our showroom so you can truly appreciate it's beauty. Make an appointment to make sure we're not in a meeting or out and about, as we'd love to give you our full attention.

What Will This Year Bring?...

January 11, 2016

Are you a 'New Year resolution' kind of gal (or guy), or do you roll your eyes at the very idea? I totally understand why people set goals at this time of year when they feel refreshed and ready to kick butt. Just make sure your goals are realistic, and if you want something badly enough, make it happen no matter how hard it is. Focus!

2015 was a big year for Bibby + Brady. It was this time last year that we moved from our home office into our wee studio/office in Ahuriri, Napier. A lot of the year was focussed on growing the business, getting our name know, and building relationships with a lot of other amazing creatives and suppliers in our industry. We were thrilled to have the home of our clients, Angie and Ryan, in the September issue of Your Home & Garden magazine, not only as a feature, but on the cover too (photos by Helen Bankers). We hope to feature more of our work in 2016 issues, and will start by styling and writing the story for another cool Hawke's Bay home next week.

In October last year Dael & I were part of a fabulous fundraiser for Te Awanga Kindy. The venue was the incredibly rustic backdrop of a working shearing station, which was filled with flowers, fairy lights and 100 beautiful ladies. They came to watch as Dael & I styled a console table three different ways while we talked them through the process.

We also demonstrated how to mix colour and pattern with the use of cushions, and shared our top tips on developing your own interior style. It was a great evening with local wine, delicious canapés, spot prizes, goodie bags, and products for sale at the end of the night. We also shared the stage with the talented Chloe from Peggy Lane who gave tips and a demonstration on creating a floral display. The night was such a success and Dael & I hope to hold similar evenings throughout 2016 (photos by Under the Kowhai Tree - Christall Lowe).

Another of our goals for this year is to find a way to showcase more of the incredible furniture and homewares available to purchase through Bibby + Brady. Of course our interior clients have access to them, but we want you to know that you can all come to us to source and buy furniture, whether you're a client of ours or not. We love working on complete room designs, but if you're happy with your room and are just trying to find that killer coffee table, or the perfect dining chairs to finish the look, we can help.

I'm also really keen to source one-off vintage or antique pieces to add to our shop. I love mixing older pieces with more contemporary ones, so if we find a beautiful old table, or a great chair that we can have re-covered, then that will help our clients and customers to create the unique spaces that we adore.

table | chair

As well as furniture, I love to hunt down gorgeous and quirky decorative items for my own home. There's only so many I can fit on my coffee table and shelves, so I will be adding future finds into the shop for you to buy.

Last year a lot of you followed me on my kitchen reno adventure. Our home is a work in progress, and this year I hope to finish off a few projects before I put it forward for a magazine feature. Be sure to keep following the blog to get some sneak peeks. We're also working with some lovely clients on exciting new interior projects, and can't wait to see what else 2016 will bring.

One more thing that will be happening is we're going to change this blog and the Facebook page into the Bibby + Brady name. Those were the first things I started all those years ago when I was still a graphic designer trying to express my love of interior design. Now they're the last of my social media to hold onto that name. We keep hearing time and again that people are confused by the two names and don't realise that Cush & Nooks is a part of the Bibby + Brady brand. It's a little sad for me as Cush & Nooks was my baby, but I'm so excited about the future of Bibby + Brady, we have so much more to offer, so it makes sense to unite everything. I have such a fabulous and loyal following, so I want you to know that other than the name, everything else will remain the same. Our Facebook page and Pinterest boards will continue to be a place of inspiration; our Instagram feed will show behind the scene sneak peeks and snippets of my life; and this blog will bring you inspirational and informative interior design content. We have some great new ideas for the blog this year, including a new series where we will share the favourite space of some of our favourite creatives.

Please come and visit us as often as you like and remember we love to hear your feedback. In this busy world we live in it's much easier to click on a "like" button than sign into your Google account to leave a comment. But we do love hearing from you. What do you think about our ideas for 2016? If there's anything you would like to see on the blog, run it past us; if you want to collaborate with Dael & I on something, get in touch. Let's make 2016 the best year ever!