The Society inc. Newspaper Volume 3. by thesocietyinc.com.au

BY SIBELLA COURT

THE SOCIETY INC

EDITION 3

Captain’s letter I have been given a key to a magical place, Narnia in scope but not quite as cold. I am new to this place & learning the lay of the land but I like it a lot & know I will adventure here for the rest of my days. Join me on my journey of Scent Seeking, mapping an ingredient garden (including the all-important bees!) for perfumes and find otherworldly devices, all smithed & hammered to extract the flowers’ & plants’ heavenly scents to make secret concoctions. A world of alchemy & intrigue, history & secrets. Every place has a scent & the countries & towns I visit are no different. In The Stylist’s Guide of this edition I explore San Francisco and Paris, so be sure to seek out a local small batch fragrance whilst you are in either of these cities, which will allow you to be transported back at any time on a journey to retrace your memories. Ah the magic of tinctures, potions & fragrance. Each newspaper edition I dream up a shoot to encapsulate the essence of our current theme. I called upon the magical gardens of Glenmore House for our backdrop then hollered to my trusted co-conspirators, photographer Hugh Stewart and visual story teller, Sheree Commerford of Captain & the Gypsy Kid to delve into my imaginarium of Scent Seekers, bees & other critters that are essential in the garden scape. As I delve into this world, I’m looking closely at my own surroundings & learning the indigenous world of scent unique to Australia which is rich in variety. For this Edition #3 I have teamed up with endota spa to celebrate their Organics range, which is jam-packed with native Australian ingredients: tropical rainforest trees, the Lilly Pilly, Lemon Aspen & Davidson Plum that smell as good as they feel. Grab your flower press & butterfly net and join me on this new adventure!

The Society inc by Sibella Court hello@thesocietyinc.com.au | www.thesocietyinc.com.au @sibellacourt | @thesocietyinc | #thestylistsguidetotheglobe +61 2 9516 5643 | Suite 3.02, 75 Mary St, St Peters NSW 2044 Australia

FRONT COVER | Amegilla cingulata, the native Australian Blue-banded Bee rests on a vintage floral wallpaper print ILLUSTRATION | Mali Moir 3

ILLUSTRATION | Mali Moir

C o nt ent s 03 captain’s letter Ahoy from The Society inc. captain, Sibella Court

06 i am a scent seeker A whole new world of fragrances

07 the society inc candle The Attar of Rose scent

08 the stylist’s guide to paris Eat&drink | Stay | Shop | Explore

10 hardware tips & tricks Handy how-to’s and care instructions

16 the dictionary of gardens & fragrance Words needed for garden adventures & scent seeking

19 meet the maker Mickey Robertson of Glenmore House, Hugh Stewart, Captain & the Gypsy Kid, The Planthunter, Mali Moir, Like Minded Studio, Bonne Mère

22 the stylist’s guide to san francisco Eat&drink | Stay | Shop | Explore

25 sheds & specimen gardens Inspiration for starting a specimen garden

26 design studio Creative process & inspiration

I AM A SCENT SEEKER Whilst gallivanting around the globe gathering images & ideas for my books Nomad & Gypsy, it occurred to me that I could in fact gather so much more than what I could just see, and began listing all that I could smell. Each country smells so very unique and then each season, each town smells different again. But regardless of those layers & varieties of scents the combination remains within you & you can be transported back instantly on smelling it once again. A magic carpet kind of travel that transcends space & time, triggered by scent memory. This magical world has enchanted me. I recently flew to Berkeley, San Francisco to attend a 3 day workshop with natural fragrance custodian, Mandy Aftel. As I open my notebook to pen this, the rich scent that is Aftelier is released; Labdamun, Benzoin, Ambergris, Spikenard, Lapsang Souchong, Tiare, Onycha, a cauldron of magnetic (somehow familiar) scents; caramels, grassy, smokey, heady, resiny, thick, warm, exotic & inviting. Her perfumer’s library referred to as an organ sits pride of place & is the central hub to create scents. Each organ is bespoke to its creator & is a reflection of how they like to categorise & work. With over 200+ scents Mandy generously encourages her students to dip, smell, try anything & everything and play with the invaluable, irreplaceable, illegal ingredients that are steeped in history, secrecy, intrigue and adventure as they familiarise themselves with the characteristics & idiosyncrasies of each scent. Each oil is divided by A-Z in top, middle & base, all in different glass stoppered vials (I think this becomes as much as an addiction as collecting fragrances) and the room is lined in a reference library of books; rare, hard to find, antique; all on perfume, scents, fragrances & their histories, that you are encouraged to peruse. Mandy has opened a magical world of scent, alchemy, romance, language, history, intrigue, adventure & it has already infiltrated my dreams as I try to capture an elusive note! I feel she has given me a key into a Narnia-like world that I can visit & explore for the rest of my life. My recent endeavours into armchair travelling have been in pursuit of perfume ingredients from their country of origin. Seeds & saplings have been unearthed by Botanical Explorers to be traversed & traded around the world for centuries but I want to seek out where they thrived & where known only there once upon a time; vanilla from Madagascar, cinnamon from Ceylon, saffron, Turkish rose, sandalwood, tea, frankincense & myrrh, fresh ginger, vetiver, oud, frangipani, jasmine, pink

pepper, oakmoss, nutmeg, allspice… an endless wonder of wandering. And what goes hand in hand is the distillation of the flora & fauna to absolutes, concretes & oils and sourcing the finest perfumer’s botanicals, an endless pursuit as I build my very own library. With my recent access to Aftelier’s wonderful organ of scent, I was able to familiarise myself with the highly prized & priced Tahitian gardenia, Tiaré. We were encouraged by the end of our workshop to create our own fragrance; mine was called Become a Pirate. It was inspired by the Endeavour’s seafaring adventures of the 1700’s collecting botanical & marine specimens as well as stargazing of the Transit of Venus. The voyage from Tierra del Fuego to Tahiti was a long 4 months at sea. It is rumoured that after being at sea for many moons you can smell land weeks before you sight it: soft florals, fresh water, green leaves, happiness. I built my fragrance with a seaweed forest, clothes crunchy with salt, musty & deep base that opens & lightens as the ship sails shoreward.

A magic carpet kind of travel that transcends space & time, triggered by scent memory. This magical world has enchanted me. Base notes: Onycha, Tree moss, Celery, Agarwood & Ambergris. Middle notes: Octanol, Cinnamon absolute, Violet Leaf, Tiaré, Turkish Rose. Top Notes: Sugi Wood, Pink Pepper CO2, Linden Blossom Aged, Fresh Ginger. It is no masterpiece but I will build on it for the next 30 years or so as I wait for my sandalwood tree to mature & I learn the trade of a Nose. My dear friends, Francesca & Nicolas, have a group of boutique hotels called Coqui Coqui & Perfumeria. We laugh at how we met when they opened in Tulum, I was one of their first guests and arrived in the late hours of a dark evening, a strong breeze was blowing & the note they had tucked under a coral stone had been lost to the night. I slept on a hammock on the beach unperturbed & we become firm friends. Their range of perfumes & extension of experience most definitely lingered in the back of my mind and I am itching to lend a hand (or a machete) to imagining their botanic olfactory garden in Tahiti and drinking in the heady scent of Tiaré as they open their new Perfumeria.

THE SOCIETY INC. CANDLE Attar

My mother was a textile collector who specialised in Islamic textiles from Central Asia. She travelled extensively through what we fondly referred to as ‘The Stans’, where I joined her on one of her adventures. We were visiting Bukhara and she introduced me to the master knife maker, master puppet maker, master paper maker, master ceramist - all 6th, 7th, 8th generation of traditional craftsmen, it was astounding. But I can close my eyes and vividly bring back the memory of following my Mum into the walls of a beautiful blue tiled mosque to meet the Iman for calligraphy lessons. He was dressed in flowing robes of a blue fine stripe, a long beard & as he walked he left a scent of rose water. Ahhhh my favourite scent to this day.

The scent is still vivid & intoxicating with its origins from the fresh petals of Rosa Damascena. I inherited a corked glass vial from my great-grandmother which still has remnants of its original tattered label reading ‘Attar of Rose’. The scent is still vivid & intoxicating with its origins from the fresh petals of Rosa Damascena. When I was gifted this I was choosing the destinations for my book Nomad and it lead me on a journey to Syria to seek out the historical heavenly scent in the ancient spice markets of Damascus. Souk al-Bzouriyya leads off from a courtyard where I had freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, it gets darker once you head into the souk, with centuries of packed dirt under foot. The stalls are a mix of spice ingredients piled high in sacks of rich colours, apothecary shops carefully fitted out with shelves & arches stocked with bottle perfumes, oils, concretes & absolutes and scattered amongst these are the talisman stalls that spill out in to the covered lanes with a jumble of hardened puffer fish, coal, alligator skins, stones, sponges, tortoise shells, starfish, strung cloves & chillies. The souk is solidly built of grey & white striped sandstone & basalt and has a number of ancient caravanserais from the centuries of trade on the ancient silk road. Somehow scent & amulets are tied up together in the intriguing world of witchcraft, magic & alchemy. I have long dreamed of reimagining the scent and now it has been brought to life, housed in a beautiful crafted porcelain shield vessel with a hand-tinkered zinc lid. The vessel is made to be kept & used for jewellery, trinkets, loose change or secrets, and so it becomes the perfect gift that travels well and continues to give after its contents have long gone. And a secret message is revealed as the wax becomes translucent!

Rose

The

Sty list’ s

PARIS G uide

t he

Glo be

Follow my adventures on Instagram @sibellacourt #thestylistsguidetoparis #thestylistsguidetotheglobe

shop

Deyrolle - As much museum as shop, this natural science institution dates back to the 1900’s despite a devastating fire in 2008 and if entomology and taxidermy is your thing this is a must-see.

international clientele; layered sofas paired with glowing lamps, handmade quilts & throws in an array of gorgeous colours, casually paired with painted stick furniture & a coloured Beldi rug (of course before anyone else was doing it!).

Merci - This definitely ranks in my top 5 shops in the world. Entered through a courtyard with their much photographed red Fiat out front to a three-story two building shop which you can linger for hours in. There is always a fabulous installation as you walk in, then choose your own adventure; it covers home, electrical, books, men&womens ware & beauty.

Astier de Villatte - I have always loved this store on Rue Saint Honoré that feels more apartment or artist’s pied-à-terre than shop. Known for their fine ceramics of black terracotta coated in a milky white glaze line the walls, made in Bastille and headed up by the talented Benoît Astier de Villatte and Ivan Pericoli. This is where imperfect perfect comes to play. Look out for their Parisian travel guide whilst shopping in either of their 2 stores.

Caravane - An interiors destination stop for the savvy decorator. It has a quiet aesthetic that attracts a huge

Fleamarkets | Puces de Saint-Ouen and Puces de Vanves My favourite is Puces de Vanves at Porte de Vanves. Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen at Porte de Clignancourt can be visited many times at any time of the day with more permanent stores opening at different times & days. Paul Bert Serpette never fails to have something marvellous. Buly 1803 - Somewhat of a cult perfumier, the store is known for its sumptuous water-based perfumes and soaps; everything is made by hand from both heritage and natural ingredients painstakingly sourced from around the world. The store itself is an artful interpretation of an archaic apothecary outfitted with a custom burled walnut and oak cabinet of curiosities and hand-laid blue and cream Etruscan-style floor tiles.

eat | drink

Caffè Stern - I cannot imagine it not on my Paris repertoire. Set in a classic 19th Century covered passage, Passage des Panoramas. This is a lively Italian restaurant with a sense of humour & good food. It was once an engraver’s workshop & spills over several rooms; a fox dressed in jewels will let you know you have arrived.

Brasserie Lipp - Ah the French can even make chicken & chips fancy in a perfect French bistro with tiled walls & all the details you crave. Be sure to book a table as it does get very busy and be prepared to squeeze up to your fellow diners for a great (& expensive) meal of rotisserie chicken, pommes frites and a glass of regional wine.

Le Petit Fer à Cheval - Possibly one of my favourite looking bars in the whole world. A tiny horseshoe shaped pewter bar in the heart of the Marais at 30 Rue Vieille du Temple that is simply irresistible.

Petrelle - There are so many good restaurants in Paris but this ticks all my boxes for sensory experience. It is as though walking into the mind of a set designer and having dinner in their lounge room. It only has about 8 tables & a tiny kitchen, all lamp lit with paper sailing boats as lampshades & the produce for the meal on display. Book a table before you get to Paris and prepare to be enchanted.

Grande Mosquée of Paris - To be enjoyed preferably on a sunny day & at the end of exploring the Jardin des Plantes. Try to secure a table under the fig tree for fresh mint tea & the mouth-watering honeyed sweets on offer (if your French is limited, go to the sweet window & point at what you desire).

Bar Hemingway at the Hôtel Ritz Paris - If you are staying in the newly redecorated Ritz (lucky you!) or just popping in

for a look, meander all the way down the back to the intimate Bar Hemingway. I did have to ask for directions twice in this cavernous hotel and eventually you will arrive at the intimate Bar Hemingway. This is the domain of the world’s best bartender, Colin Peter Field who watches over the space, and yes you can have a chat. Ask for a frozen Negori or his world famous dirty martini that isn’t dirty! Hôtel Particulier Montmartre - Hidden away down a cobbled pedestrian street off a windy Montmartre street, do not be deterred when you encounter a door, just press the bell and you will be allowed into an intimate garden perfect for Spring & Summer days whilst listening to the sounds of Pétanque from next door. Hôtel Particulier is the ultimate hideaway for a garden lunch that rolls into dinner & drinks inside over 2 levels.

tips

what to pack

Try Vélib’ bike stations or Uber, as taxis can be difficult to hail on a whim. Look when the seasonal fleamarkets are on around the city. There is a shipping service at the airport that can deal with your excess baggage & even supply bags at reasonable rates.

It often rains so be prepared with a handmade umbrella from James Smith & Co.

Comfortable stylish flats for walking the cobble streets & taking it all in!

Read Where The Chefs Eat to book restaurants. www.mylittleparis.com - Sign up for their weekly newsletter to get you in the mood & get in on unusual secrets of Paris.

A trusty Sony camera for a very photogenic city.

To keep you fresh faced & French chic ready, pack some endota spa Organics™ Deep Hydration Face Moisturiser.

stay

Les Bains - Perfectly located in the Marais, this historic building has housed a bath house & most notably a night club from the 1970’s. Its rooms are large and have space to entertain in with impeccable interior details including orange velvet curved banquettes & Raku ceramic tables. My favourite room is just off the reception, a small lounge painted in the deepest of greys, the perfect spot to await your companions before dinner. Hotel Providence - Bold wallpaper, thoughtful details, incredible in-room ‘minibar’ complete with cocktail menu,

ingredients and all the tools & kit. A beautiful breakfast in an oversized wallpapered front bar that spills out onto the street in a classic Parisian setting. It’s lovely to stay at a hotel where you actually want to hang out at the bar, in the hotel itself. La Réserve Hotel & Spa - If you are after super fancy & exclusive during your stay, look no further than La Réserve. Everything is beautifully appointed and oozing in understated luxury and a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower & Grand Palais (be sure to insist on a room with a view). A member’s & hotel

guest’s only bar where you can relax after a day’s outings. Once a hôtel particulier built in 1854, the recently revamped opulent abode was designed by Jacques Garcia. Apartments Actually - Founded by Australian Sarah Pank, this portfolio of carefully curated homes is just worth the visit for some armchair travelling. The philosophy of living like a local may just entice you never to leave & I am sure Sarah could help you secure your very own pied-à-terre. Their blog is full of great tips, offerings & places to visit during your stay.

explore

Jardin des Plantes - One stop that I NEVER miss on a Paris trip. Start at Galerie de paléontologie et d’anatomie comparée. This is an awe-inspiring Noah’s ark in skeleton form with breathtaking display cabinets. Walk through the medicinal herb gardens planted under Henry XIII towards Musée de Minéralogie. Before heading out of the gardens as you move toward the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, walk into the library on the ground floor to visit the somewhat hidden Cabinet of Joseph Bonnier de La Mosson, one of the most celebrated of its kind & purchased in 1744. Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature - Hands down the best designed & categorised museum in the world! The interior design of this private museum is of the finest craftsmanship. Each room is dedicated to a theme of the relationship between

human and animals where a variety of the works are collated in a modern setting; paintings, drawings, sculptures, rugs, tapestries, goldsmithery, ceramics, weapons, trophies, armour, furniture, objets d’art, installations, photographs are curated as one collection & displayed over a series of rooms. Fragonard Perfume Museum | Musée du Parfum - The museum occupies two stories of 19th Century townhouse in the 9th arrondissement. Head upstairs to a series of large rooms with a mixture of period furnishings and perfume exhibits. Displays show the history of perfume manufacturing and packaging from ancient times, and how natural ingredients are combined with fats and other substances to create modern perfumes.

Atelier Brancusi - Located in the piazza across from the entrance of Centre Pompidou, this reconstruction of Brancusi’s studio gives you a great dose of this legendary sculptor. Gaze at his collection of bold, graphic, sensual sculptures & works, which were bequeathed to the French Government in 1956. It can be viewed from various sides to get a sense of his concern with shape & space and exactly how he curated his studio to be viewed. Saint Germain des Prés Church - Listen to classical music in the magical surrounds of a stained glass four sided tower nestled in the larger Abbey which is the oldest church in Paris. This is a place where light, colour & music dance & meld into one of pure joy, an amazing prelude to dinner in Paris.

HARDWARE Tip s

Tr ic ks

PHOTO | William Meppem

Sutlery Pin

1. Table setting | create a unique table setting by fastening your guests’ name card to the napkin with a Sutlery Pin.

2 . Clothing | much like a kilt pin, fasten your scarves or wraps with a functional but beautiful pin.

3. Studio | organise fabric & textile swatches with a few pins.

Flotilla Ra ck

1 . Bathroom rack | given a few coats of Penetrol for longevity in the bathroom, this rack will give a hand beaten touch and long enough for your bath towel.

2 . Kitchen | add a few Butchers S Hooks & Trouvé Clips for hanging pots and pans, kitchen utensils, tea towels & recipe pages.

3 . Drawer Pull | its length makes for a dramatic drawer pull, perfect for a long sideboard or shelving unit.

Linnaeus Hook

Tinsmit h Soap Dish

Inspired by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus

A soap dish that cheekily encapsulates the New York phrase ‘Employees Must Wash Hands’

1 . Hanging Jewellery | delicate and detailed, a brass hook to compliment your favourite

1. Soap dish | a wall-fixed option for carrying a bar of soap above the bathroom or laundry

jewellery and chains. The Linnaeus hooks hangs well from a small Merchant Nail.

basin. Powder coated for longevity.

2 . Shaving brush caddy | why keep useful brushes tucked away under the sink? Have them on display and resting in the Tinsmith Soap Dish.

Napier Hanger 1. Kitchen | put your best tea towels on display, and hang from a spare hook or shelf bracket.

2 . Lighting | add an extra dimension to cloth covered light

cords. Simply drape and work the cord into a decorative knot and hook onto a Merchant Nail in the wall.

3. Craftroom | have your best ribbons handy and hanging, much like a ye olde milliner.

Keepsa ke Chain & Petrel Chain A useful length of chain to have in the tool box

1 . Lighting | a practical yet beautiful solution for hanging lighting, fabric lanterns and shades from the Atelier Ceiling Hook.

2 . Pot plant hanger | a nice industrial contrast to hang leafy greenery from. 3 . Rack | a loose rack option when paired with two Merchant Nails in the wall, to drape with textiles or hand towels.

Atelier Ceiling Hook

But chers S Hooks

Simple and humble, but meant to be seen and celebrated

All purpose and an essential in the top drawer

1. Kitchen | perfect for hanging tea towels off the Cutter Rack or Chagrin Pull. 2 . Bedroom | rather than tucking them away in the wardrobe, keep beautiful scarves or

1. Lighting | suspend decorative lighting chain and pendants from this not-so-average hook.

2 . Rack | not just for the ceiling, use 2 of these hooks

ribbons on display with a few s hooks.

3. Hospitality | keep menus on display with a combination of Tincture Clipboards hanging

protruding from the wall and rest a bit of dowel for a more casual-look rack.

with the S Hooks from a long Flotilla Rack.

Become a Pirate Vessel Perfect for adding a little more ‘arrrrrggghhh’ in your life

1 . Desk caddy | keep all those unruly objects at bay: loose change, watches, jewellery and business cards sit within aged brass.

2 . Key Dish | never forget where you left your house & car keys with this vessel resting on a console by the front door.

Mercer Bag A vessel inspired by cargo and supplies needed on long seafaring adventures

1. Seashore collecting | a handy companion for storing found sea shells and pebbles as you stroll along the sand.

2 . Bathroom | paired with a Butchers S Hook on the towel rack, a beautiful storage solution for your hairdryer.

Booty Bucket Hardware Care Instruct ions

Any good pirate has a booty bucket, a ready vessel to capture all kinds of treasures

1. Laundry | a bucket fit for keeping those pesky pegs

Our products are hand-forged using honest & humble materials. Their imperfections, patinas and variations are intrinsic to the underlying importance of craftsmanship within India.

together.

2 . Studio vessel | store and display you paint brushes or

Our brass will patina & age over time, this ever-changing characteristic makes the object even more beautiful.

3. Hospitality | work into a table setting as a cutlery and

This will also prevent & remove any rust which may build up over time in coastal or wet environments. Dot a rag with Penetrol & massage into the steel for 3-5 minutes & leave to dry. We recommend a few coats over the life of the product.

other working implements. Makes for a great pairing with the Chandler Rack.

Linseed oil or Penetrol can be used on all of our blackened steel to keep it rich & dark in colour.

napkin holder.

4 . Flower pot | hide those ugly plastic pot plants in a hand

Our raw leather products are designed to age & darken over time. We love when the story of the user & their environment is imprinted on our products. Oxalic acid can be used to wipe down your raw leather to remove any dark stains or spills. A little goes a long way!

beaten vessel.

PHOTOGRAPHER | Hugh Stewart STYLIST | Sheree Commerford of Captain & the Gypsy Kid LOCATION | Glenmore House

SIBELLA | Skirt by Dolly Up Vintage Emporium, corset by Acler PROPS | The Society inc.

DICTIONARY

G ar dens

Fr agr a nc e

A collection of words from The Society inc dictionary that

Bulb - A round root in which buds are enclosed during

Evans Schultes, the father of modern ethnobotany.

one may need for garden adventures & fragrance exploration.

dormancy; a promise buried in the ground, waiting to spring

Eucalyptus - The scent of the Australian bush; released when

forth and fill the air with heady scents.

crinkling fresh gum leaves & creates a misty haze over the

Blue Mountains.

Alchemist - A man in a long coat & crazy looking glasses

Evergreen - Greenery everlasting that is not subject to the

(something like an image from Sleepy Hollow) who mixes

changing of the seasons; its essence is green, pine, fresh,

tinctures, metals & potions to create concoctions & magic.

crisp & foresty; a middle note.

Alchemy

The

mixing

tinctures/potions/ideas/

concoctions. Ambergris - Ancient mythical ingredient formed from the secretion of the sperm whale (activated by the consumption of squid beaks) that then floats around the ocean for many moons; it can be found on the New Zealand sandy shores; it looks like rock & smells divine and is considered a great

Chypre - A heady perfume made from sandalwood. Cicada - A winged flying bug with clear veined wings; lives in the ground for 7 years & emerges in the heat of summer, lives for 2 weeks; comes in a variety of colours & size (but generally no larger than 7cm); makes a racket with its drums; names include Green Grocer, Yellow Monday, Double

treasure. Apiology - The study of bees, mostly honeybees. Apothecary - Faded labels on amber glass jars containing medicines & potions, piled high on tall timber cupboards. Attar - A fragrant essential oil derived from botanicals like rose, jasmine and lotus; perfect for concocting perfumes and best stored in delicate, cork topped jars.

Drummer, Tom Thumb, Black Prince, Cherry Nose, Floury

F Field study - Requiring flower presses & herbaria, specimen jars, gumboots (or a sensible shoe), clear bags with secure tops, test tubes with cork tops, petri dishes, sketchbook & pencil, artist’s roll, shears & scissors or a knife that folds, belt with pockets or cargo pants, butterfly net, alarm clock (for early morning foraging), sticky tape, boxes with clear tops, labels & tags, pith hat, entomological pins, arsenic & camera.

Baker amongst others. Concrete - A waxy substance remaining after extracting plant & flower scents; highly concentrated & heady; used in perfumery. Cork - An ancient tree originally found in the Mediterranean that takes many many years to grow and can live for 250 years; perfected techniques for harvesting without damaging the tree allowed the Romans to make sandals & floats; most commonly used for bottle corks.

D B

Deer Tongue - From a fern that is shaped like a deer’s tongue,

Beehunter - The daredevils that climb the rock faces on rope

triangle in shape & green in note.

ladders to harvest the wild honey & comb of Nepal.

Distiller - A device used to extract essential oils through the

Beekeeper - A man of honey; a cool outfit of canvas hat with

process of heating the plant in water and cooling its vapour;

gauze covering, gloves & smoke machine filled with burning

looks best in copper.

pine needles, operated by a hand pump action.

Dungarees - A botanist’s uniform, often covered in mend

Boronia - Fragile Australian native that has a delicate tea-like

patches and plant stains; the more pockets the better.

floral scent; I would like to become a distiller of Boronia in

my next chapter. Botanical Explorer - A fearless adventurer who travels the

Eau de parfum - A little less intense than a perfume

globe (often by ship) seeking rare & unidentified plant

concentration.

species; somewhat eccentric & not averse to travelling long

Enfleurage - The use of oils & fats to capture the scent of

distances & rough terrain to find the most unusual & exotic;

fresh botanicals.

has aspirations of naming plants.

Entomologist - Often found with jar, butterfly net and magnifying glass in hand; one with a passion for the study of insects. Epices - Bursting with vibrant scents and earthy colours, spices of exotic origin. Ethnobotany - A study of plants that focuses on the traditional knowledge of the local people group; Richard

Flacon - A small stoppered bottle to store one’s fragrances in. Florilegia - Botanical literature; the kind of pages you’ll find tucked away in a botanist’s diary & sketch book. Folly - A structure purpose built in the fashionable gardens of the 19th century; from the perspective of the casual observer it may appear a mistake but is one’s lifelong passion and/or dream; may appear in the form of a grotto or structure and can house a hermit. Forage - The action of seeking wild flora & fauna to small batch harvest whilst in your wellingtons; can be done in both urban & rural areas. Fossicking - To look, to collect, to find; often done in a natural environment although not limited to. Frankincense - an ancient oil obtained from the resin of the Arabian tree species, Boswellia; historically used in religious ceremonies.

G Geranium - The distinct scent that cannot be mistaken for any other once leaves & stems are crushed in one’s hand; comes in many varieties; a personal favourite.

Heart notes - The note revealed once the fragrance’s first

Oasis - Date palms & bodies of water in a desert environment,

impression fades; geranium, lemongrass, rose, nutmeg,

can be conjured up in one’s mind if not enough water is taken.

jasmine.

Odour memory - Scents that trigger memories of people,

Herbaceous - The earthiest and grassiest of scents.

places & adventures of your life.

Herbarium - The best of kind library; shelves of pressed

Olfactory - Connecting & relating to a sense of smell or

plant specimens on aged paper with stamps & beautiful

odour.

calligraphy stating who collected & when; oh to have a plant

Onycha - Crushed shells from the Red Sea, more salty than

named after you.

weedy.

Spikenard - Biblical; Mary washed Jesus’ feet with this; hard to work with, brown middle note easier to work with than the medicinal note; powder it with Coumarin or Helytopen. Sprite - A cheeky tree-dwelling mystical creature; as light as the wind & its presence can be felt by a soft feathery touch on the skin. Steppes - High plains swishing with grass, trained birds of prey circling, stocky winter furred horses, felted yurts in the distance. Swag - For the foot bush traveller; a bundle of belongings that

von Humboldt, Alexander 1769-1859 - A Prussian naturalist &

can be carried on ones back.

explorer with a keen interest in the interaction between man & environment.

T I

Organ - A perfumer’s workstation, where the magic happens;

Ichnology - The study of fossil footprints, burrows and

the bespoke organisation tool where small glass stoppered

animal tracks.

vials are stored; most often made up of tiered shallow

Incense - An enhancing burnt scent often associated with

shelving for easy access used throughout the process of

religious ceremonies & hippies; can be in the form of sticks,

creating a perfume.

pyramids & coil forms using Makko, machilus wood or pure

Oud - Known as the most expensive wood; the attar of

charcoal.

agarwood; appears as a woody, amber liquid.

Inflorescence - The botanical construction of how the flower

Tendril - The unfurling green arms & fingers of plants looking to curl & wrap themselves around whoever & whatever is available; name of an early spring green colour from the Society inc paint range.

& all its parts sit on its branch or stem.

Plant press - A simple apparatus most often consisting of

2 wooden boards that sandwich card & paper together, to

Karo-karounde - A potent scent sourced from west Africa,

secure & press specimens kept firm with belted straps &

reminiscent of jasmine with a dash of spice and wood.

come in a variety of sizes. Pomade - Scented ointment to keep a gentleman’s hair

the Tahitian Gardenia; used for fragrant floral necklaces, Heis

looking dapper.

and Leis.

Labdanum - A sticky brown resin obtained from rock roses originally found in the Mediterranean; caramel, warm tone.

Lapsang Souchong - Tea smoked over pine; virtually

Quercus - Solid & reliable oak; the name of makers of fine

impossible to obtain but can substitute with Guaiacol.

wallpaper (Quercus & Co.).

Linalool - A natural isolate that smells woody & fresh like lavender.

Tiaré - The most heavenly of all floral scents extracted from

Tinctures - Concentrate or essence of spices & herbs used in medicine & cocktails; housed in stoppered glass vials & jars. Tipple - One’s favourite alcoholic beverage of choice. Tonka - Kumera note, powdery, sweet vanilla.

R Rosa Damascena - The Society inc’s signature scent.

Toolbag & tacklebox - The much-loved, sometimes purpose made bag or box that houses the essential tools for a day of foraging specimens from my garden to inspire olfactory

S Secateurs - Always kept on hand for pruning & cutting. Sherwood - The forest where Robin Hood & his merry men Lodge - The house of a beaver; castoreum is harvested from beavers and this substance is the perfect leather note for perfume making.

lived, very dense; made up of ancient oak, birch, fir, sycamore. Sillage - The lingering trail of scent that is left by a fragrance; French for wake, much like a boat’s slipstream.

M Mixologist - A new-fangled word to describe an enthusiastic

Specimen - Collected on journeys of discovering and exploration, kept in small glass jars or pressed between card; the more mysterious the better.

& passionate maker of alcoholic beverages; often found with

scents. Transporting - What happens when you smell something & your scent memory kicks in & you are transported to faraway places both real & imagined on a magic scented carpet. Tree Sprite - friends of the wind djinn; mostly found flitting about ferny gullies; know to be somewhat mischievous.

W Whorl - Unique patterns within the wood grain.

secret tinctures & signature garnishes.

Xerophyte - The hardiest of plants.

N Nose - A person who spends their life understanding the

characteristics & idiosyncrasies of essences & oils to create

Zdravets - A wild geranium that flourishes in the mountainous

perfumes; the appendage on your face.

soil of the Balkans; in Bulgarian a ‘bringer of health’.

RECIPE

Garden Tomato Soup by Glenmore House PHOTOGRAPHER | Hugh Stewart

MEET THE MAKER Meet The Contributors

Glenmore House

Capt ain & T he Gypsy Kid

A beautiful force to know, as she flies through the garden scape creating beauty everywhere, whether it be staking the broadband or making a humble tomato soup, nurturing all the souls that sample it. See Mickey’s recent book, The House and Garden at Glenmore and follow her rounds in her monthly Kitchen Garden workshops held onsite.

I swear (like a pirate) that I sailed the seas with this wonder in another life time. A long time consort who makes magic through imagery, clothes, storytelling & travel.

m ic k e y ro b e rt s o n

s h e r e e c omm e r f o r d Season? Summer

Memory scent? Lemon blossom. When Larry and I were on our honeymoon in Italy, we stayed on the Isle of Capri for several days and had dinner one night in the middle of a lemon grove on Anacapri.

Secret skill? Excellent driver of any vehicle including buses, tractors and bulldozers Best holiday? Airstream

Season? The cusp of each. Late winter holds the burgeoning blossoms of Spring, late Spring holds the promise of Summer, late Summer holds the colours of Autumn...

What do you want for your birthday? Travel

Flower or plant of choice? That’s an impossible question! From the tiniest flower of the apple scented pelargonium to the most densely packed and perfumed rose bloom, the simplicity of a frangipani to the elegance of a hippeastrum... I find them all hypnotic. Perhaps I should just say the humble pea, one of my most favourite plants of all, for its twining tendrils, translucent pods through which you can just make out the shape of tiny peas and their delightful double flowers... all of which are edible too.

Childhood scent? Burning sugar cane Latest book purchase? None but last podcast subscription was S-Town by Serial and This American Life Favourite meal? Avocado on toast

Most treasured tool? String on a stake: the ball of string I carry around on a wooden rod with a pointy end that I can thrust into the ground. The turned string spool contains a blade so I can cut a required length of string without looking everywhere for scissors, without the ball of string rolling away and without the need to bend over!

@captainandthegypsykid | captainandthegypsykid.com

Mali Moir

Go-to inspiration? The garden - I can think clearly there, ponder and deliberate about inspiring articles read; things seen, conversations had...

b o ta n i c a l a rt i s t Every seafaring voyage of scientific significance (the first being the Endeavour) boasted a resident Botanical Artist and Mali is a modern day one! Her work can be admired on our front cover & page 4 with a butterfly mid-identification. Her attentive capture is mesmerising, you can view more of her luminous work @mali_moir.

Latest book you bought? Acquacotta cookbook by Emiko Davies. Still haven’t had a chance to read (or cook!) from it... but I will eventually!

Describe your studio. A lounge room mess, my fave place.

@glenmorehouse | www.glenmorehouse.com.au

Secret skill?

g a r de n t om at o s o u p by g l e n mo r e ho u s e

Ooh I love my secret paint formulas I use for creating paintings of fish, I get a lustre no commercial paint can match. I spend many treasured hours playing the alchemist in my kitchen cooking up paint concoctions from ancient recipes oh but with a bit of jigging and tweaking from me, I love love love research! Not everything is on the internet so luckily I have some pretty special books and a very special brother who knew just how to wrangle those antique formulas and ingredients into shape. I’ve often wanted to write a book called ‘Eggs, Garlic Juice and Vodka’ not for cooking food but for cooking up paint formulas.

Ingredients 2kg garden tomatoes 1 brown onion, sliced 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 litre home made chicken stock A good pinch sea salt Black pepper Optional: a pinch paprika or allspice Basil pesto to serve

Most treasured object? This is a changing feast but at the moment it must be my authentic Hawaiian Seed Lei made with the rare Wiliwili red seed and grey Kakalaioa seeds, circa 1920s. This lei was made by the family from the Forbidden Island of Niihau. Some things you just fall instantly in love with, entwining you into their magic spell where you can cherish them as custodian for a time. But a long-term love is my mother’s silver Deco candelabras designed by James Steeth who is famous for designing the Melbourne Cup trophy. As I miss my wonderful mother so much, they play centre stage over the Christmas season.

Method Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Using a sharp knife, score the base of each tomato with a small cross and carefully drop into the boiling water for approx. 10 seconds. When the skin splits, remove tomatoes to iced water and as soon as cool enough to handle, peel the skins easily away from the flesh, then chop coarsely.

Childhood scent Durian and jasmine, divine. Invention you admire Oh so many!... what comes to mind is the Polygraph famously used by American president Thomas Jefferson... the camerae obscurae of Vermeer’s times... Linnaeus’ binominal system of nomenclature... with so many more... oh and of course guilloche enamel with the mesmerizing vivid lustrous light reflections I am so envious of, I dreeeam of capturing this level of light and colour vibrancy in my watercolours.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and gently sweat the onions and garlic ‘til translucent but not brown. Add sea salt and a grind or two of black pepper. Add the tomatoes and stir, then the chicken stock. Increase the heat and bring to a simmer, cooking the tomatoes ‘til tender – around 10 minutes. Blitz with a stick blender or whizz in a food processor. Check seasoning and add spices if desired.

Season? definitely Autumn, those gorgeous blue sky still days, the beginnings of the coming chill teasing at the back door on dusk. The colder it gets the more vibrant the colours of Melbourne’s street trees become, clear evidence of a changing season.

Serve with a good dollop of home made basil pesto. (recipe base originally from the Agrarian Kitchen Heirloom Tomato Soup)

@mali_moir | www.malimoir.com.au

The Planthunter

Hugh St ewart

Although I have been a very happy subscriber to The Planthunter & all its wonderful garden & plant related writings for some time, I only met Georgina at the Glenmore House Garden Fair sitting alongside her recently acquired copper distilling contraption and we of course kindled a friendship. We have plans on sparking up this apparatus in the near future. Sign up for newsletters & going on’s @theplanthunter.

The best portrait photographer in the world, although I hear now he mainly shoots the moving image. I begged him to do this shoot & pulled all the strings that a 20+ year friendship can. His lighting, his sense of humour (read as somewhat eccentric) and how he somehow makes you think he is not taking a picture at all makes his photos candid, rich, emotive and timeless. Hugh’s still life of flowers will be exhibiting & on sale, say tuned.

Describe your studio. A big ugly brick building slowly being camouflaged by plants.

Invention you admire? Auto focus.

Favourite tool? Felco secateurs - they were given to me by my mum when I first started studying landscape design and are one of my most treasured possessions.

Stand out word? Vomitous

p ho t o g r a ph e r

g e o r g i na r e i d

Luggage of choice? Billingham.

Go to plant? Impossible! I have about 100 go-to plants, but even then, the list changes weekly. Currently I’m into dragon fruit as there’s a huge, wild one at my house on the Hawkesbury River and I’m really enjoying it.

Hotel recommendation? Chateau Marmont 20 years ago. Embassy suites Santa Monica 10 years ago. Gramercy Park Hotel 20 years ago.

A scent that transports you? The scent of rain on freshly ploughed paddocks. Takes me right back to my childhood. Same goes for the scent of horses.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Richer, Blessed and Grateful. Childhood scent? The smell of petrol mixed with acetone in a two stroke Moto cross bike flat out.

Latest book purchase? The Timber Press Guide to Succulents of the World. A bit dorky but an awesome reference book!

@hughstewartgallery | www.hughstewart.com

Season? Spring AND Autumn. I can never decide. Plant name that makes you smile? Dracula diabola - it’s a lovely, delicate little orchid with the most devilish name!

Bo nne Mère n i c ol e m a i r

Holiday destination? Argentina.

When shooting with Captain & the Gypsy Kid, the children are the key & they need the most special of outfits. Sheree called upon her friend Nicole of Bonne Mère to magically create the perfect snail & bee from paper, wire & fairy dust that Silver continues to oh-so-casually wear on a daily basis.

@theplanthunter | www.theplanthunter.com.au

Describe your studio. I feel very fortunate to be working from the light filled sunroom of our 1919 original beach house on the northern beaches in Sydney. White shiplap, hardwood flooring and featuring typical design room classics including a vintage cutting table, sewing machine and surrounded by fabrics, embroideries, beaded vintage swatches, little dresses and bed linens.

Like Minded Studio luc a ion e s c u

Luca & I collided when I first opened The Society inc many moons ago, his love of the history of typography fit perfectly with all that I was creating. He designed the exterior logo on my original shop, which was a nod to old advertisements that were painted on the sides of buildings & we did just that. When I would change my shop every 3 months to release a paint collection, he created the imagery for Travellers & Magicians, still my favourite of all!

Memory scent? Roast dinners! That smell of fresh rosemary reminds me of fun times and family gatherings. When my sister and I moved out of home my mother started a family tradition. On Thursday evenings my mother use to cook a roast dinner and we would invite boyfriends and friends over for dinner. My parents formed very close friendships with all of our friends and that smell takes me back every time.

Describe your studio. Small Surry Hills based studio focusing on idea driven typography & design. Our studio is filled with some of our favourite typography posters, ephemera and design objects that inspire us.

Most treasured object? (Apart from my beautiful family!) My most treasured object would be our 12 seater long kitchen table which my uncle hand made from re-cycled school doors in a country town where my father grew up. The table has been passed on to me from my parents and we will treasure it as a family heirloom for years to come. We have very fond memories of family dinners around this table.

Childhood scent? Ocean Favourite Flower/plant? Succulents Greatest Tool? Mind

Favourite tool? My Gold handled tailor shears... I couldn’t live without them.

Season? Summer

Flower/plant of choice? I just adore Peonies as the colours are so beautiful and they remind me of when my daughter was born.

Holiday destination? Tropical

Holiday destination? My ultimate holiday destination is ‘Panarea’ in the Aeolian islands off the coast of Sicily. The combination of natural beauty and island charm with white villages garlanded in bright bougainvillaea, narrow lanes, breathtaking sea and delicious food, music and atmosphere... makes for my ultimate holiday

Latest book purchase? Lance Wyman Visual Diaries | Unit Editions

@likemindedstudio | www.likemindedstudio.com

Go-to material? 100% linen, being non-allergic, durable and breathable makes it the ideal fabric to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Absolutely love wearing and sleeping in linen.

Print production by POD Marketing Solutions www.pod.sydney

@bonnemereaustralia | www.bonnemere.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHER | Hugh Stewart LOCATION | Glenmore House DISTILLER | The Planthunter

The

SAN FRANCISCO

Sty list’ s

G uide

t he

Glo be

Follow my adventures on Instagram @sibellacourt #thestylistsguidetosanfrancisco #thestylistsguidetotheglobe

shop

Tail Of The Yak - Another never miss shop that I have frequented & bought so many favourite things over my many years of styling. A make-believe land of paper festivities, vintage finds, jewellery, treasure & loot. Be enticed by the double shop window display & then get ready to be seduced & whisked away by the fantastical installations inside. Distracting on all levels, in all the best ways. March - Hands down the most beautiful kitchen shop I have ever been too. Not just gorgeous styling, but thoughtful design, sourcing & curation where nothing is less than divine.

Atomic Gardens - A recent discovery from my latest SF explorings. Not only housed in a lovely old shop but a little bit of everything that you want to take home or maybe just perfectly curated for style! I bought a felt hat and wanted to take home kitchen wares, a daybed, perfume, clothes and more. Bell’occhio - A very special shop that I have been visiting for 20 years. It sells curiosities, ephemera, haberdashery & rarefied merchandise from historic ateliers. Slip away from the day into this magical world, where the walls are faux bois & the mast is at full sail.

Esqueleto - Dedicate an hour or so to wander around this corner of 49th St & Telegraph Ave as there are so many great local businesses to explore. At the start of Tesmescal Alley in a light filled studio you will find Esqueleto. It’s like stumbling upon a really cool modern day medicine woman’s haven full of beautiful ceramics, objet d’art, mineral & stone specimens, all my favourite jewellery designers and lots I don’t know. Also visit Book/Shop, Homestead Apothecary and Marisa Mason.

explore

Stinson Beach & Muir Woods - No trip to SF is complete without a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. Make a day of it & head to Stinson Beach. This is such a magnificent drive that is a short distance from the city to an idyllic beachside town. Meander down the windy road to the ocean or just enjoy the view & head in for a hike into the Redwood forests of Muir Woods. The Hanged Man - Book in for a tea or card reading with Matthew amongst tendrils, foraged blossom, branches and magical beings. A perfect way to finish or start a day. Alameda Fleamarket - I could pretty confidently say this is one of my favourite vintage markets. It is big faire with a great array of vintage wares and be warned, it can be very chilly in

the early morn. It is an open-air market held on the first Sunday of every month and can be cancelled if the weather is horrid, much to my disappointment one year when I had flown there from Sydney especially.

library to trace their histories & origins. Make sure you book in an hour time slot on a Saturday to immerse yourself in beauty, slip into a world apart, a lost past. If only for an hour, allow yourself to step outside of time.

De Young Museum - The perfect way to discover Golden Gate Park and see some fabulous art as well. An impressive copper structure that always has something great on.

Ferry Terminal & Farmers Market - This place makes me feel instantly Californian, all healthy & organic. Make sure to visit on a market day (Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday) and peruse the fruit & vegetables and marvel at the varieties. The Ferry Terminal Building houses fabulous food artisans: Cowgirl Sidekick, Acme Bread, Miette, the Slanted Door amongst others. Go hungry!

Aftel Archive Of Curious Scents - If you are not yet ready to dive into an in-depth fragrance workshop, just next door to Mandy Aftel’s studio is her newly opened scent museum, where visitors can explore a wonderland of hundreds of natural essences, aged & modern, and pore over Mandy’s antique

tips Hire a car, SF is spread out & my guide will take you out to Oakland & Berkeley but there are so many great neighbourhoods within an hour from the city.

what to pack endota spa Organics™ Balance Me Mist is a perfect pick me up whilst out & about.

The Society inc Cap for exploring the parks & outdoor spaces.

It gets cold at night, don’t be get caught out without a jacket or scarf.

Scented essential oil towelette for the long flight over.

Views, walks & outdoor spaces are incredibly kid friendly and like one big park with wooden candy cane slopey houses - it’s a magical city, the perfect setting for a Roald Dahl story. Book your restaurants in advance, this is food central BUT keep in mind you can always eat at the bar. San Franciscans eat earlier than New Yorkers & most places are full of energy by 5.30/6pm.

A sturdy Superior Labor bag or canvas tote for your market purchases.

stay

The Battery - A new private club on the scene, although you can stay here as a non-member. With a shortage of lodgings this is a fun option especially that it’s been designed by SF designer, Ken Faulk. Reimagined in an old warehouse it has 14 rooms with all the amenities plus Ken’s flair & sense of humour. He designed Leo’s Oyster Bar that has had its time in the social media limelight. Book through Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels for the best deals.

Hotel Vitale - The best location to stay in town. With views of the Bay, it’s across the road from the Ferry Terminal which has such good food outlets and the weekly (Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday) Farmer’s Market is my favourite. See EXPLORE.

Airbnb - Seeing as the Airbnb HQ is in SF, it is definitely worth taking a look at what’s for offer especially around Berkeley & Oakland, my new favourite place in the SF area. Try their new venture, Airbnb Experiences to really get to know the city with a local.

eat | drink

COFFEE | Four Barrel Coffee - San Francisco has been pretty serious about their coffee for some time & this one does not disappoint. See their impressive roasters & behind the scenes shenanigans whilst drinking your coffee watched by four mounted boars. For other great coffee suppliers, look for the Blue Bottle sign. Bix - What a joy to open the door to this supper club located on Gold Lane. A jazz band playing toe tapping music, soft lighting, a glowing full bar & restaurant with a mezzanine all the better for viewing the crowd. An old Art Deco building & interior which feels like a luxury ocean liner of times gone by.

Downstairs at Black Cat - Pay the cover charge (it doesn’t even matter what’s on) and head downstairs to the jazz club. They do lighting well in this town, moody and it makes everything look great. The teal leather banquettes and great interiors add to a good night to settle in to listen to music and drink cocktails. Chez Panisse - It would be rude not to eat at Alice Water’s, Chez Panisse. Book a table well in advance. I like to go for lunch so I can explore & wander the beautiful streets of Berkeley afterwards. Directly behind the restaurant is natural perfumer, Mandy Atelier. Take a stroll around the block to see if her Perfume Museum is open.

Outerlands - Although it may just feel like you are driving to a place of the same name, it is well worth the trip. I am always on the search for a great breakfast outside of Australia & this definitely held its own. Delicious seasonal local healthy fare which is just a bonus to the interior executed by the owners. All soft curved salvaged wood panelling & humble wooden boat means mountain cabin in feel. Whilst you are there, walk the little strip & pop into General Store (don’t miss their shed & garden out the back) and artists supply, Case for Making. Even the street planting & seating is good-looking here!

ARTWORK | Like Minded Studio

SHEDS & SPECIMEN GARDENS One of my all-time favourite artists is Mark Dion. His installations of huts & sheds never disappoint and luckily I have managed to view a few throughout New York, London & Paris. He imagines a trade, usually of the scientific, intrepid or exploring type and all the equipment & supplies that it requires including the structure. For example, an entomologist’s shed in the jungle may have nets, books, specimen jars, pins, trapping equipment, binoculars and list goes on & on. Dion sources & arranges all the paraphernalia of this character that can then be viewed through locked windows as you peer into the created spaces. His work is entirely dedicated to the fascination of nature that turns man into a collector, a researcher and an adventurer. My idea is to imagine what my perfumer’s shed will look like surrounded by a specimen garden of trees & flowers. The spot is now picked and is on somewhat slopier ground than I first imagined. The trees I am ordering first, as many take up to 30 years to mature. My fascination with native Australian scented plants grows as I learn more about our untapped resources: lemon, cinnamon & aniseed myrtles, Goldfield sandalwood, finger limes, Tasmanian pepperberry, boronia, lemon scented tea tree, native frangipani, Tasmanian pepper & lemon scented gum. If you would like to share your knowledge of Antipodean & beyond flora & fauna and their scented properties, please email me at hello@thesocietyinc.com.au.

My shed will have a side of salvaged windows that face north with a desk underneath so that I can work with natural light and a wall of shelves for my organ. Discreet solar panels will be enough for the little energy that I need and a camping stove will suffice for melting my beeswax for lip balms. It will be made from timber that is at hand & over time will be covered with the likes of honeysuckle, jasmine, passion flower or climbing rose. For the honeymakers, I will have a Flow Hive ready for them (this genius hive was designed in Byron Bay) and entice & attract as many Australian native bees as possible, all 1500 of them, to pollinate my specimen perfume ingredient garden, especially the very good-looking Blue Banded Bee as illustrated on our cover by botanical artist, Mali Moir. I imagine my perfume to be sold at my small roadside stall with an honesty box system, perhaps one that looks like a miniature puppet show with curtains that draw. It will be about small batches of all natural perfumes and you will have to personally visit to own one as I will be too engrossed in my magical land & garden to be answering emails about shipping!! Whilst I source my specimens, gather knowledge & wait for my trees to grow, I will draw on past wanderings to botanical gardens near & far; The Medicinal Garden in Paris, Chelsea Physic Garden, Kew Gardens and plan a trip during harvest time in Grasse and await an invitation to Les Fontaines Parfumées.

DESIGN STUDIO I like to think of my store as Hardware & Haberdashery as I have had a long-time fascination with the romance of an old-fashioned general store where you could buy the latest French silk by the yard, ribbon, needles alongside grain, flour & other dry goods. At the Mercer Museum, PA, a general store was purchased in its entirety & installed within the museum’s ground floor. There is something about the wraparound counter, the rolling ladder to reach the shelves that tickle the ceiling. All wood with a glowing patina of many brown paper parcels, sacks & bags handed over its surface for years & years. Although, my shop-cum-studio is more my imaginarium that plays host to my favourite treasures as well as pieces designed by The Society inc; furniture, homewares, art, oddities & curiosities that are sourced locally & by traversing the globe seeking treasure. To visit my design studio, you enter through the shop past the huge Cabinet of Curiosities and then you part the vintage canvas sails suspended from piano moving straps and all is revealed. I have collected objects from my 25 year styling career from all over the world: fleamarkets, antique shows, vintage stalls, junk shops, auctions, department stores, beaches, gifts, charity & thrift shops, council pick-ups and all the rest. This library is irreplaceable & used on a daily basis to create our own line of hardware as well as designing and concepting my hospitality (& very occasionally, residential) interiors. It is my treasure trove that ensures all my designs are steeped in my very own stories of travel, nostalgia & adventure. Please note, it can be of some distraction to visit for the first time. When designing an interior or developing a product, an idea begins with a story or particular sensibility, process or

material that I am inspired by. It’s as much as or even more of a process of storytelling and uncovering a history than simply choosing a particular aesthetic or working from a sketch; it’s letting an experience, sense of nostalgia or understanding of craftsmanship inform and direct the design decisions. I like to give leave to the story and histories, both real and imagined, to take flight first, the form emerges later.

The smallest of elements have a profound effect on how someone interacts with a space or connects with an object... I keep this philosophy at the heart of all that we do at The Society inc, drawing on a knowledge of & curiosity for materials & craftsmanship and weaving them together with storytelling & experiences until they emerge in a physical form. It may be the shield badge that I wore on my school uniform and it’s sense of belonging to a club inspiring The Society inc logo, or a scientific vintage vessel discovered at a Parisian flea market sparking a ceramics product range or a particular texture pulled from a curation of artist’s linen which becomes a key component of my next mirror design. When it comes to The Society inc hardware, much of my inspiration dates back to the 1800’s. One of my favourite things would have to be poking about in an old blacksmith’s workshop which surprisingly happens somewhat regularly. I am lucky to have a modern day blacksmith who feels the same passion & is on standby to sample all our beautiful designs (& his own) to be

perfected in all the nuances that come with smithing, tinkering & hand crafting steel, copper, brass and zinc. Many arcane trades like blacksmithing are alive & well in India and this is one of the reasons we manufacturer most of our goods & wares there. By using these old trades, I believe the objects that are created by them have weight, texture & a strong connection to craftsmanship & honouring the raw materials they were made from. So much so that I (and I hope many other people too!) find it difficult to ever discard of them. These are objects that are acquired for a lifetime with their users. My favourite materials are those that patina with age & a little tough love, and look better with repairs. The ones that get

marked, stained, crack, change colour and look better which each story & layer of history and if you listened closely enough you might hear a snippet of a conversation, catch a scent of a time gone-by or a remnant of a whistled sea shanty. Materials that you may have found on an 1800’s galleon manilla on seafaring explorations to far-flung lands or equipment required for collecting botanical specimens in unexplored jungles: canvas, leather, hardwoods, steel, brass, cork, rope, zinc, glass, bone, ceramic. At the end of the day, it’s all in the attention to detail & the value of making sure that every small element is aligned with my design process. The smallest of elements have a profound effect on how someone interacts with a space or connects

with an object, right down to the packaging it is housed in. It could be as small as the colour & weight of a calico bag so light passes through it in the right way or the gauge of chain to suspend a light fitting in the correct proportion. It is often thought that we engage with design using our sight first, but I think it takes all the smaller layers, senses & considerations for nostalgia, storytelling & materials to really dictate how a space or object makes us feel. And a pinch of magic and make-believe for good measure!

endotaspa.com.au | @endotaspa