“I don’t know a lot about art, but I’m drawn to abstracts. It’s probably the colour. I always come back to the work of George Raftopoulos. I love these two paintings [above], especially the blue one with the cheeky little guy with a happy smile on his face. It sounds cheesy, but I feel really happy every time I look at them. I think that’s my response to most things: how does it make me feel?”
"I was always good at drawing, I had to be when I started my business so I could show people what they were going to get. It’s a big leap of faith to trust someone to make something for you, especially if it’s on that custom level. I have to be able to paint a visual so they can buy into what it is. And as I work, I love to drink tea. I drink about 10 cups a day. When busy, I’ll throw a teabag in a cup, but I love putting loose tea into a teapot and letting it steep. I drink it out of nice teacups – Royal Albert [above left] is my favourite."
"Greece was the inspiration for my first collaboration with Linen House [above]. I have certain reference points that I always come back to – Greece is one of them, Spain is another and then there’s Japan. There are things about those countries I always find inspirational."
"I love reading books with photographs – the images speak volumes to me. I love reading about how Saint Laurent or Dior started."
"I’m obsessed with diamonds. I’ve known Stefano [Canturi] for ages. I wanted a ring of white diamonds, like ice. I said to Stefano that I wanted it to look like a pimp ring! It’s sparkly, but still masculine. There’s an eternity bracelet that goes with the ring [above]."
"This rug is from the first range I did for Designer Rugs. I wanted the collection to feel graphic, bold, colourful and happy. It’s nice looking at things like that when you’re at work. We spend so much time here, so I don’t like my studio to look and feel like an office, even though it’s a place of work."
"You have to travel, even if it’s just a drive to Bowral, NSW. [When travelling overseas], the minute I go through customs, I surrender. I eat their food, listen to their music, the good, the bad. As soon as I get to India, the driver says, ‘What music would you like?’ and I say, ‘Hindi!’ India’s crazy, but I feel spiritually connected there."
