Shannon Fricke

Interior designer, stylist and author Shannon Fricke lives in beautiful Bangalow, in the hinterland behind Byron Bay, NSW. She runs workshops on styling and decorating in her beautiful studio there (note to self: organise "work trip" asap!) and has recently released 'How to Decorate', a book full of practical advice and inspiring images for anyone who needs a push to get started on their own decorating journey, as well as a new range of bed linen.

I've been very happy to have a copy of 'How to Decorate' on my desk, but it's time to share the joy and pass it on to one our treasured T&W blog readers. Just leave a comment here on the blog before midnight on this Sunday 22nd July for a chance to win the book – the winner will be announced here on the blog next week.

I hope you enjoy our interview with Shannon - I loved hearing about how her own decorating style has evolved and adapted to her new lifestyle in Bangalow. She was also generous enough to give us her tips on using the vintage bottles and bobbins in our Stylist's Own feature today.

Can you give us some advice on using vintage bottles and bobbins?
You will always find glass bottles of all shapes and sizes and vintage bobbins popping up in the photographic shoots that I style. The bottles work beautifully as vessels for flowers, and there's nothing I love more than clustering a group together with my favourite blooms as the adornment. They work just as beautifully filled with shells and other paraphernalia lined up on a shelf or in threes on a sideboard. I have a cupboard full of them so that I am prepared for every occasion! My vintage bobbins house my braids, ribbons and trims of all kinds - so they are not only beautiful to look at but particularly useful. Again, clusters are the key - mix in with bottles, coloured milk glass and other collectibles for display that has depth and interest.



'How to Decorate' starts with advice on how to find your own personal decorating "story" using your own experiences and emotions. Did it take long for you to find your own story?
Your story in life is always evolving as you grow to know yourself better and feel a sense of confidence in that knowing. The key, when using your story as a decorating springboard, is to delve into what it says about you so far. To do this successfully, there is a process of 'stripping yourself bare,' so to speak. You need to look at who you are, what you love and what you need, in the most honest way you can. I've had two major themes in my life that my interior has served to support. The first was the need for energy, for drive and for passion. This reflected in my first home very strongly through my colour palette of red, orange and chocolate - very strong, pushy colours that got me up and out the door every day. Funnily enough this coincided with the birth of my two children! My move to Bangalow (and the farm) signified the second theme - the desire for comfort (through my use of texture), reflection (mixing the old with the new), a touch of the magical (through infusions of wallpaper), and my need for calm (my green and blue colour palette and the inclusion of indoor plants).

Did having children change your ideas about decorating?
Yes and no! As a child at heart, I've never been a big one on creating interiors that weren't playful in their essence - I could think of nothing worse than a pretentious interior getting in the way of me enjoying the experience of hanging out at home. Ditto for my family, so I always ensure I keep to a palette of textures and furnishings that aren't too expensive and can cope with a little knocking about. Most things in my home have been with me for a very long time – recovered, painted and repurposed along the way. The biggest change I made was through the colour scheme. I really needed a punchy colour scheme to get me going when the children were little – having two kids born just over a year apart made for interesting times and the feeling of total exhaustion! As they grew older, and we moved out of the city into calmer surroundings, I found I didn't need and actually couldn't cope with such a punchy colour palette. We are all thriving in our blue/green palette – it offers air, peace and a sense of grace – just what I need now I'm getting a little older too!

What do you think are the key skills you need to successfully decorate your own home?
The first skill (although often the hardest) is simply to see. Stop and look at your environment, its faults and its foibles along with it's positive attributes. Seeing is the key to all forms of creativity. The next is to listen – to what you hope for, what you need and what is truly possible. Once you've got a grip on this part, then it's time to get practical. Create a decorating roadmap (or a concept), do your research (online and in store) to see what options are available to you, edit your choices (to create a tight grouping of furnishings), look at your budget (does your list of possibilities fit the reality of your situation?!), purchase and style into place. Have fun! Don't take it all too seriously!

What are the biggest decorating mistakes you see?
The most common decorating mistake is to purchase first – think later! This is a sure way to end up with a gaggle of pieces that don't hang together.

Can you tell us more about your new bedlinen range?
I'd been looking at developing a product range for a long, long time and when the time came it made sense to start with a bedlinen range, because bed is my favourite place to be! The key was to create a range that reflected how I like to live and the things that are important to me  – like capturing the feeling of freedom, being connected to nature and living in a relaxed, trust in life kind of way. The Shannon Fricke Bedlinen range is all about mixing and matching – taking a piece here and a piece there and mixing it through with what you have already. This way, you're free to create your own individual style. I hope it inspires people to get creative in their beds - in a decorating way, of course!

If you'd like to see Shannon Fricke's gorgeous bedlinen on Temple & Webster, click the 'Like' button below!