THE CUT
SECONDS LIFE When interiors writer and stylist Deborah went to live in her dream boathouse north of Sydney, it came furnished with the basics so she only brought a few things with her and added key vintage or recycled pieces. (Right) Her moodboard and amber Maison Balzac carafe catching the early-morning light.
intelligent thrifting This new approach to blending old and new is all about decorating stylishly and sustainably. Interiors expert Deborah Bibby opens the door to this smart way of thinking
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here’s a return right now – and about time, too
– to authenticity, honesty, comfort, good design and things you can trust, such as handcrafted designs using natural materials. People are more conscious. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened our eyes to the need for more sustainable shopping, and a life more in harmony and rhythm with nature. To that end... Last year, I decided to rent out my Sydney house (with everything left in it) and take up the offer to live in a boathouse on Sydney’s Pittwater, right at the water’s edge – a little dream I’ve had all my life. The boathouse was already furnished with the basics. I took my laptop, one treasured painting by New York artist Jessica Falstein, a few photographic prints, some of my favourite linens and a suitcase of clothes for the year-long adventure (maybe two years now – I’m loving it so much).
With all of us being homebodies for most of 2020, it was the perfect work-from-home base. Of course, I wanted to add my own interior touch to the place, but I also wanted to be resourceful and smart and not buy a whole pile of new furniture. What I did invest in were two beautiful Eames chairs I bought at a friend’s sale for a few hundred dollars (bargain!) and a number of key pieces from Avalon’s best-kept secret, Composition By Office Elias. The rest I either foraged at my local Salvos store, was gifted to me by the neighbours, was washed up outside my boathouse or recycled in some way. Beauty is more than skin deep when it comes to interiors. Combining stylish sustainability, whether that’s with thrift-store finds or reusing what you have, and adding a key ‘designer’ piece of provenance or a contemporary modern piece gives a space confidence, depth and balance. That mix of eras and styles
TEXT AND STYLING DEBORAH BIBBY PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID GUBERT
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