inspire {home truths}
Jen Bishop’s style secrets The design devotee behind the Interiors Addict blog and brand ambassador for My Salvos Stores reveals her prized possessions As TOLD TO Anna mcClelland STYLING HEIDI ALBERTIRI PHOTOGRAPHY NATALIE HUNFALVAY
“With my job I’m constantly exposed to
the latest finds and new designs, which is sometimes really hard as I want to buy everything I see! That said, it’s taught me to embrace my own style rather than always trying to follow the next trend, which would be far too expensive. I’m a massive Jonathan Adler fan and had my eye on his ‘Chippendale’ chairs for ages. I couldn’t afford to purchase six for my dining table, so I bought just the one for my home office. On the walls I have removable wallpaper from Publisher Textiles – you can have wallpaper even when you’re renting!”
“I’ve recently discovered “I want my home
to feel warm, welcoming and comfortable, with lots of colour. I’m always trying to create a look that will make people want to come in and sit down for a cup of tea. I’m inspired by interior designer Greg Natale, even though his look is more grown-up than mine. He uses lots of gold and lots of Jonathan Adler pieces. It’s a nice classic look but it’s also modern and colourful.”
“I searched for a marble-topped table for a year before I found
this one. The day I won it on Ebay for $65 was one of the best of my life! I like that it’s a bit battered and second-hand. For the same price I could have bought something brand new, made from MDF and mass-produced. My preference for second-hand is one of the reasons I’m excited to be an ambassador for My Salvos Stores’ newly launched Ebay shop (salvosstores.salvos.org.au). It sells vintage furniture and decor to help raise funds for The Salvation Army.“
26 {JANUARY 2014} homebeautiful.com.au
artwork (TOP RIGHT) MEGAN HESS, meganhess.com (BOTTOM RIGHT) BOTH URBAN ROAD, urbanroad.com.au Bold & NOBLE, boldandnoble.com
my love of gold. A few years ago I always went for chrome and silver. Now, I much prefer the warmer tones and the slightly more grown-up, old-world look that gold offers. The Tom Dixon ‘Eclectic’ range [bowls and candle, pictured here] is perfect for me.”
“I love coral. It’s such an uplifting, cheerful
colour. I don’t like red and I don’t like orange, but I like that middle ground and it contrasts nicely with blues and greys. These cushions are from Aura and the cross is by Ahoy Trader, a really cool Australian brand.”
“Trays are a great
way to group pieces and they give a vignette a bit of structure. Because I’m a neat freak, I have a place for everything. I use the lacquer box from Becker Minty to hide my husband Damian’s things.”
“I enjoy reading and I also love decorating with books and
colour-coding them. Modern Glamour by interior designer Kelly Wearstler is one of my oldest books. She’s my design crush.”
“ This lit-up letter ‘J’ gets
more comments than anything else in my apartment. Handmade in Australia, it was a gift from the company that makes them, Fromage La Rue. I really wanted one for a really long time. It’s one of my most prized possessions.”
“I buy candles from brands that are a little
less mainstream, such as Violet Rose and Lemon Canary, a small independent brand that does hand-poured soy candles in vintage jars. They smell divine and look beautiful against this map of London, from UK store Bold & Noble.”
“I’m a big costume jewellery wearer. Actually, I’m big with accessories in general, for my home and myself. I always look for something that pops and is a bit different and colourful – this little Zakkia knob [pictured, right] was a good find because it picks up on the coral of my bedlinen. Changing the doorknobs is one of my top tips for beautifying ugly built-ins; it’s so easy to do.” Check out Jen’s blog at theinteriorsaddict.com.