Hay's new store in sydney

Hay has continued to open more stores around the world.  Next stop- Sydney!

The new store is located in Surry Hills which is a hip and happening place, located around 2km from the city centre.  It's going to be connected to the city by a light rail system, which makes it a good choice for shopping.  Surry Hills is very inner city.  Lots of cool restaurants and places to go out.   

The image above shows the front part of the store.  You can see  a soft mags sofa in the background together with an AAL chair with a chrome base and one with a wooden base.

Our old favourites, the DLM and the cloche lamps to the right.   You can see the copenhague table and chairs in the centre.  The console on right is a New Order set up.   Pretty handy- right!

The counter which is similar to the ones we have seen in Shanghai.   The beam hanging hooks created a decorative element behind.   

This is a perfect little desk set up.  I love the AAC's upholstered.   Always fun.  

The slit table in mirrored chrome in the foreground.   I adore this piece and it is a great price point too.

The traditional mags sofa in a steelcut with the curve table.   You can see the edge of the Hackney sofa in blue velvet.  

Another shot of the hackney sofa.  I love this one!

Once of my favourite pieces- the cloche lamp.

A bestseller- the HAY aac in white plastic and oak base.

The loop stand is a practical solution for coat storage.   

Don't forget you can get all these products from Eclectic Cool.  Images kindly provided by HAY.

Products from our store in the wild

We love perusing blogs and spotting some of our fabulous products in real life situations.  Here's some we love.

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The fabulous quality of Tori Murphy's cushions never fails to impress and look good.  These are products lovingly made by hand.  The chevron design is always a classic and adds a stylish twist to  the plainest of sofas.   

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A cute, fun but practical table, the HAY DLM can look good in the most down to earth or sophisticated interiors.   We love the fact is comes in so many colours.   We are partial to the yellow but it looks good in white as well.   The two sizes means that it looks fun stacked together.   

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you can see the HAY tray table peeking out beside the sofa.   We're totally sold on how practical this table is.  We particularly like the rectangle version placed between two armchairs.   

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The understated lines of the GUBI semi pendant is often overlooked but we love its sculptural elements- particularly in a room that is mostly white.  

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The Armadillo rug pictured here adds an unexpected touch of retro glamour to a dining area.   We love the organic feel and it reminds us so much of the 70s in a very cool way.   Stay tuned for more images of our products in homes around the world every week.   

OMMO

We've just introduced a new up-and-coming brand to the store.  OMMO is a brand that has just launched and we are proud to be one of the first stores in the world to carry these beautifully designed products that are also at an amazing price too.   

The initial range of products have been designed by Shane Schneck who also has designed some of our favourite products for HAY such as the Ru chair and the Bollard light from Menu.   

It's hard to choose a favourite product- but I think I love the Hub utensil holder the best.   I like how its made out of silicone so the jar is super squishy and can be stuck in the dishwasher.   I see this product in low key restaurants- to put cutlery in the centre of the table.   

We love a good cup of tea.  These tea infusers make it simple.   The lid slides up and you can directly scoop the tea into the bowl of the infuser.   The hooks at the end mean no lost infusers.  When you have got the right strength, the silicone holder means no drips.   Of course it can all be popped into the dishwasher once you are done.  

We're definitely bringing some of these home.   Protecting your table surface is very important- and these trivets of silicone can be easily stored, washed in the dishwasher and can withstand temperatures of over 150 degrees.  We love the smarties style packaging as well.   

Want a cool multipurpose hostess gift?   The hoop bowl ticks all the right boxes.    This product is great for those parties to serve dips, sticks and crisps.   The elements can either be separated or stacked together.   

The everyday bowl is meant for salads, breads and anything else that you might want to serve. It has an integrated silicone ring which can grip the table, making mixing and kneading easy.   It includes a set of servers that rest on the edge of the bowl, and makes scooping a joy!

Last but not least, the 3 tier cake stand in the most gorgeous macaroon colours, makes presentation of yummy cakes a breeze!It can be used as either a 3 tier or can be separated to make a 2 tier stand.   You can also use the top as a caddy for smaller items.   You can totally see this in a chic coffee shop.  I think this would be great on a dressing table!

The OMMO products are instore now.   Come and check them out!!!

Stepevi Rugs

We're proud to introduce a new rug brand, Stepevi Rugs.  Established in 1919 in Istanbul, this family owned company has been producing high-quality rugs for homes, hotels and even royalty.   They have extensive showrooms around the world, including Istanbul, Paris, Geneva, London, Milan and New York.

Their standard range is beautiful and available in a wide range of colours.   The rugs are available in  standard size of 1.7 x 2.4 but are also customizable in any size.   The best thing about them- apart from their design is the lead time of 4 weeks!  We have quite a few samples in store and we will keep some standard rugs for display/stock.  We're looking forward to receiving them.

Stepevi also can work with us to custom design rug designs.

Here's a few of the fab designs-


Pixel Range

This is a standard colour way but has beautiful muted tones of greys, beiges and blues that would work with lots of decor.

It also comes in this great abstract overlay.

Derange range

We kind of love this crazy cut out pattern.  At it's best when viewed from far away- it has a great 3D effect.

Ta Vie

Have you been to Ta Vie- on the second floor of The Pottinger?

It's pretty much Japanese / French fusion and though highly rated, is not well known.  

We opted for the Tasting Menu which consisted of eight courses, ranging from oysters to beef to duck.  

Here's a bit of a tasting journey. 

We started off with a Smelly Pear Cocktail- heady mix of Pear liqueur, lime juice and soda.  Very fragrant and refreshing.  

Next up was the abalone. Super fresh and served on a bed of baby greens.  All the food was artfully presented on beautiful handmade plates of ceramics and glass.  

Guess what this was, hiding behind a crisp? Okay, you'll never guess- cod milt. What you say? 

Milt is the seminal sac of fish and tastes very much like brains, but fishier. I never knew this but milt is a delicacy not only in Japan, but in Russia and Romania too. 

Nasty Bits columnist, ChiChi Wang recommends you fry it lightly in oil. I think it might taste good prepared the French way in a black butter sauce.  

Here's a closer view. 

A gorgeous squid and black ink egg custard. The radish was lovely and crunchy and added that bit of bitterness to the smooth custard.  

This menu was definitely for seafood lovers and those not watching their cholesterol.  Some langoustine with a cabbage tortellini.  

This was a bit of a highlight- the oyster wrapped in wagyu beef with celeriac purée. 

My favourite plate.  It was like a slick drop of oil.  On it was pigeon and chicory, topped with dried and crumbled mandarin. 

This wasn't on the menu so it was a bit of  a surprise, but pasta is always welcome!  

There was a crepes suzette. Probably the most boring thing on the menu. I like mine flamed! Sorry about the horrible lighting...

And finally a chestnut Mont Blanc. 

I really enjoyed the tea at the end- a blend of mint, lemongrass and pandan leaf. 

The wines by the glass were a but disappointing. Only one choice- a Japanese red but it was smooth and light. 

The tasting menu is HKD 1880 per person. 

Top interior design trends as noted by Pinterest...

We are not really into the latest fashionable interiors but clearly fashion has some role to play in the interior finishes I choose for the store and for our projects.

So what are the top interior trends?  Here we go!

Top interior trends as noted by Pinterest!

1. Geometric tiles- I have had a fascination with geometric shapes and always try to introduce some graphic shapes in the store.   We love our Kaleido trays that give everything that graphic punch....

2.Scandinavian design- well you know we are your go-to place for scandanavian design!  We've got all the brands....HAY, Menu, &tradition, GUBI etc...it's like going for a walk down the main street of Copenhagen.

3. Hidden wires- I've just installed this Cliff drawer  on our desk in the store to hide the wires.   The quality of Heckler Designs products are exceptional.

4.Shades of grey- grey is truly my favourite colour...Nothing better than an armadillo rug in pumice

5. graphic throw pillows- always great to add a pop of colour

6. Black / white and organic shades...which always looks best with a pop of metal

7. Woven wall hangings- hmm...not sure about this one
8. DIY hacks- love anything that makes things easy and it's always better if you can do it yourself!  

9. Artisan goods- anything handmade is always good- we love our new Dutch Deluxes boards and aprons.  Beautiful materials and all handmade.

10. Gilded metallic wallpaper- love the ranges from Cole and Sons.   They've reissued their forest wallpaper with metallic details.