When putting together the first installment of the POP at home feature table, I wanted it to be more than just a styled display. I wanted it to hold special meaning to our local community.
So given the turbulent year our city has encountered, this first table installation is a salute to the year 2020. A year that has changed our lives forever and possibly, for the better.
A year that has challenged our city like never before but has brought us together and connected us on a whole new level.
Never have we been so aware of our very own makers, businesses and neighbours.
This table concept has been designed around our cities COVID 19 journey and how we stood up and supported locals during iso and how we can continue to do so into the future. Investing in our cities talents and bringing bits and pieces into our home not only supports local business, it speaks volumes of who we are as Canberrans.
The feature piece - Lauren Sutton’s Wild Horses print.
Why the horses? Well for one, they are a good representation of the wild ride we’ve had this year! The horse is the universal symbol of freedom without restraint, because riding a horse makes people feel they could free themselves from their own bindings. Also linked with riding horses, are symbols of travel, movement, and desire. And aren’t we looking forward to living life freely again. What a beautiful way to mark an unforgettable time in our lives by bringing in a local piece of artwork to remind us how we can ride out the toughest of rides. We couldn’t resist asking Moxom&Whitney to come and add their floral beauty to Lauren’s piece to really make it shine.
This table puts a spotlight on some of the other rituals we embraced to make our time in lockdown less isolating. Rituals that became part of our daily routines. Anything from baking, reading, learning new skills, styling and updating spaces within our homes, drinking coffee and eating chocolate (lots of it!), gardening and the list goes on.
We love the idea of using books as a feature in your home. Books should be picked up; their pages should be turned, so make them accessible. Why not create a feature out of them…pop a stack of your favourites on the coffee table so you are more inclined to pick them up or create a feature shelf in your favourite room and have them on display. Rotate them or even colour code them!
Embrace your coffee, tea and chocolate addiction but don’t hide them away in your pantry. Create a nook in your kitchen and feature them. That way they are at your fingertips and when friends and family visit, they can see and taste all the local love too.
As we spent more time at home, it was a chance to update our spaces and create havens within them. Plants are an easy way to bring life to a corner in any room. Pop them in beautiful ceramic planters or consider just wrapping the pots in brown paper and sitting them in a ceramic dish. Ceramics add texture and colour and can be used for multiple purposes. Adding new cushion covers to your living space can bring a new, inexpensive feeling to the room. Combine it with a new throw and you’ll feel like you have a whole new look without having to make major changes. Always have a candle burning. It’s amazing what a how a beautiful scent can change the feel of a space.
If you have a ceramic obsession like I do, don’t hide them away. Get them out, stack them, mix them up or colour coordinate them.
But most importantly, USE THEM.
Don’t wait for a special occasion to use your ‘good things’, make them part of your everyday life. After all you didn’t invest in that handmade ceramic cup for it to sit in a cupboard and collect dust. Put them on display and enjoy them. Your local ceramicist would want that!
Now as we cautiously and slowly start getting ‘back to normal’, it’s time to raise a glass of our favourite local beverage. We love a good sparkling for celebrations and to add to our coffee addiction, we cannot go past a good coffee liqueur with a dash of cream. Here’s to a year that has slowed us down Canberra. A year that has taught us what really matters and how important it is to support our local people.
A year that has seen us spend more time in our homes - lets make it a #popathome.
Written by Belinda Neame
Photography by Tim Bean
Belinda Neame is a local stylist, content creator, supporter of local and a lover of all things handmade, high quality and bespoke.
Belinda is the owner operator of the stunning 'Hold Cottage' in Gunning and founder of 'The Forage' - Canberra's premier street food event.
Belinda's husband, Tim is a firefighter by day and lives behind the lens of his camera when not working for his community. Together they have provided POP Canberra with this journal entry and styled table; with many more to come.
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