Australian House & Garden — June 2017

At this year’s Milan Design

Week,Ikeashowed a range of

new furniture designed for urban

living in the Let’s Make Room

For Life exhibition. Standouts

(pictured here) were an Ypperlig

side table, due in Australia in

October,and Stockholm 2017

sofa and wicker side chairs,

part of a 47-piece interiors

collection,in store now.#

HG INSIDER

52 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN

AUSTRALIAN STORY

Stylecraft

S

tylecraft’s history goes back a long way.

“Our original showroom faced a laneway,

well before it was fashionable,” says

managing director Anthony Collins (above).

Starting out as a humble office stationery shop

in Melbourne in 1953, the company found its

niche as a retailer of quality furniture, specialising

in Australian, European and Japanese designs as

well as offering its own in-house collections.

After more than six decades, it’s still going

strong, with six showrooms throughout

Australia and an office in Singapore.

Best known as a supplier to corporate and

hospitality clients, Stylecraft is also reaching out

to design-savvy residential buyers under the

new banner of StylecraftHome. “Our product

offering has recently included designs that have

both a commercial and residential aesthetic,”

says Anthony. A StylecraftHome showroom

recently opened in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, to

be followed in coming months by another at the

company’s Flinders Lane premises in Melbourne.

Products include sofas (shown at top are

Castor sofas and an armchair from Japan’s

Karimoku New Standard); dining, home-office

and outdoor furniture; a selection of fine rugs

by Tappeti; and accessories from Top3 by

Design. All have been selected with the

company’s trademark attention to

craftsmanship and detail.

“Stylecraft is passionate about original

design, investing in our brands, and the people

who share this passion, including our staff and

customers,” says Anthony. stylecrafthome.com.au

MEET

THE MAKER

Following a sea change from Sydney

to the Adelaide Hills in 2002, former

business analyst and IT consultant

Stephanie James-Manttan (above)

followed her heart by studying visual

arts and applied design at Adelaide

College of the Arts. Today, she’s a

noted ceramic artist whose work is

exhibited and sold across Australia.

“ I wanted to major in sculpture, but

when I had to do ceramics as part of

my foundation classes, I changed my

mind,” says Stephanie. “The idea

that I could make something

sculptural out of clay that I could

also use was very appealing.”

Her porcelain pieces are highly

sculptural but also very functional,

she explains. “I’m a big believer in

making things well. When I meet

people who’ve purchased my work,

I always say to them, ‘Please try

to use it – it’s a lot more robust

than you think!’”

Impressed bowl and vessel, $660

each, sjmceramics.com.au.