Brooke Crowley is creative director and, with her husband Tim, owner of Surry Hills store, Elements i love and its sister business Architectural & Antique Elements in Leichardt. Although she travels to France, India and beyond sourcing vintage and antique goods, this week found her unpacking a container of her global finds and zipping between warehouse and store. 



A morning dog walk with Tanja, our mini schnauzer keeps me sane, most of the time...

My day can often start here, if I am at the warehouse I will be in and out of the workshop,  either hands-on or overseeing what is next in line. Every single piece we buy requires some TLC time, whether it is structural, minor repairs & colouring or just waxing.

This week was a good week: container arrived early, unpacked by 9.30 am and then spent the day unwrapping packages, kind of like Christmas. The time between being on the road, buying and getting the products in our own hands can be quite some months, so there are often a few surprises!

I have grown to love the sculptural beauty & the ever changing skies of the Anzac Bridge; I can ending up crossing here rather a lot between store, warehouse and home…

It's definitely a challenge to keep on top of both places & I know sometimes the warehouse feels a little neglected - it's a great space as Architectural & Antique Elements and serves as the back bone for our sister store Elements i love...

It's great to get out on site; my favourite thing is to see our pieces installed as well as working with passionate people to create a space they love. This client has just moved in and we are choosing additional furnishings, trialling the tractor stool & a colourful new rug today...

A little bit of fun is coming our way - I met with Marie Leahy this week to go over details of a collaborative exhibition we are holding at the store in Surry Hills later this month. Nostalgia – fabulous retro art; we are very excited about it!

Touching in at the Surry Hills store gives me a chance to keep on top of what stock needs to come in to replace lovely sold pieces that are going to lucky homeowners – our aim is to have a beautiful retail space and this can keep us busy & constantly on the look- out.

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We were blessed this week with friends staying from Tassie and we had a rare Saturday off...luckily they too are hunters & collectors so of course we spent the day mooching around at various markets and ended with a delightful lunch on the balcony at the Clock Hotel, in Surry Hills.

For more, visit Architectural & Antique Elements, or follow them on Facebook or on Instagram @elements_i_love_byron.