Taking two with Fleur Harris
Somehow she has found time to have a quick chat with us, and we feel so so lucky to have just a tiny insight into her creative life!
So grab yourself a cuppa (or a glass of bubbles!) and get ready to meet the one and only Fleur Harris...
Mix or match?
A jumbled mix curated from things chosen carefully for their unique preciousness so that when they come together they all work in accidental-on-purpose mixy matchy perfect harmony.
Fave colour combo?
I have a set of connector pens in my studio that I use to clip together different colour combinations. The one particular combo I am obsessed with is lavender, grey, peach and neon yellow. It came together by accident when I was packing up my pens and now I can't bear to pull them apart. I also have a glass jar of glitter that I pour all the spare glitter from my different projects into, so the colour of this glitter is always changing, but it hovers around the most beautiful soft-holographic-gold-multicolour-pastel tone most of the time, it's stunning.
What inspires you?
I really look up to people who are dedicating themselves to their work, especially when their cause is for the benefit of others. Ric O'Barry is a great example of someone who I am constantly inspired and motivated by. While our work is completely different, his passion, drive and unrelenting efforts to achieve his goals is something that really amazes and inspires me. He has huge roadblocks ahead of him in his dedication to the welfare and protection of dolphins, but he keeps going and going regardless.
Dream holiday destination?
I've been to lots of amazing places in the world, but nothing beats a day diving on the Great Barrier Reef with salad sandwiches for lunch and drinks on the trip back to shore at dusk. Watching the sun set over the ocean with salty hair and bare feet hanging off the side of the boat after exploring the underwater wonderland of the reef is when I feel the most at peace and in awe of being alive on this amazing planet.
Describe your style at home?
The front half of our home is an 1890's Victorian which we have had a lot of fun restoring and bringing back to her former glory. The craftsmanship and attention to detail from that period is inspiring, and I've tried to stay true to that aesthetic in the front of the house from the restored lacework on the verandah right down to the bee shaped iron curtain tie backs in the bedrooms. The back half of the house is a modern renovation so that's where I've had a lot of fun curating all of our collected treasures into our living area to make for a space that's interesting, eclectic, full of stories but also visually balanced. Artwork plays a big part in our home, from large scale photographs to a large gallery wall filled with pieces we've collected over the years, masks from flea markets, a plate wall made up of ceramics I've collected when travelling etc. Whenever we have a milestone event to celebrate, such as our wedding or our first child being born - we'll invest in a piece of artwork or furniture to mark the occasion. Everything in our home is meaningful in some way, if it's not sentimental, beautiful or useful it gets chucked out.
Dream collaborators?
Anthropologie is one of my favourite retailers, so to create something with them would be heaven - especially ceramics or home textiles. But there's also a million other products I want to play with... sneakers, sunglasses, bed linen, floor rugs, ghetto sparkle street wear.. I want to do everything! Tiger is an amazing retailer whom I'd also love to work with, their business model and product mix is so simple and fun.
Describe your perfect day?
Sundays in our house are my kind of perfect day. I'm usually up early and work in my studio for an hour or so, and then my husband and I walk down the end of our street to the local farmers market, where we get some of our groceries for the week. We'll then head home for a lazy breakky and whenever we're ready we'll head into the city to the Queen Vic Market so finish off our shopping for the week. I love the chaos of the fruit and veggie market and the old world charm of the deli hall. We'll queue up to get a Borek, which is the best kept secret for a quick lunch in Melbourne in my books. We'll come back and go for a walk along the river and then spend the early evening together in the kitchen cooking up something delicious with what we found at the markets. It's just us hanging out, eating, chatting and taking it easy - it's perfect.
What is on your dream home wishlist?
A dimly lit, well organised, charming wine cellar. Stone walls, drippy candles, reclaimed timber shelves packed with the delicious vintages we have been patiently keeping for years (currently stored in less than ideal places all over our house such as under our bed and in the linen cupboard). There'd be a memento for my late father, he was a vigneron and instilled in our family a great appreciation for wine and food, so he definitely gets a spot in there. It'd be small enough to feel cosy but big enough to be able to have a drink in if you didn't quite make it out of there after opening a bottle at the end of a long delicious dinner party.
You can check out more of Fleur's work on her website and instagram!
Image credits via:
Fleur Harris, Girl Tweets World, Don Lichterman, BuzzFeed Australia