Billie Culy

We are so lucky in Hawke's Bay to have some incredible creative talent residing. I recently sat down to chat with young artist, Bille Culy, about coming home, her beautiful range of botanical prints, and her plans for the future.

Billie has recently moved back to Hawke's Bay after living in Auckland for three years. She and her partner Matt Beamish, (the pair both attended Elam School of Fine Arts) left the big city to come and enjoy the quieter Hawke's Bay lifestyle. They've spent the last six months working with Beagle's Bees learning the art of beekeeping. She and Matt would love to have their own hives, "Napier Hill is perfect with lots of flowers year round", says Billie.

Coming home has been good for Billie. "I always feel more inspired at home," she says. Her parent's, Leanne and Brian Culy, are both incredible artists and are a huge inspiration for Billie, they are both her biggest fans and critics. "I know I can always get an honest critique from Mum", she laughs. "Which is great, I missed that".

At school, photography was Billie's favourite subject, and her dad, Brian, was her main inspiration - "he's so clever, and really helpful and supportive". Billie's current range of botanical photographic prints are exquisite. She's always loved to arrange flowers, and she loves still life. Each print captures the essence of the place where the flowers came from. Everything is thought out very carefully, from the arrangement to the background, right down to the vessel. Some of the vessels Billie makes herself, including the concrete planter and beeswax bowl. She would love to make more of her own vessels and is thinking of taking pottery lessons in the future.

Blue

Haumoana Flowers

Flowers in Wax

As well as photography and maybe pottery, Billie is interested in a wide range of creative avenues, including painting and print making. She finds inspiration in many places, and is a big fan of painters, Saskia Leek and Helen Frankenthaler. Wolfgang Tillmans is her most favourite photographer - his still life works are amazing; and she's recently discovered the work of Camillie Henrot who turns flower arrangements into sculptural works.

Camillie Henrot

Saskia Leek

Helen Frankenthaler

With Billie's talent and enthusiasm the future is wide open for her. She plans to branch out with some of her still life ideas, playing with different objects. Painting is something she is really keen to get back to, and perhaps travel. "I'd love to travel overseas and take floral photographs that represent each area", Billie says. "Or maybe go and rough it on Great Barrier island for a while". Whatever she does I know she'll do well. If you love her prints as much as I do, you can purchase them from Homebase Collections, and if you think they look good on screen, wait til you see them in real life!

Botanical Garden

Gold

Roadside Flowers

Tropical

Tea Pea School

Dael and I have had the pleasure of working with Meg, Scott and the wonderful Tea Pea team over the years, and we were really excited to hear that they were expanding their thriving business to include a Tea Pea School.

As well as being extremely creative herself, Meg has had the opportunity to meet and work with a plethora of other talented people. Wanting to share the joy and the knowledge, "The School" was established to teach, and inspire others to express their creativity in a diverse range of ways.

make a wreath with adaptation to a floral chandelier

ceramic bunting making

Launching this month, there are over twenty workshops, talks and demonstrations for you to choose from. Try your hand at Shibori dying, or learn to make ceramic tea lights; have you always wanted to learn the art of writing, or how about cake decorating? There are so many options and more are being added all the time.

the art of writing

ruffles and roses cake decorating

You can book and go alone to your favourite workshop - use it as an opportunity to network and meet other like-minded people. Another fun idea is to gather a group of your girlfriends or work mates together. Contact the Tea Pea team to see if you can organise your own special workshop - what a great team-building idea!

make a kokedamas

tricks and tips for decorating a child's space

As well as the knowledge, the experience, and the yummy refreshments, you will also take away with you a lovely goodie bag. Classes start from just $45, so go and check them all out now. To keep up to date with any new classes, join the Tea Pea mailing list and follow them on Facebook too.

Creating a Home

My favourite part about working as an interior designer is watching a room come to life. Architects and builders create the house, or the structure (and a fine job they often do!), but it's what you put inside that turns it from a house to a home. Here are some tips that are guaranteed to warm up your space...

Start at the beginning. The entrance is the first part of your home that you and your guests see. Make a great first impression by creating a warm and welcoming entrance. It's bound to make you happy every time you arrive home.

1 | 2

Surround yourself with things you love. Do you have a love of vintage mirrors, or a collection of treasured vases? Group them together to make an interesting display.

1 | 2

Of course, that goes for any of your beloved items. Having them on display in your home helps to tell a story about who you are.

1

Artwork is one of the easiest ways to put your mark on a space. "Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder"... it is very personal and often the hardest thing to choose for someone else. If it moves you in someway, and brings you joy, you should definitely have it in your home.

1 | 2

Another easy way to bring life to your home is to add plants and flowers. Flowers are an instant hit of colour and beauty, and plants can be a more permanent part of your decor - from a large indoor tree in the corner of your living room to a small potted succulent on your bookshelf.

1 | 2

Anything that has history will add depth and soul to your space. Reupholster your grandmother's antique sofa in a contemporary fabric, or repurpose your father's childhood drawers to use as bathroom vanity. Obviously a piece from your own family will have special meaning, but you can also scour the second hand shops to create this look. I love mixing older pieces with contemporary ones.

1 | 2

Once you have your key furniture pieces, layer them with rugs, cushions, and throws to bring warmth and comfort. This is an great way to create a cosy and inviting home.

1 | 2

Books, candles and photographs are the perfect items to create meaningful vignettes, and the books and photos give more clues as to who lives here. Candles, especially scented ones, create ambience and add warmth to a room.

1

Lighting is very important in a home. Make sure you have a variety of sources - bright task lighting is important in a kitchen and bathroom, but I often only use lamp light in living areas. Add dimmers to your main lights, and have floor and table lamps throughout your home so that you can adjust the light to suit the occasion.

1

These are all things that you can do yourself, but if you would like any help turning your house into a home, you need only ask!

Bibby + Brady Office/Studio

It's been a month since Dael & I moved into our new Bibby + Brady office/studio. When the office became available in Ossian Street, next to the famous art deco Rothmans Building, we jumped at the opportunity. Although the space is tiny, it's in a fabulous location in the ever-growing area of Ahuriri. We had some fun with colour on the outside of the black building, which was formally the Rothmans' guardhouse.

We are not a retail shop, but as much as possible we have filled it with pieces that can be bought from us on the spot, or ordered. Some of the items can be found in our online shop eg: artwork, lamp shades, poufs, marble boards...; and the larger furniture items can be ordered through us.

We had to get creative when it came to turning the space into our studio. The palm roman blind is an example of ones we can have made for clients. They can see how well it's made and how easy it is to pull up and down, but it also hides a not-so-attractive window that looks out onto a wall.

The black & white fabric curtain is hung by an invisible ceiling track and acts as a screen to hide our kitchen and packing table. We plan to swap this out with a new fabric every season. The velvet sofa is a 'Bibby + Brady special'. We have used it in several client's homes and work places in different fabric (ours is the first velvet sofa). It comes in various sizes and is extremely comfortable.

We love our Armadillo Marigold rug and plan to stock our shelves with more Bibby + Brady homeware and accessories in the near future. We will also be adding a range of custom made cushions with feather inners very soon.

Dael & I made our desks in the same style as our hairpin console tables, and they tuck nicely into our window alcove.

My dog, Sam, is a regular visitor, and is only too happy to see you if you call in. We work in the office til 4pm Monday to Thursday, and finish at 3pm on Fridays. There are times when we are out on the job, visiting clients, but if we're in and you're passing, feel free to drop in and say 'hi'.

Thrill, Fill & Spill

When I'm styling a vignette I like to work with layers of height, texture, shape and colour. Something tall at the back, maybe a piece of art on the wall, a vase or lampshade, and layering smaller pieces in front.

via

I have to admit to not being much of a gardener, my husband is in charge of ours at home. Although I don't know much about soil types, and what to plant where, I do know what I like the look of, and I've found that the same principals I use in interiors also apply in the garden. Layers of texture, shape and colour make for a very visually appealing garden.

via

People used to tell me that when I got my first home I'd become interested in gardening, but that didn't happen. Funnily enough it's creating a small garden for my first office that has sparked my interest in the botanical world. Dael & I are in the process of moving our business out of my living room and into a little office/showroom in Ahuriri. Our friend Anna, from My Veggie Patch, has helped us pick the right plants to withstand the hot conditions down there, and to provide some colourful impact. We're now waiting for our hibiscus and portulaca to burst into bloom. We plan to add a large pot by the front door, and it's Anna who taught me about "thrill, fill and spill".

A pot created by Anna of 'My Veggie Patch' outside FG Smith cafe

I love that phrase, and it's really quite self explanatory... it describes how to plant a container garden. Your 'thrill' is an eye-catching plant with some height at the back of the pot. 'Fill' is a selection of lower plants that fill the rest of the pot. And the last component, 'spill' refers to the plants that fall over the edge of the pot. Here are a couple more examples to show you how fab this looks...

1 | 2

Although this example (below) is slightly different, in as much as the plants are in individual pots, it has a similar effect - tall foliage at the back, with smaller plants in front. The different textures are gorgeous, don't you think?!

via

I really feel inspired to have a go at gardening at our place now. But maybe I'll start with a pot before I let loose in the garden itself :)