knockknock

it's Fiona from Fede

Today we are visiting the home of Fiona. After leaving the interior design world over four years ago, Fiona is now a mother to two beautiful children and the textile-loving entrepreneur behind Fede, a shop filled with handmade toys for children. Her home is absolutely beautiful, and is sure to make any mid century lover’s heart melt. Hope you enjoy the tour…

 1. You live in Australia. In what kind of home do you live and with whom?
Our home is a split level, flat roofed 1957 built 3 bedroom house. It was originally a farm house but was bought by a developer about 7 years ago and the land was subdivided. We purchased the house in September 2008 in its original condition - it was love at first sight - our diamond in the rough. We sit high on a hill and have the coast to look at from the front and the hills to the back.

I live with my husband Dean and our two children, Ruby (almost 4) and Sachin (2). Then there's our four legged tribe, Benet & Rogan, our 6 year old Whippets, and Libere (AKA Little Bear), our slinky black cat.

2. What is your favorite thing to create for Fede? 
It's hard to pinpoint one thing as its always evolving. My series of "first tool" baby rattles is currently the creation of choice. Each toy is made unique with different colour combinations, which enables me to "play" with my fabric collection on a regular basis. More often than not I go into the sewing room with an idea in mind and come out (hours later) with a group of completely different specimens.

3. How has being a stay at home mom influenced or guided you as a small business owner and maker?
Completely. Good and bad really. While still working as an Interior Designer before becoming a Mum, I began making custom design cushions for clients and exhibitions. Once motherhood arrived my focus changed and it was no longer about clients but about little people. I wanted to use my fabrics to create a more sophisticated range of children’s soft toys - in contrast to the typical primary coloured products on the shelves in the toy store. I made the first hammer rattle for my son Sachin after his plastic hammer broke.

I have always hoped that I could be in a position to stay at home with our kids at least until they started school, so returning to my Interior Design career was not an option as it took me away from them. The desire to find something that would keep me at home, keep me creative and fit around my family life led me to my business. After 2 years at home I needed to stimulate the designer in me and find something to fill a void. The sewing machine called and a wonderful night time relationship grew.

On the down side this led to a struggle with the balance between business and family. Definitely one of the most difficult time management tasks I have been challenged with. I found myself happily working late at night into the early hours of the morning to meet deadlines and correspond with customers in the Northern hemisphere on the opposite clock. With young children I was then up again at the light of day, addicted to coffee to get through the day. And did I mention grumpy! So much so that by the end of 2008 I needed to walk away and close up shop for 6 months. Time to reassess my priorities and give the children the focus they deserve. I can now say that this was a wise decision as I've returned to my business more invigorated and determined to be disciplined with my time.

4. Your previous experience as an interior designer shines through in your home. It seems that you are inspired by mid-century design. How would you describe your design style?
It has taken me many years to find my own style. As an Interior Designer I am accustomed to working to other people’s requirements and not favoring any particular style. As a result I find my taste to be eclectic and in some cases quite extreme. Also I tend to be more conservative with myself for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s my money and not the clients (bummer) and secondly I hate to be pigeon holed into a look that can’t be restyled.
Mid-century modern design is a look that appeals to me (hence the architectural style of our house) with clean lines and elegant simplicity. My idea of a family home is a place that feels lived in and comfortable. I think it should tell a story of the lives who occupy it – with collections of furniture, objects and memories that evolve over time. Sometimes my heart falls for a piece but my practical mother brain says no way – it must be easy to clean and hard wearing to survive in this house. I love the thrill of thrifting and giving new life to something that comes with a bit of history. The imperfections make it real & beautiful.

5. You recently renovated your 1950s home. What changes or additions have you made to the house so far? What parts have you decided to keep as original? 
Structurally not a lot of changes other than re-roofing (it was asbestos). As we have a flat roof and no ceiling cavity we were forced to re-wire the house while the roof was off. We also removed the load bearing kitchen/dining dividing wall to create an open plan space.

Internally we laid floating American Oak timber floorboards (over concrete) and lay new wool carpet to the bedrooms. The original house had only wall lighting so we installed new ceiling lights throughout. The original kitchen was removed and replaced with an open plan design. We replaced the heavy velvet drapes throughout with contemporary style blinds and painted all the walls and ceilings.

The original building is beautifully crafted and deserved a sympathetic renovation. We have tried to maintain as much of the character as possible and bring out the unique features rather than over design. Some of my favorite bits that we have kept include the marble fireplace and built-ins in the lounge, the timber wall paneling, timber screening and stairs in the lobby, the crazy slate floor in the lobby, the diner in the kitchen (we re-clad it to match our new kitchen), the laundry chute from our kitchen to the laundry below (we designed it to fit into our new kitchen), and the mosaic floor tiles in our bathroom & toilet (which I hope to keep when we give those rooms a face lift down the track).

6. Has remodeling been difficult with having two small children and managing your business? What advice do you have for others that are considering re-modeling?
Don’t go into a project thinking it will be all smooth sailing. There is inevitably always some sort of hiccup along the way (if not many) so stay calm and keep your objectives clear. Research, research, research. You only have one chance to get it right so spend the time to work through the design. The internet is such a useful tool to check out new products & innovations, and see other completed projects that may be similar to yours.

Having renovated previously I have learnt not to live at the property during the project. This is not always practical but it makes for a less stressful experience (particularly if you have children).
I guess I found our project exciting and exhausting at the same time. I tried to be onsite (we were living in a rental) as often as possible to keep an eye on the individual trades and pick up any errors promptly. The designing and managing of the project was not so stressful for me (thanks to my design background) as the managing of the children on the building site. My fede business was unproductive over the 3 months that we were driving the project and then I decided to take the next 6 months off. As a result of biting off more than I could chew my business took a back seat.
 
7. Your kitchen is stunning. Most people would consider the kitchen the heart of the home. Does your family spend a lot of time in this room? And is that a chalkboard cabinet I see? Where did you come up with such a wonderful idea?
Thank you. We love it! Our kitchen is where we start and where we end the day. We are all big breakfast eaters so the first thing we do in the morning is head for the pantry and take our positions. With an open plan living area we find we spend a lot of time together even when we are doing our own things.

I always think it’s funny that we have such a comfortable sofa in the lounge and yet whenever we have visitors we all stand in the kitchen. So yes, it’s definitely the hub of our house.

The chalkboard idea started in our last home. We had a chalkboard wall in the living room which was meant for the kids to draw on. In reality we used it for reminder notes and messages to each other. We use the chalkboard on the kitchen door to jot down things that we need from the supermarket. It works a treat!

8. This Kriesler Stereophonic is a beautiful piece in your home. What is the back story?

It belonged to my Nana and Pa. My Nana gave it to me a couple of years ago while downsizing her home. We were living in another city at the time so she kept it for me until we moved into this house.

I spent a lot of time with my grandparents as a child and they were instrumental in encouraging me into music from an early age. I would ride my bike to their house before school in the mornings to practice on their piano. My Pa loved to play his records and later as I improved he’d often have a sing-along with me playing the piano. I continued with the piano right through school and later became a teacher myself and sang vocals in cover bands in my twenties. I have my Nana & Pa to thank for my start to music, so the stereophonic has a lot of fond memories and meaning to me.


9. You have quite a textile collection. When did you start collecting these vibrant fabrics and what initially drew you to textiles?
My name is Fiona and I’m a fabric junkie. Can I say that?

It started in 1995 when Dean and I traveled for a year and stopped in London for 6 months to work and save money. I landed a job in the Furnishing Fabrics department at Harrods and whoa…. I had never seen anything like it! I was introduced to Designers Guild, Liberty and Osborne & Little and I was hooked. I’d ordered so many cuttings for myself that I took a box of these amazing little fabric pieces back to Australia with me (and I still have many of them today).

The collecting of vintage fabrics started later when I met a lady at the Camberwell Markets in Melbourne. Week after week she came with the most amazing collection of bits and bobs that she sourced from estate sales. I became her biggest fan for a while until she disappeared and then I never saw her again. However she introduced me to a new world of textiles. This led to thrifting and now I bring home all sorts of things to re-purpose, tea towels, table cloths, aprons etc.

10. Most of the walls in your home are white, and you have used furniture and artwork to create bold pops of color. This is especially evident in your kid's playroom. Is this intentional? Have your children helped in making any decisions for their rooms?
Actually the reason the house was painted all white was to create a blank canvas that we could develop over time. When we first bought the house the walls were all sorts of disjointed colour and we needed to get some unity throughout – something that wouldn’t fight with all of the timber. The white was an easy choice. Now that we have moved in and introduced the furniture I don’t feel that it needs much colour. I do have plans to add some wallpaper to our bedroom in a black & white graphic design.

With the kids rooms I feel that their toys create the colour. The big decision that was made by our children was to share a bedroom. This has challenged me to move away from the typical boy/girl styles and design a space that is appropriate for both a girl and a boy. It is still a room in the making.

11. Everything looks so well put together and thoughtful. What is your favorite room of the house and why?
I have to say two.
The first is the entry lobby as this is the first space I walked into when I fell in love with the house. It brought back memories of the Brady Bunch. The slate floor, high raked ceiling, timber paneling and amount of light just won me over. It’s also a transition space between our upstairs living areas and the mid-level bedrooms so we walk through it many times a day.

Secondly is the lounge room in Winter. It’s flooded with warm sunlight in the afternoon. A favorite place to sit is in the saucer chair in the window reading a book or just daydreaming and looking at the coastline out the window.


..Fede Shop..
..Fede Blog..

It’s Danielle from Stitchface

Today we are visiting the cozy and creative home of Danielle, who I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the last several months, through her plush animal shop Stitchface. Danielle is currently an intern for a nonprofit organization, where she helps pair professional writers up with students and schools. In her free time, she creates the most adorable, eco-friendly toys that are sure to capture the hearts of the young and the young at heart. Hope you enjoy the tour…

1. You live in Toronto, Ontario. In what kind of home do you live and with whom?

I live in a flat in the upper level of an old two-story century home in downtown Toronto. I share my home with my fabulous partner Mike and we've lived here for around 6 months. We live in an older neighborhood in the city called the Annex that has lots of great places to eat, shop and explore.

2. You use vintage fabrics to create your plush animals and I see that you have many vintage pieces in your home as well. How does your work for Stitchface inspire the way you decorate your home and vice versa?
I think I've always been attracted to vintage and thrift store finds. I love things that have had a story long before I got to them. I also enjoy making unloved items and materials useful again. We have many items in our apartment that have been salvaged from the curbside and with a little TLC they have become really cool pieces in our home. It's the same with the fabrics I rescue from thrift stores and make into new Stitchface creatures. The recycler in me gets super excited when the hidden potential in these discarded items is revealed.

3. The gray blue wall color that runs through much of your home provides a neutral backdrop for pops of color. I have to ask you about this couch. Where did you find it and what drew you to it initially?
The orange couch is definitely one of my favorite pieces. It was actually given to me by my mother and it has been passed down from my great grandmother. The chair was never really used by my mom but I was always drawn to how ornate and grand it looked. It sat in my mother's basement for years and I begged her to keep it for me until I had a place I could put it in. As a university student, I moved all the time (I figured out that in the past 6 years I've had over 10 addresses) so it wasn't until I moved to Toronto after finishing a second degree that I finally felt I was ready to settle into a place for a while and take the chair. It definitely needed some help so Mike and I learned how to reupholster from books taken from the library and covered it in the orange fabric on it now. It's loud and proud but makes a fun addition to our little home. The neutral painted walls are essential to accommodating the loud and colorful pieces like the chair. If the walls were as colorful as some of the things in my home it would be completely overwhelming.
 
4. I love how you have chosen to display a cluster of small treasures and artwork in these empty frames. What is you favorite thing to collect? Any particular item that you are obsessed with?
I am really into collecting vintage doilies, needlecraft and hand finished textiles at the moment. It's definitely an addiction. Some of the fabrics I collect make their way into Stitchface creations, but most of the hand stitched fabrics I find I love too much to alter. As someone who sews, I really appreciate the amount of work and detail that goes into handmade needlecraft and I buy vintage hand sewn pieces it whenever I find it. I have a few on display in my home but I have many more tucked away waiting for the day when I can devote the time to creating a great display for them.
 
5. The airplane wall mural over your bed is an unexpected addition to an adult bedroom. How did you come up with such a playful solution for this large wall?
I think that the decor in our home is anything but serious so when choosing how to decorate the bedroom I wanted something fun. The two of us are really just big kids- I mean I spend my free time making toys. The planes are vinyl wall decals which are amazing for people who live in rented spaces because they are removable and leave no marks when you leave. They are also are a nice affordable option for a big wall until we can make the investment in a large art piece.
 
6.You sew all of your Stitchface pieces from your sewing machine at home. When do you find the time to make these friendly critters and what part of the house do you typically work in?
I work best in the mornings- I put on some music, drink my coffee and sew away.  My kitchen table works overtime as my work station but often I'll sit in my living room to cut out bodies and hand sew details while watching movies with my sweetie (which drives him crazy because then I have a million questions about what's going on- I love you Mike!). In my last apartment I had a workroom and I desperately miss it. Now I have to be much more diligent in keeping the mess to a minimum which means constant cleanup. Less space is the compromise you make to live in a nifty urban neighborhood- sigh.

7. In various places around your house, there are small animal figurines. And your plush line is comprised completely of animals as well (foxes, bears, cats, bunnies, and beavers). Would your describe yourself as an animal lover? And what is your favorite animal to make for Stitchface?
My home decor and Stitchface are definitely influenced by my love of animals. I grew up in a rural area and we always had pets ranging from rats to cats to dogs so I was always surrounded with animals. I try to not let my home get completely overrun by cute animal memorabilia though- I do live with a man and he keeps our house from turning into a shrine to all things cute. I really, really want to get a dog but Stitchface trumps pet ownership for the time being. A space like ours is just not big enough for both my sewing operation and a furry friend. I do have my surly red betta fish named Lincoln to tie me over. I just wish it was easier to give him hugs though.
 
8. You have lots of spices lined up in your kitchen, which is usually a sign that somebody likes to cook. Who is the cook in your household and what is your favorite thing to make on a cold winter evening?
My boyfriend and I swap cooking duties but will often cook together. We've perfected the dance of two people working in a tiny kitchen after many years of living in apartments without a large cooking workspace. I think that our favorite thing to make in the cold Canadian winters are definitely soups and stews- they are wonderfully easy to prepare and always end up tasting fabulous. Top that meal off with some homemade scones and you forget the frigid, snowy outdoors. Yum!

9. Having an outdoor space is great for entertaining guests, in the summer time especially. When you throw a party, what room do your guests tend to gravitate toward?
This summer our little deck has been amazing for entertaining and we use it all the time. In a small space like ours having an outdoor room is such a luxury. We live in a fairly busy part of Toronto so people love the green outdoor space- it's really quiet and sheltered from the noise street we live on which is the biggest bonus. In the winter, my living room gets the most use for entertaining because it definitely feels cozy and comfortable- just what you want on a cold winter evening.

10. Everything has its place in your home, which keeps the clutter to a minimum, but living in a small space can be challenging at times. What advice or space-saving tips do you have for those that are living in tight quarters?
Saving space in my home is definitely an ongoing pursuit for me.  Because my home is limited on closet space, most of my storage spaces are out in the open. In my house I wear my crafty badge with pride and have lots of my supplies out on display- this requires lots of organization and creativity but is necessary if you're like me and have a home bursting with craft paraphernalia. Antique suitcases, baskets and an old radio are a few of the things I have in my house that look cool and provide places to hide functional and not so pretty items.
 
I don't think our home really follows a lot of small space rules. We have lots of color and confusion but it ends up working anyway. It's full of things I love and despite everything going on in it, guests always feel at home here. Small space living isn't for everyone but if you're flexible, creative and a little quirky you'll be just fine.
 

..Stitchface shop..

..Interview with Danielle on Etsy..

A BIG Tank You to Brittni (the new B:Kids Open House editor) for inviting Danielle to this OHT!