Spaces That Speak: What Great Design Books Teach Us

A single book can change the way you decorate a room, not by handing you a shopping list, but by sharpening how you see. We’re diving into the design books that have genuinely shaped our interior design practice, from the emotional impact of architecture to the surprisingly personal meaning of colour, art and everyday objects.

We start with Alain de Botton’s The Architecture of Happiness and why the best design is never just “style”. It’s about how a space makes you feel, and why beauty can support wellbeing. That takes us to Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, the modernist icon that promised machine-like living yet struggled with very human problems like constant leaking. It’s a reminder that design theory, history and lived experience all belong in the same conversation.

From there we move through books that celebrate real, layered homes: Robyn Lea’s A Room Of Her Own, Kassia St Clair’s The Secret Lives of Colour, and Amber Creswell Bell’s Australian Abstract. We talk about choosing colour with more confidence when you understand cultural symbolism, and using abstract art as a feeling-led anchor rather than something you have to “decode”. We also share why Nate Berkus’ The Things That Matter hits so hard, because the most beautiful homes are built over time through objects that carry memory. Finally, we shout out The Life Eclectic and a few favourite bookshops, plus a little teaser about upcoming Paris and Milan adventures.

If you enjoyed this one, subscribe, share it with a design-loving friend, and leave a review so more Australians can find the show. What’s the one book that changed how you see your home?

Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. 

Bookings now open -  Book now

Join Lauren online for a workshop to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: 

• What has worked for Lauren over the past year
• What hasn’t worked, and what she has changed
• The exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projects

For more info see below

The Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.

Transcript

Welcome To Design Anatomy

Speaker 0:01

Welcome to Design Anatomy, the Interior Design Podcast hosted by friends and fellow designers, me, Bree Banfield.

Speaker 1 0:08

And me, Lauren Li, with some amazing guest appearances along the way. We're here to break down everything from current trends to timeless style.

Speaker 0:15

With a shared passion for joyful, colour-filled, and lived in spaces, we're excited to share our insights and inspiration with you.

Speaker 1 0:23

So today we thought it would be fun to talk about something that sits slightly outside interiors but actually influences design thinking a lot, and that is books. Hooray!

Speaker 0:33

I love books. Kind of one of my absolute favourite things to the point where I think I kind of said, Oh, wouldn't it be great to just talk about our favourite books? And it seemed like a really easy thing to do. And then I just walked through the house trying to pick like a small amount of them, and I've come to my desk with a much bigger pile. I know I should have. And it's not even probably properly my top ones. It's just, I just, I don't know, I have like a big place in my heart for books, and my house is filled with them to the point where I haven't even read them all. But sometimes it's just like I have to have them.

Speaker 1 1:07

Oh, I know the feeling, and I am like the horrible request. I'm like, Bree, cut it down to three books. What? That is ridiculous.

Speaker 1:18

Well, it's impossible. And I and okay, so I'm gonna start by saying I have had to leave out two of my favourites, and I'll say them now before we start. Great.

Speaker 1 1:28

Oh cute.

Speaker 1:30

Lauren's book, obviously. Sweet. The French look, which has to be in my favourites because I love Lauren, but also.

Speaker 1 1:38

Oh, Jono's beautiful books. So pretty.

Speaker 1:42

But also they're both beautiful books, but they're also both amazing inside. And that's all I'll say about that because I decided I had to eliminate friends.

Speaker 1 1:50

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, you have to get the friends' books out the way. Thanks for shout out.

Speaker 1:57

So I should say so. Jono 's book is a visual feast. Because I don't think I said it. I'm showing it on screen, but I'm not saying it out loud. Yeah, yeah. It's pretty much very good for podcasts that you actually listen to.

Speaker 1 2:10

And what is super exciting, just to tie in with my book, The New French Look, is that we are going to be in Paris soon. Bree. Makeup hard. And Paul, who is um the most lovely man that we have met over in Paris. His apartment is actually on the cover of that book. We're going to be catching up with Paul. We have uh, I just can't even express how grateful I am to Paul about what an absolute legend he is because he has uh asked us if there are a few experiences that we might be interested in that he's been able to pull a few strings with. And of course, we are very interested. And I can't I'm gonna, it's a surprise for the the guys that are coming on the tour, but I'm I'm sure we must have an episode when we get back to tell everyone about what we did.

Speaker 3:01

We'll do a recap for sure.

Speaker 1 3:02

Yeah, so that was very rambly, but um let's just say super exclusive.

Speaker 3:07

Like this just beyond the things that we have been able to pull together, and this is not an ego boost. This is just like we're just as grateful and like so super crazy excited as our guests will be that we just have these amazing people who are able to like pull some little strings for us for big, big things that are very, very exciting.

Design Consults And Real Client Wins

Speaker 1 3:30

I know. Oh, I know when he told me about you know some of the suggestions that he had, we caught up on a Zoom and I was just goosebumps and my eyes were watering because it was just so emotional because it was just such a kind offer. Yeah, and it's going to be so great. So we're gonna be we're gonna be in Paris and Milan very soon. And I suppose before we get started, I just wanted to remind you that Bree and I are here and we are taking inquiries for your interior design consultations. So if you want an hour or so with us, or you know, separately, or if you need a little bit more um of a full service, we can we'd love to help.

Speaker 4:15

Yes, please reach out. We would absolutely love to help you.

Speaker 1 4:19

Yeah.

Speaker 4:20

That's kind of what we like to do. You know, we love to get on here and chat and totally a once back.

Speaker 1 4:29

That's a lot of wisdom you were gonna say.

Speaker 4:32

Yes, sorry, a lot of wisdom. Intellectual conversation in our day-to-day lives, we do do a lot of interior design.

Speaker 1 4:39

We do. I just live and breathe it. I love it. And I love being able to help people in their homes. I mean, I met this lady the other day, and she, you know, life is busy. She has a really high pressure, you know, job, profession. And they moved in 10 years ago and they just hadn't got around to hanging pictures on the wall. Yeah. Thinking about their space in any way. And she's like, I can't stand it. I I don't want it to be a white home. I want color, I want warmth. So when I made some suggestions, her face just lit up, and that's just such a nice feeling. I'm like, let's do this. So I love that.

Speaker 5:14

It's a huge satisfaction to be able to actually make someone's home feel like a home and not just a place they moved into and didn't have time to actually do anything about it. So definitely time pour. That's most of our clients, right? That they don't, or they can't quite pull it all together in their head and um, you know, make sense of what the right thing is to do. There's too many options, or they can't quite work out what their style is. You know, that's what we're good at.

Speaker 1 5:40

Exactly. And I love being able to, you know, ask a few questions, look at the things they've already got, look at what they're wearing or whatever, and tease that out. And sometimes I'll be like, hmm, well, actually, every time I'm like, we should paint this room.

Speaker 5:54

Every time. Oh, my I think I was telling you about one of my projects at the moment, which I haven't been back into since the painting's been finished, but it was quite a big penthouse apartment, like not super fancy, fancy penthouse, but absolutely amazing, sort of a bit more 80s inspired, but like three double, like even double story, kind of like triple story height spaces, and it was all white, and now there's no white at all.

Speaker 1 6:21

As it should be. Oh, it's just so fulfilling. It makes your space feel like you.

Speaker 6:27

Yeah, and they're just I don't know, that and even upon meeting them, knowing that that would change kind of tra I know it sounds a bit dramatic, change their lives. It's not really changing their lives, it's just changing how they feel in their space, and that can make a big difference to how you live. Okay. And they were living kind of like going, oh, well, this we're not really sure. This isn't like it's fine, but it's not really us. And they took such a big um leap of faith painting, you know, like it was a big job, and they love it, and it's so exciting. That's exciting.

Speaker 1 6:59

It's so exciting, so fulfilling, feels great. Okay.

Speaker 7:03

Okay, books.

The Architecture Of Happiness

Speaker 1 7:04

Books. So I think that books can change the way that we think about space, color, meaning, and sometimes it's more the emotional side of design, which I guess is what we're we're talking about. You know, a paint color is a paint color, but it really is so emotional, you know, it can really change the way you feel in a space. I I've always thought that the best designers don't just study interiors, they study the people, history, and even philosophy, which is why I'm gonna start with a slightly nerdy book, but it's still easy to read and approachable.

Speaker 7:40

It's nerdy. This is your this is your vibe. I go to you for these things.

Speaker 1 7:45

I'm gonna take that as a compliment.

Speaker 7:47

Oh, it's sorry, it's a hundred percent a compliment. It's like almost like I like, I just I definitely nerd out on things, but like you get right into it, and I love it.

Speaker 1 7:57

So this is a book that I bought. I'd still got the receipt in it, actually. I bought it in 2006.

Speaker 8:04

Oh, you got the receipt in it, I know from Borne. Using it like a bookmark, yeah.

Speaker 1 8:08

It's called The Architecture of Happiness, and it's by Alain De Bourton, who I have a huge crush on, Bree.

Speaker 8:15

This guy is he is amazing there, going, What? Who's you got a crush on? I didn't know about this.

Villa Savoye And Modernist Reality

Speaker 1 8:26

This guy, he is just such an intellectual, but he is so articulate. He explains complex ideas in a way even I can understand. So this book is called The Architecture of Happiness. And I picked it up, I think I was doing my honors year at RM at Swingburn, and I was like, oh my god, this is so exciting because I think there is a tendency when we sort of talk about design in theory and architecture, it's about taking away decoration. You know, you and I, we love colour. However, colour wasn't even something that was enjoyed or explored or anything. And here's this book by Elaine saying that it's okay if you enjoy those things. So I loved that. Yeah. So he says, this book, it reframes the idea of architecture and design. And instead of talking about buildings just in like a technical or a stylistic way, it asks a more interesting question, which is why do certain spaces make us feel the way we do? And I think ever since I've read this book, it's really something I've been banging on ever since. So he talks about how our surroundings have a huge emotional impact on us and that the beauty in architecture, it's not a frivolous thing, it actually contributes to our well-being. And there's a whole section in the book where he talks about Le Corbusier's Villa Savoy. Being there, Bree, we've been there. We went there last year with our group in Paris, and I find it so fascinating because this house was built in 1931, and it's considered one of the most iconic examples of modernist architecture. It's essentially a white rectangular box lifted on some really fine columns with this long ribbon window and a roof terrace.

Speaker 10:12

That ribbon window is a big deal, isn't it?

Speaker 1 10:14

It was a big deal because we had a tour, um, Philippe, and he was amazing. We all loved Philippe. He was sort of unpacking what those ideas were for us in the tour. So Le Corbusier he believed that houses should be like, should function like a machine for living. And so these modernist architects were really influenced by engineering and aeroplanes. So they stripped away all the decoration, no mouldings, no ornament, just clean lines and pure function. But what Alain de Bourgon points out is something really interesting because even though they say their buildings are just really functional and rational, it's actually deeply emotional because the buildings are meant to represent ideas about the future, about technology and speed and progress. And I think that when we were there as well, they um it's it's an idea of architecture because this building is quite ironic because he wanted this house to function like an engineered machine, but it leaked constantly for the owners. Yeah, like when we were there, it there was no furniture, there was hardly any joiner, it was stripped bare because the roof let water in, the walls got damp, and the family who lived there eventually complained the house was unhipp unhip. Uninhabitable. Uninhabitable. Okay, it's a bit so it's quite ironic. And I and I guess that was just one little segment in that book that I just wanted to bring up because it I think we're sort of taught to worship these kind of modernist buildings. Uh and I'd never heard anybody sort of say that many negative things about it before. Well, so that was really right.

Speaker 11:55

I feel like that's it's really it's one of those things where all the failures of something is what brings you to maybe the success of something. And like it was it was a new thing. It was trying to do something different. You can't expect it to be perfect straight off, right?

Speaker 1 12:08

Agree, agree.

Speaker 12:09

And I mean, I think so.

Speaker 1 12:10

Open plan concept, like that was new. Yeah, so I think you know, being able to go there, it was so meaningful for me because it was really cool, and we got some really nice like footage and videos and wheels there.

Speaker 12:25

Has to be done. But it was really, it was like the open plan thing was really interesting, I think, because we're so obviously used to that now. We haven't really thought about the fact that that would have been so revolutionary at a particular point in time. And I loved actually think the way they captured that in or the way it was kind of like designed was really interesting because it wasn't that different to probably what it is now. Like the evolution hasn't really changed that much, I wouldn't have thought.

Speaker 1 12:52

I mean, I I agree.

Speaker 12:53

And the connection to outside as well, that was really big. So there was that big sort of indoor-outdoor connection, like those massive doors that opened. Yeah. I don't know, it was such a it was a real, I don't know, interesting to be in the spaces that you've tried. And I I didn't know that you were already so in love with it. So it would have been extra special for you.

Speaker 1 13:14

Yeah, I guess it's a bit, yeah. As I said, I I did warn you, I did there was a nerd warning in the beginning of that.

Speaker 13:20

So you love the nerd warning.

Speaker 1 13:24

So that's one of the books that I that I think about over the years. I think I might have to give that a reread. If you love Elaine de Baton, or if you're curious, he was on a podcast recently that I just loved. I've listened to it more than once. It's called Homing by Matt. Oh, he's actually married to Faye Toogood. I can't remember his surname. Um anyway, search that up on your podcast after you've listened to ours, obviously. But it is brilliant. He is, as I said, so articulate. I'm I'm in love with him. Okay, next. Bree, what about you? What's influenced you in the way you think about interiors?

Creative Women At Home

Speaker 14:06

I feel like you're like already, I'm kind of dead in the water already. That was like such a well, Elaine, you've just like wandered through the house and gone, oh, I love this book and I love that book. And this is in no particular order. And I think I already said that this isn't necessarily my like top three. It's just three that I decided I would talk about today. And I think I'll start with Robin Li. You know Robin Li. Yeah. Her book, oh my god. So there's that is sublime. But a room of her own. So I think firstly, for me, I love the fact that it's about creative women. I think Robin Li has a gift of being able to make any home feel kind of relatable and accessible through the way that it's captured in her books. Like obviously, some of these places are, you know, quite high-end. They're palaces. Yeah. Like that that's that's gonna happen. This is we know that's what ends up in a lot of books is you know, beautiful high-end spaces and it's sort of international. So places that we just wouldn't even have here in Australia. But when I look through it, I feel really connected to it. I don't kind of look at it and go, they they feel real, just like a beautiful layered effect in the way that it's shot. And I mean, obviously, some of it's quite detailed. I it's probably not even a lot of the homes are not things that I would necessarily gravitate to for my own style, but I take so much from the way things are put together. And they don't have to be precious things. They're just things that have been, you know, gathered over time and collected in a home. They happen to also be beautiful, and you know, they might be there's a lot of vintage things and you know, artwork that maybe existed for a really long time, but maybe there's the odd kind of modern piece that sort of breaks that and creates that tension in a lot of the homes. But mostly I just love that it's a uh, I guess a really intimate look into how creative women live. And I wish I could see more of that, to be honest.

Speaker 1 16:08

Like I agree, and I think that you know what you said, it's it's perfect in a room of her own. It's it's what it is, it's not a catalogue of all of the name furniture that you see. It's things collected over time, it's spaces that somebody is living in.

Speaker 16:25

Yes, it sort of shows you like almost like a bit more like of a daily life.

Speaker 1 16:31

Yeah.

Speaker 16:31

It's not, you know, I guess it's probably curated somehow because creative people tend to do that anyway, even if we're not trying to. But there's sort of this, I guess the old imperfection thing. That they're they're sort of Instagram worthy rooms, but they haven't been set up to be. That's not how they were created. They were created through living life, living in the home, you know, I guess decorating through what you love and objects you've collected. I don't know. Um, yeah. And it feels I feel like you can look through that book and feel quite, it's an intimate sort of book. Like you don't feel like it's been framed in a way that it's just, you know, shot for the book, if that makes sense. It's like they walked in and and these homes just happen to be beautiful exactly as they are. And that's kind of what I love about it. Also, I just, you know, I'm a big sucker for books that just look beautiful on the outside.

Speaker 1 17:23

It is that that book, it's actually it feels quite indulgent. Every page is beautiful, and it is it is quite an intimate um view into somebody's life in there. It's stunning that book. Yeah, I I love it too. I'm I'm so glad I I've have a copy of that too.

Speaker 17:42

It's beautiful. And anything for me that celebrates women and creative women or women in the arts, like I have quite a few of those. I could literally do a top three just on books that I have about. Like I just bought one at NGV, the last might have been the last book I bought. Uh, I think it's called Women Woman Painters, Women Painters or something like that, off the top of my head. Yeah. And I went, oh, I love this. So I just, I don't know. I feel like I get a lot of inspiration. I think it's I don't think it's easy being a woman just in general. So I love getting inspiration from women doing amazing things.

Colour History That Changes Choices

Speaker 1 18:14

I don't know. Agree. Agree. Yes, great topic. I love that. Um, I'm going to talk about my second book now, which is called The Secret Lives of Colour.

Speaker 18:24

Do you love that one? Isn't it? I don't know why I don't have it, but I love it. I know the book.

Speaker 1 18:30

Yeah, it's a great book.

Speaker 18:31

How do I not own this? I do not know.

Speaker 1 18:33

It seems like, oh, we can't get that for Bree because she's already got that book.

Speaker 18:37

Maybe, but I feel like I know it because I've definitely like sat there and looked. I may, I may have spent like a I may do this sometimes. Spend too much time in a bookshop. And I do walk out with something every time, but often I spend a lot of time just like looking through books, and maybe that's why. But I do know it.

Speaker 1 18:53

It's great. So it is fascinating because it tells the stories behind the colours. So it tells you where they come from, how they were discovered, and what they meant culturally. Some pigments were more valuable than gold. Some of them were incredibly toxic. People died for colour. That'd be me. It has to be that colour. I don't care. Yeah. Others were reserved only for royalty, and a lot of colour is derived from some sort of urine. What colour? You know, all these gross substances. Um, so I think with this book, and I love the way that the chapters are, they're they're obviously arranged in colour. So you've got, you know, groups of, well, it starts with white. It's got lead, white, ivory, silver, etc., etc., goes through to the different types of yellows, different types of all of the colours. So it's it's like colour, it stops just being a visual decision and it becomes something richer when you know like some of the meanings of the stories behind the colour. And it's kind of cool because you can just pick it up at any page and read about ultramarine or whatever.

Speaker 19:59

Yeah. So it's got to it's that whole thing too. Sorry, interruption. I always I find I have understanding things helps you. I don't know, like when you understand something, you can know how to use it more. I don't know why that works, but I feel like that works with colour too, like knowing where it came from. It gives you like a different perspective. It's like knowing a person, isn't it?

Speaker 1 20:20

Yeah, it's got, you know, absinthe in there, cerulean, woad, whatever that is, like all these things you've never heard of, violet. But um, it's got, I mean, I'm a I like sort of history stuff. So it's got history and the symbolism and the cultural meaning behind it. And I think, yeah, it just helps deepen your knowledge when you're choosing a space. I mean, I don't know if you I I I'm like, oh, yeah, that's such an interesting fact. It's in my brain, it's gone again. But wouldn't it be cool if you could be like, oh, did you know that you know, this colour was actually used only reserved for royalty, like when you were choosing it for a client? But no, it's not gonna look sometimes.

Speaker 20:56

That might work. Reminding them that it was created originally from some kind of urine might not help to get it over the line.

Speaker 1 21:03

Maybe not, yeah.

Speaker 21:04

But maybe the whole, oh, this was only reserved for royalty once, depending on the type of client, that could work. That's cool for sure.

Speaker 1 21:13

And I guess it reminds us that you know, colour, it's like never neutral in terms of there's always some sort of meaning and emotion attached to it too.

Speaker 21:23

It's so true, actually. The culture of colour. So like the origin is where it begins, but then it evolves over time, and it does have meaning. And it's obviously we work a lot with what it means individually to people when we talk to clients. Like, how does this make you feel? But a lot of cultures, there's a really specific meaning, and they need to avoid that colour or they really want that colour. So, like, it's it is like definitely the more you know about it, the better, I think. Yeah, if you're working in colour. I guess that's the same with everything.

Speaker 1 21:49

Yeah, the secret lives of colour, it's called, and it's by Cassia St. Claire.

Speaker 21:54

Gorgeous. I need to now, you know what I'm gonna do after this. I'm gonna go online and order it. Because that's like, how do I not have that?

Speaker 1 22:03

You love it. Little bedtime reading and colour per night.

Australian Abstract Art For Interiors

Speaker 22:06

Next to my bed. Okay, so I the other I have a lot of interior books and not a lot of architecture books, but the other thing I tend to have a lot of is books about art. So um this is one of my favorites, which is Australian Abstract by Amber Creswell Bell. Have you got this one?

Speaker 1 22:26

I do not have that one. I think I must need that too.

Speaker 22:30

So beautiful. That cover is incredible. I know. And that's, you know, again, I go, oh, that's pretty. And then I go, oh, that's also a really good book. Um, so this is more of a look at sort of the contemporary artists in Australia. I think there's about 40 artists featured. So basically goes through, you know, what they're about, what some of their key works are. It's just a really, if you're into art, even as a bit of a novice, which I consider myself to still be a bit of a novice, like I know a little bit about art. I love art and I much appreciate it. But I'm not, you know, aficionado and I couldn't like list a whole lot of things off the top of my head. I just know what I like and I like I know what I'm sort of drawn to and I'm interested in it and curious about, you know, why someone's created something or what drove them to this particular style of art, all of that stuff. So it's that's what it's great for. So and it's and it's Australian art. Like I think this is often, you know, maybe a bit overlooked in what we learn about art wise. Oh, I agree. All right, and so this is contemporary Australian art. It's a beautiful book, so that's you know, straight away I'm gonna be on board.

Speaker 1 23:39

It's going on the coffee table.

Speaker 23:41

Absolutely. But just I don't know, it goes into like the the language of each artist and you know what they're creating, what the definition is of just in a kind of not in an overly explained way, but I guess gives you that sort of I don't know, that you don't have to decode the meaning, particularly with abstract. Yeah, but it's more about the feeling again. Like we talk about feeling a lot, but it's true with abstract art. People often get kind of caught up in kind of going, well, what is it though? And what does it mean? Like it's really interesting. It's like listening to a song, you know, like when artists say, Well, I don't want to tell you why I wrote that song and what it means, what those lyrics mean. I want you to decide what they mean for you. And I think abstract art is a lot about that too. Like so true. That's a great way of putting it. It becomes quite personal. So I think if you're drawn to something, I find it really curious. And I obviously would also love to know because I'm just a snoop and I always like to know things.

Speaker 1 24:37

A snoop. Yeah.

Speaker 24:42

I'm I'm like curiosity killed the cat one day or the other. You are curious. It's good. It's the best. That's probably my that's probably my highest personality trait. It's the best trait to have. And then yeah, and then maybe impulsivity. Um, interesting combination. Can can go badly. But yeah, that just like wanting to know, like, well, what was it? Like, what's the what's the inspiration behind this and the meaning? And sometimes that resonates even more with you when you can kind of learn that and you and that gives even more meaning to the artwork. And sometimes it doesn't. But I think when you can have a moment to think about it without knowing and try and decide what it means for you based on the feelings it evokes. Anyway, that's kind of what, yeah. That's to me, that's what abstract art and appreciating it is about.

Speaker 1 25:26

And that's a beautiful way to explain that to clients as well.

Speaker 25:30

Yes.

Objects With Stories Feel Like Home

Speaker 1 25:30

I think yeah, amazing. So my third book is called The Things That Matter by Nate Burkis. Oh, Nate. You know our guy. He's so cute, isn't he? He is. So I really love this one because it's less about design theory and more about the emotional life of objects. And I know he's he's a great guy. He's a great guy. He is. He's I I mean, I'm holding up a page now, and it's somebody's butler's pantry, stuffed to the brim with packets of stuff with uh containers and cake tins and flour on the bench. Like it's just I I think I'm drawn to those spaces I mean that are lived in. And I I've always really liked Nate Burkis's style because it's it's not too uptight. And this is just a really lovely book. I I think I bought it in 2012. And and again, it's um it's approachable and it's he talks about the objects in his home and the stories behind them, some things that he inherited, some things he found while traveling. And what I've noticed with some of Nate's work, if if you've looked closely, is that when you see when he moves house, yeah, and I actually really love that because I don't I don't love you see the same furniture move with him, a clean slate, new house, new like I don't know. I like the the idea of things having meaning and taking on a different life in a different space. So and the idea.

Speaker 26:59

Obviously, there's times where maybe something doesn't work and obviously need to review, or you grow out of things more than you just get rid of them because it's a new house. Like true it's all relevant. That's true.

Speaker 1 27:10

Yeah, and sometimes you know, you just like I need a fresh start. I I can't that carries a wrong sort of meaning for me now.

Speaker 27:18

I know about that too.

Speaker 1 27:22

So I like that he that our home his idea that our homes become meaningful, not because of everything matching perfectly, but because the objects tell a story. And I think that's a really nice way to think about interiors because that truly personal home isn't styled in one afternoon, you know, it evolves and accumulates all your colour things, as we're saying, or it changes and the things inside it start to represent memories, experiences, and identity. And I suppose it's not just about how it looks, it's not just about aesthetics, it's about the meaning. So he's quite a sentimental guy, our friend Nate. Um, but he talks about some of his friends' houses in here too, and and the objects in their homes, and it's quite lovely. So I it's called the things that matter.

Speaker 28:09

I love that, but uh what's sticking with me is the emotional life of objects.

Speaker 1 28:14

Yeah, it's nice, isn't it? Um, yeah, I love that too. I think that objects do hold um objects do hold emotion. Like I've got all these objects on my desk. I've got a soft pebble on my desk now. It's nothing special. It's a soft pebble, it's a pebble that you find on the ground that you put in your pocket. But is it but why is it soft? It's soft on the edges, smooth. It's not so much.

Speaker 28:38

As in like rounded, yeah.

Speaker 1 28:40

So my my son Benji, he's four, he picked it up and it was in his pocket. So I was like, emotional in a rock. Yeah, yeah. We can find me.

Speaker 28:49

I have a jar of shells that were collected from mostly crews, I think. That's my oldest over the years that I would never get rid of. I did um stick them all to a vase once, which kind of didn't go so well, but because I thought, oh, let's make something of this. But the amount of times I have, as you know, three boys that I would if you forget to check the pockets. This is a warning for you now, never forget to check the pockets. Oh my god, I would tip like the stuff they collect. I don't know if girls don't too, but like pockets of rocks, leaves, I don't know, sticks, whatever they can find that they think is interesting is like collected and in the pockets.

Speaker 1 29:28

Oh, that's so sweet. Yeah, I don't think it needs to be fancy things.

Eclectic Creative Homes Around The World

Speaker 29:34

No, I love all of that stuff. Like I've got bits of coral, definitely have some rocks and things that I move things, I I don't know, as you know, like you move things around, and I think I have collections of stuff that are kind of put away, and then one day you're kind of looking at it and you go, ah, I love this, and it ends up back on your shelf again. And you know, the evolution of our of our homes is often a bit of that, right? I agree. I like that. All right, lost one, which is kind of related in a way because I find these homes they are homes of creatives. The books, the book is not the books, the book is The Life Eclectic by Alexander Breeze.

Speaker 1 30:09

Oh, I don't have that one again.

Speaker 30:11

Beautiful, it's also very pretty. Can you tell why I was drawn to this book? I am shocked. Um but it's unique, I don't know, creative homes around the world. I think there's, I want to say 20 different homes. UK, US, I think there's Australia as well, Italy, France. It shows how like um creative like designers, artists, film directors, I think musicians, and how they basically just bring their homes together and all the possessions, but it's so layered and like real, like the homes feel, I guess is what I I love seeing. I mean, I also love beautifully curated and styled interiors, there's no doubt. But the when this says the life eclectic, the homes are crazy eclectic. And some of them are like amazing art collectors with the most stunning things in the homes, and others are just like way more down to earth. It's like a real, there's no particular style running through the different homes. It's just genuinely like how these creatives live. So you can start it from the front and work through and see like kind of, you know, mid-century modern, you know, apartments that are like just plants and beautiful timbers and earthy materials, but it's just real and layered. And then these amazing homes that are like the walls are painted in like murals and like it's yeah, it's very cool. And obviously, like a good read to understand and and I don't know, hear from creatives about how that interior came together. Like I think a lot of us, when you when you're creative, and even in as interior designers, we have this, we work on projects that have a start and an end date, and we sort of go, okay, we have a plan, we put it together, this is what it's going to be. I think it's rare. It does happen, obviously, where people go, okay, we're building a home, we're designing a home, and they and they treat it like that. But most of us don't live with a start and an end date to our interior. So I think it's very accidental in a way. Like it just kind of comes together and I don't know, it just sort of happens, but then it also looks quite intentional because it's a real reflection of us. So that's what I feel like those interiors are like.

Speaker 1 32:17

And when did that book come out? Sort of recently.

Speaker 32:20

Uh 2022.

Speaker 1 32:22

Oh, okay. Oh, great. So you can still get that book?

Speaker 32:25

I think so. I mean, I don't know when I purchased it because I lose track of these things, but I would assume so. I got it at Readings in Carlton. Oh god, that place, that is just where I spend if I go into any of the readings, but Readings in Carlton, yes. You could it's I could like walk out and go, how did I just spend two hours in there?

Speaker 1 32:45

Oh, it's so great. If you haven't been to Readings in Carlton, if you're not from Melbourne, I would highly recommend that as a very cool Melbourne thing to do. Go to Readings in Carlton, get some pasta, go and get Gelati. Go to Jonony's green room for oh, rooftops. Yeah, it's the best. Oh my god. Yeah, all of the above.

Favourite Bookshops And Buying Local

Speaker 33:05

Yeah, Carlton is Carlton is a cool place. I think it's still a little bit underrated at the moment. It's definitely having a bit of a resurgence. Yeah. But um, yeah, places to buy books, just to touch on that. Obviously, I do get some of them online, but I'm a notorious can't walk past a bookshop without walking in and buying something. And it's not always interiors, sometimes obviously it's a novel or whatever. And even when I'm overseas, I often buy books that are in a different language just because I'm like, I really like books.

Speaker 1 33:32

Does not matter. Well, that's what I did last time when because we were traveling the airport, you'll see me um like grabbing all of the magazines at the airport because they weigh a ton. You don't want to carry them around with you.

Speaker 33:45

That's true. So you get them at the end.

Speaker 1 33:47

Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 33:48

I have actually I have done that. I don't do it anymore. I don't buy magazines because I'm always my luggage is always at the limit already. So it's just not gonna happen. Yeah. So I don't, I don't buy, I think I bought a book maybe last year, but it was a smallish book. I'd try and like go, okay, I think I can do this one one book. I would buy much more. Or I just note them, I'll take photos and go, okay, you need to get this book. But I like buying it when I'm there because then it becomes kind of like a memento, right? It does. Um, but the other big place that I cannot go into, or two of them, which would be NGV, the main bookshop, and then is it ACMI? Am I saying that right? Yeah, yeah. That bookshop. Oh my god. Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 34:28

Oh, yes, I know the one inside Federation Square.

Speaker 34:31

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 34:32

Yeah, it's really great.

Speaker 34:34

So you can't, I find it very difficult to go into those places and not purchase a book. Like, yes. In fact, you I'm a bit like I do have a lot of shoes, but you know the episode on Sex in the City where they where she works out how much she spent on shoes. I feel like maybe if I worked out how much I spent on books, people would be going, yeah, there's your deposit on the house.

Speaker 1 34:57

Oh, what a good thing though. I love books. It's always worth it, right? So worth it. It's always worth it. Yeah, I agree. Any gallery bookshop, it's nice to buy one book there at least. Readings, love that. There's also one in South Yarra when I lived there. I think it's called the Evoka bookshop. Evoka or Avenue or something like that. Oh, the Avenue in Albert Park. That's a good one. That's a good one. Yeah.

Speaker 35:22

Another favorite.

Speaker 1 35:23

I mean, I if I have to buy a book online, I will, but I really don't like doing it.

Speaker 35:29

I'm so cold. I prefer not to as well. Um, sometimes it's just sometimes it can be project driven if you're trying to like just, you know, buy a buy a few books at once.

Speaker 1 35:41

Yeah.

Speaker 35:41

Um, but most of mine have been because I've either been I've just seen them somewhere and gone, I need that. And I'll just buy it and then decide if I'm gonna walk around with it for the rest of the day or wherever I am. Oh, so good. But um, or I make note of them and I try and go back or buy them the next time or whatever, if it's just an impromptu bookstore visit, which does happen. True, because I mean, yeah, they do. But let's try and go outstores alive, right? I agree. As much as as much as online is great, we all do it. Try and buy a book from a bookstore every now and then at least. It feels good. It does.

Thanks Phil And What’s Next

Speaker 1 36:19

It's way more exciting to do that. So true. Well, we have got some really great episodes coming up as well. So thank you guys all for listening because we are constantly, consistently, often, I don't know, we're in the top 10 quite a bit. Let's just say constantly.

Speaker 36:34

We're always there.

Speaker 1 36:37

I like that. Constantly in the top 10 for design podcasts in Australia, which is very cool. And thank you for listening.

Speaker 36:45

You guys, yeah. And I'm gonna remember to say this. Thanks, Phil, our producer, who someone pointed out, you know, on other podcasts, everyone goes, and produced by blah blah blah blah, and we don't do any of that. And we're like, we should probably mention that at some point.

Speaker 1 37:01

It's only been about a year and a bit, right?

Speaker 37:03

And we haven't even our quiet partner, Phil, Lauren's exceptionally wonderful husband, is our producer, and he does all the background work, which is a lot of work. I know what it's like. I I curate the little snippets on socials, and I know how long that takes. So he's like making sure the audio is perfect and all the rest of it, like stuff I would overlook.

Speaker 1 37:27

Yeah, thanks, Phil. Thanks, Phil. All right, talk next time, Bree.

Speaker 37:33

See you later.

Acknowledgement Of Country

Speaker 1 37:34

We've got the utmost respect for the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. They're the OG custodians of this unceded land and its waters, where we set up shop, create, and call home and come to you from this podcast today. A big shout out to all of the amazing elders who have walked before us, those leading the way in the present, and the emerging leaders who will carry the torch into the future. We're just lucky to be on this journey together.