BY SIBELLA COURT
THE SOCIETY INC
edition 1
Pirate Portrait | Captain and The Gypsy Kid & Steve Baccon Illustration | Christina Banos @homedrawn
Editor’s letter I have always fancied having my own newspaper. A place to voice The Society inc discoveries, share trade secrets, reveal some hidden treasure and celebrate the talented clever craftsmen that surround me. In our first ever issue we are going to [un] cover the foundations & philosophy of The Society inc, revealing my love affair with history & my go-to era, my inspirations & favourite things as well as introducing The Stylist’s Guide to the Globe (also follow my adventures as they happen on instagram @sibellacourt #thestylistsguidetotheglobe). I am going to cram in all that there is to know about how & why I started The Society inc, our design process, a little of my history, a hand full of magic, a pinch of fantasy and a whole lot of storytelling on behind the scenes at The Society inc, why & where I travel & how we come up with the things we do! P.S. sign up for a beautiful weekly newsletter that keeps you up-to-date & behind-the-scenes at The Society inc. www.thesocietyinc.com.au
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Of
DICTIONARY For gotten
Tr a de s
A long held dictionary of the forgotten trades; my blackbook of master crafstmen
Illustration | Christina Banos @homedrawn
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dictionary I collect words. I write them down, just as people might tear a page from a magazine, to inspire me at a later time or to use in my interiors as artistic embellishment – scribbled on a chalkboard, painted on a wall, mounted in a frame. I use them in my styling and seek them out in different typefaces, fonts and collections of brilliant words.
F
N
Falconer - n. one that breeds and trains falcons. | One that
Napier -n. servant in charge of table linens in a large
hunts with falcons. Feather collections a many.
household. A keeper of Royal family secrets!
Farrier - n. a maker and fitter of horseshoes. Nippers, hammer, rasp and hoof knives are never far astray.
A
archer - n. a person who is skilled in the use of a bow and arrow. Admiration of the schematics in an arrow shaft glimmer in one’s eye.
B
G Glazier - n. a careful craftsman that handles, cuts & fits glass, skilled in the techniques of hammered, cathedral, narrowline
P
etc. Natural habitat is a high-ceilinged light-filled workshop.
Peddlar -n. a travelling vendor of goods. Pertains a specific
H
talent in loud chanting.
Blacksmith -n. cousin to the farrier, one that forges and
S
shapes iron with an anvil and hammer. Often broad shouldered with a patient temperament. Butler - n. i definitely need one of these – A multitalented head domestic in a household who is usually in charge of food service, the care of silverware, and the deportment
Haberdasher - n. a merchant dealing in all essential sewing
Signwriter - n. a specialty painter keen on typography,
needs & notions, such as buttons, needles, ribbons &
creating signs on buildings exterior & interior. A collector
thread. A proud member of the Worshipful Company of
of brushes with a steady hand and sharp eye. Takes delight
Haberdashers.
in a well-kerned title.
of the other servants. Fiercely loyal and intolerant of imperfection.
C
Chandler - n. a maker or seller of tallow or wax candles
I
Iron forger - n. one who works with flame to tame metal, by heating in a bloomery and beating or hammering into shape. Favourite possession is a well-worn compass.
and usually soap | a retail dealer in provisions and supplies or equipment of a specified kind.Dripping wax fairyscapes adorn the workshop floor. Cooper - n. one that makes or repairs wooden barrels and tubs. May be spotted after hours, glass of Oak wine atop
.
the workbench.
M
Magician - n. a sorcerer; a wizard. | One who performs magic
Shipwright - n. one that builds, repairs and launches ships,
for entertainment or diversion. | One whose formidable skill
or assists with carpentry on iron and steel vessels. A lover
or art seems to be magical.Wands, moonshadow, cauldrons
of the seas.
etc. Mapmaker -n. a person who makes maps; a cartographer.
T
Longitude & latitudes unveil spatial wonders & the pathways
Tanner - n. a curer of animal hides, transforming them into
to hidden treasures of the globe.
leather. An odoriferous trade; oak and salt scents linger. Tinsmith - n. aka whitesmith; finesses, makes & repairs things of light metal. Ply their trade from the back of a
Cutler - n. derived from the old French word ‘coutel’
gypsy caravan.
meaning knife; who makes, repairs, or sells knives, scissors
Turner - n. a person who turns & shapes wood. The lathe;
and other such sharp cutting instruments. Scarred hands
a best friend. Worn hands which smell of Maple, Oregon
work the whetstone.
& Cedar.
D Draper -n.
a dealer and merchant of textiles, cloth or
clothing, and dry goods. Rarely seen without tape measure in hand.
Merchant -n.
a person who buys and sells goods, a
shopkeeper. Often spotted crossing the cobblestone streets brown paper & twine in hand. Monger - n. someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold; A dealer in a specific commodity. Eg. A fishmonger can often be observed hanging fine cane baskets out to dry after the market trade in the early morning.
T he Hist o ri c a l Sty li s t For all projects I start at the same in point - history. I coined the term The Historical Stylist and it seemed in align with my passions & history degree - although I never thought I would be a practicing historian, I followed a path that led me to the styling & design world before graduation. The research skills & knowledge I finessed throughout my degree I use on a daily as a part of my design philosophy. Whilst researching for my book, Bowerbird I was able to justify the time spent in the storage spaces & back vaults of Australian museums - the specimens collected by Sir Joseph Banks at the Herbarium, a first edition of The Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin, WH Smith Australian egg collection at NGV, Governor Macleay’s natural history collection at the Purpose built Macleay Museum at Sydney University, the butterfly collection of Frederick Parkhurst Dodd, The Butterfly Man of Kuranda at Qld Museum and on & on — Unfortunately I did have to curb this research once I finished the book (the intro was over 100 pages in its first draft!) but my love of research & history , libraries & museums is very much the starting point & core philosophy of my designs for hospitality spaces & products.
Interior Photography | Anson Smart & Chris Court
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S tor ytelli ng
H o w i t al l b e g an
On signing a project I determine when it was built (if it has any heritage at all) and run from there. My first point of
I accidentally landed in the most perfect job for me from the age of 20. I was at Sydney
call is usually the outstanding librarians at the Caroline Simpson Library. We locate all relevant information - it may
University studying history for my BA & my bestie, Edwina McCann was assisting at Vogue
be surveyors maps from the 1800’s, building catalogues from the 1920-30s for an art Deco pub, photographs of
(she is now the editor). She called me & I quickly came to understand fashion was not for
Crooks from the turn of the century or colonial journals of what fish where caught in the Georges River & Botany
me but over on the other side of the floor, Vogue Entertaining & Travel resided & that most
and have fun from there. This leads to my character. I create a person from my research, drawn from history, both
definitely was! Fast forward, after 16 years of styling for interior & food magazines, catalogues
real & imagined. This character has a life of his or her own; emotions, family & friends, likes & dislikes, hobbies, a
& advertising agencies all over the globe, I made a switch in homeland and styling temporary
portrait and even a scent. The character’s personality, alongside the history of the building become the storytelling
sets to designing permanent spaces; glue gun & blu-tack was replaced by nails & substrates.
of the new space that dictates what finishes, furniture, fabrics, colours, lighting, uniforms and even the bathroom soap. It is fun & creates a strong sense of personality that all those involved can relate to from the architect, all trades, suppliers, project managers, even council! As the character develops so too does the 3D storyboard. I gather from my extensive reference & sample library. Not just swatches & samples, but colour references that evoke an emotion like a shell or pebble I have picked up on my travels, a crumbled napkin from a restaurant, old taps or a leather knotted monkeys fist, branches & flowers from the markets - they are evocative, they become worlds within themselves for you & the client to lose yourself in & imagine where you will be sitting & what you will be drinking in the finished space. The concepting stage is so much fun, I live & breathe it as the story comes to life.
S o u r ci ng Then we source the world! I travel far & wide (& largely in my own backyard) gathering objects & finishes, visiting international design fairs, markets, auctions and adventuring into new frontiers. Local & International involvement is a passion, working with manufacturers & designers from around the world in celebration of their craft. I scour markets & auctions for found pieces to repurpose, we buy off-the-shelf pieces both high & low in design, as well as throwing ourselves into designing & orchestrating bespoke & custom pieces which are touched by many hands and have a layering of the skilled trades that produce them. We work with existing textiles & finishes and their creators to custom colour & showcase the latest & greatest in global products. The specialty trades weave their magic & we pull the space together as the install begins with furniture arranging, the artwork & props are put in place working on those all-important decisions that need to be made onsite so the pendant lights are at just the right height, all hardware is in the perfect spot, arranging flowers or finialising the perfect scent for the bathroom and all the other details that make a space special. I believe that to create a fluid considered space requires a curation from start to finish whether its the floor finishes to what the staff are wearing. And then we open the doors and have a stiff drink. www.thesocietyinc.com.au/blogs/project