Meet Iggy & Lou Lou. Two figments of Australian sculptor and designer Irene Grishin-Selzer’s vivid childhood imagination. As a child Irene was given two porcelain figurines who she named Iggy and Lou Lou. Like any child she invented stories in which they would come to life at night and travel the world having amazing adventures. Today, Iggy & Lou Lou is a limited edition jewellery and homeware label that is turning heads, and as Irene once imagined, taking the world by storm.

Irene established the label in 2003, drawing on the rich history of porcelain. Her collections are reminiscent of sixteenth century Memento Mori and are rich with historical references, time-worn mysteries and decorative narratives. Each work is hand crafted with love and kiln fired up to four times to attain the patina of buried treasure. I’m completely swooning over the collectable skulls in Iggy & Lou Lou’s “Love Bandits” collection. They’re a seriously cool ode to us craniates.

Do yourself a favour and pay a visit to Iggy & Lou Lou’s website which is a piece of art within itself: www.iggyandloulou.com

www.indie.com.au/shopping/indie-shopping-label/iggy-lou-lou.html

QH guest blogger Michaela Tam

Exclusive to Brisbane, this exhibition is going to impress! Fashion lover or not .. I think Brisbane is pretty excited about this one.

Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future’ is a major exhibition exploring the work of the celebrated Italian fashion house Valentino, known for its sophisticated, timeless design and glamorous clientele. GoMA will be the exclusive Australian venue for this major exhibition, developed by renowned institution Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

The exhibition encompasses haute couture from the first collection designed in 1959 by the house’s founder, Valentino Garavani, through to work from the Autumn/Winter 2009–10 creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli – appointed as creative directors (more…)

A few months ago, construction began on Queensland’s new children’s hospital at South Brisbane, which will see the existing Royal Children’s and Mater Children’s hospitals merge. Australian architecture firms Lyons www.lyonsarch.com.au and Conrad Gargett Architecture www.conradgargett.com.au have been commissioned to design this mammoth project. I know the new hospital is an extremely contentious issue, but for the sake of this blog post, let’s all leave our opinions at the door and look at the hospital simply from a design point of view.

The concept for the design is that of ‘a living tree,’ a network of ‘trunks and branches’ which permeate the building and connect inside and outside. What I love about this design are the vibrant colours and the seemingly oscillating exterior - it almost reminds me of The Caterpillar’s abode in Wonderland. What’s more, the structure sits in a generous urban park which can serve as a gathering place for the children and their families. I think the establishment is architecturally bold for its purpose and has been thoughtfully designed, keeping in mind the clientele and showing a commitment to evidence based design.

Once completed, the Queensland Children’s Hospital will have about 71,000 sqm of floor space and around 359 beds. The hospital is due to open at Southbank in 2014.

- QH guest blogger Michaela Tam

Shannon Garson www.shannongarson.com is a ceramicist specialising in thrown, decorated porcelain, and her practice continues to grow with a collection of exhibition work and limited edition tableware developing hand in hand. Garson has fast become one of Australia’s most collectable ceramicists, combining strong draftsmanship and a controlled design flair for the simple and organic. Her pieces explore ceramics and life through the synthesis of surface decoration and form, and reflect a strong kinship with the Australian environment.

Garson uses a myriad of techniques to garnish the final product, and her background as a painter is evident with the lively drawings that transform everyday objects into works of art. Each piece connects the visible world with the intangible and mysterious, a massive metamorphosis from meagre lumps of porcelain clay. I’m especially loving the rustic appeal of the (more…)

For me, there’s always something mesmerising about objects made from recycled, all natural materials. I don’t know what it is, but whenever I see creations that are monuments to Mother Nature I always feel at peace. Perhaps I was some version of an itinerant in a past life? So when I discovered Greg Hatton’s www.greghatton.com furniture on The Design Files www.thedesignfiles.net, I grew weak at the knees. Hatton is a Melbourne based furniture designer/landscaper/stonemason/ever-restless creative soul that breathes new life into reclaimed materials and found objects with his love for design, nature and creation. Hatton is sometimes affectionately referred to as ‘Twiggie,’ a fitting nickname that reflects the simple and raw beauty of his designs.

What I find intriguing about Hatton and his designs is that his clients are highly involved in the creative process. As a majority of his work is made to order, I think this fortifies the personality of each piece, and ensures that each design is truly one of a kind. Hatton confesses that his clients are “mainly pretty creative types who know that they want,” and his practice is all about evolution rather than rigid designs on paper. Furthermore, Hatton reveals that it’s often the materials he finds that tell him what they are to become, and I don’t think you could have a stronger affinity with nature than that!

QH guest blogger Michaela Tam

I fell head-over-heels-stomach-in-knots in love when I found these beaded animals on Safari Fusion www.safarifusion.com.au. I think these abstract interpretations of Africa’s wildlife are fascinating and absolutely charming. The animals were handmade in South Africa, with beadwork the domain of many women within the Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele and Soho tribal communities. Passed on from mother to daughter, the craft is thriving and forever evolving. And what’s more, by purchasing handcrafted products from these communities, many African artisans are provided with a living.

Safari Fusion is an online store that is home to a mind-blowing collection of handmade contemporary design pieces from all over Africa. Creator and owner, Kellie (more…)

Jumpers And Jazz is a winter festival that has been held annually in Warwick since 2004. The festival invites all visitors and residents of the town (including neighbourhood flora) to rug up and celebrate winter in all its glory. Patrons of the festival will have the pleasure of indulging in a diverse lineup of music, art workshops, craft markets and inspirational exhibitions. Local residents are all for spontaneous acts of art in their streets, so come prepared!

What makes this festival unique and wonderful is the centrepiece of the festival - an estimated 150 trees that are transformed with artworks that really have to be seen to be believed. Creative types are encouraged to think outside the box and use traditional crafts like knitting, crochet, felting, and doll making, to make jumpers to dress our timber friends and keep them snug. I couldn’t imagine a better way to embrace winter than to walk down the streets, complete with scarf and beanie, and see trees sporting similar attire.

The festival will span 11 days, commencing on the 15th of July and continuing until the 25th of July. For more information and a full program, visit  www.jumpersandjazz.com.

British fashion designer Paul Smith www.paulsmith.co.uk has lent his classic yet quirky brilliance to Scandinavian design house, Stelton www.stelton.com, to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Following Stelton’s only request, to “please have a look at Arne Jacobsen’s world famous Cylinda-Line, and give it your own look,” Sir Paul has certainly incorporated his innate sense of colour and genuine sense of humour to the line of stainless steel tea and coffee pots. The Arne Jacobsen Cocktail Set has also been thoughtfully tweaked by the design virtuoso.

The Cylinda range of stainless steel products, designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1967, are a true mark of ‘Danish Modern’ style. Smith has reworked the collection to include sharp block colours, and some strategically placed engraving adds to the initial charm of the iconic (more…)

I have several [crazy] friends who don’t like chocolate. Just plain “don’t like it.” However, I think Mary & Matt’s Chocolate Editions will make splendid props in my tirade to set them up for a lifelong romance with chocolate. Chocolate Editions celebrates chocolate as an edible art form, and I absolutely adore the idea of modernism that is always fresh and always delicious. Each chocolate bar in the collection has  been re-imagined from an eclectic array of influences, such as the typically dull pie chart, and the family favourite Neapolitan ice-cream.

Chocolate Editions by Mary & Matt is a celebration of the candy bar as a perfect pop object. Launched in their home kitchen as gift ideas for friends and family, Chocolate Editions quickly grew into a full line, created to indulge our taste buds. Mary & Matt use the highest quality ingredients and craft their chocolate bars in small, handmade batches. Death by chocolate is imminent…

Mosey on over to Mary and Matt’s website, where all of their deliciously artful candies are on display: www.chocolate-editions.com. Select Chocolate Editions products are available at Third Drawer Down www.thirddrawerdown.com/shop.

- QH guest blogger Micheala Tam

Ever since I was a young child I was fascinated with liveable spaces and the thousands of stories that were entwined between their details. I was completely obsessed with people’s stories and the ambiguity of human memory. When I read about Front Projects on Design For Mankind www.designformankind.com, my intrigue with garden variety stories was revitalised. Front Projects is a Swedish design group and and their “Story Of Things” collection looks at the similarities and differences between items from homes all over the world.

Various homeowners’ possessions have been reproduced in red plastic and printed with stories about how they were acquired. My personal favourite is the African mouth plate whose owner proclaims “I got it from my friend, for no reason whatsoever… It’s on the table. I use it for peanuts.”  The appropriation of this tool and its sentiment highlights the real simplicity of happiness and overwhelms me with (more…)