Measure up

A simple set of shapes for drawing & measuring, now obsolete but the combination is just right, with the soft of the fabric surveyors’ tape, the hard of the wooden rulers, and the round & right angles of the various tools.

Paper trail

A little sticky putty plus a lot of paper equals an instant art installation. Begin by rummaging through your own drawers and storage boxes for invitations, cards and other memorabilia or start a collection from scratch. Seek out printed matter such as sewing patterns, maps, flashcards or love letters made interesting by the passage of time or desirable by the idiosyncrasies of the paper itself.

Nature’s treasures

Do not overlook random finds from your weekend bushwalk. Shivery grass, abandoned wasp nests and part of a snake vertebra sit beautifully in installation.

Cover all

Faded and falling apart or pre-loved linen-covered books offer a beautiful colour palette, and when stacked high also illustrate a display technique used by stylists the world over.

To the touch

Visual and tactile textures add an important level of interest to any styling arrangement. Here, smooth tongue-and-groove is paired with the satiny stiffy plumage of a giant seafaring bird; a pebble polished by nature is a companion to twisted cord and fine-grained wood. Note the use of superfine masking tape and dressmakers’ pins to affix the feathers to the wall – easy, cheap and effective.

Sign your life away

Old signs act as a humorous distraction from functional items, such as a storage cupboard. Seek out typography with character – the more handwritten, stamped, silkscreened or irregular and inconsistent the better! Using words as decoration allows you to introduce a true sense of self to your interiors.

Freeze frame

Stacked empty frames act as display blocks and a background for random found objects, both man made and natural. Glass items, such as this cloche, give a whole new perspective to the objects behind and allow you to arrange multiple layers.