Thinking of a design career? And a giveaway!

Sponsored by Nuffnang

I love this quote by Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen (father of Eero): 

Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context—a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.

Good design: there should be more of it. The world would be a far better place (at least aesthetically), if a more holistic approach was taken to the design of our spaces and objects. Design affects us in more ways than we realise; from the coffee cup we use in the morning and the cars we drive, to the layout of the work office and the design of our homes to suit our lifestyles.

When I visited CATC Design School to view the graduate exhibition, I was heartened to see the quality of the students’ work – the next generation of ‘creatives’. The exhibition featured the amazing work of its current intake of Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration, Diploma of Graphic Design and Diploma of Photo Imaging students.

Examples of the quality of the students' work

I focused mainly on the Interior Design and Decoration students, who as part of their assessment were asked to design a new hotel development.

Detailed mood boards

It was quite impressive the extent of detail which was displayed in their very professionally-presented exhibits - 3D models, drawn renders and meticulous mood boards. Inspiring.

Models and renders

The CATC Design School Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration is a 12-month full-time course or two-year part-time/or online course. Course content is developed in consultation with the industry and gives students the skills they need to do well in their field.

After completing the Interior Design course students will then be qualified to work as interior designers for decoration consultancies; furniture, furnishing and fabric suppliers; furnishing department of retail stores; and shop fitters. They can even obtain work as stylists and colour consultants or set up their own business.

Apparently there is a good mix of young and mature age students doing the course. CATC is a good platform from which mature age students, wanting a change, can gain the confidence to make that next career move.

I know so many of my friends are returning to further study after a career break and generally in fields which are so far removed from their first career!

While I was at the exhibition, I was given a quick tour of the school and teaching rooms. It’s a great creative precinct and there is a genuinely warm and friendly feel about the place. I kind of felt like enrolling into something, because the school had such great energy!

There is nothing nicer for a design junkie than stroking the fabric swatches and colour samples which were stored in one of the teaching rooms.

The CATC Brisbane campus is located at 10 Costin Street in Fortitude Valley, which is easily accessible by public transport. CATC Design School also has campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast. 

To learn more about the CATC Design School Interior Design and Decoration Diploma or any of their other courses, visit their website HERE. The next CATC Design School intake starts on 14 October 2013.

I’m also very excited to be giving away 10 CATC ‘goodie bags’ to my readers. The packs contain a sketchbook and art materials for the budding interior designer. To be in the running, all you have to do is answer this question:

How could an interior design course at CATC change your life?

Just leave your comment in this blog post, entries close at 5pm Monday 14 October 2013 and is only open to Australian readers (sorry international readers L). Please make sure to leave your email address with your comment, so that we contact you if you win. Click here for the terms and conditions. Jason will pick the winners. 

Good Luck!

Man About the House show coming to Brisbane

A little modernist birdie told me that Tim Ross' Man About the House stand-up show is coming to Brisbane. He is performing a show at Eisenmenger House in Carina on Saturday 2 November. For one night only, people!

Tim Ross is a comedian, broadcaster and architecture tragic (see his modernist home here) and has combined his two passions of comedy and architecture for a stand-up series called Man about the House. The concept invites small audiences into historic or iconic houses around Australia. The show has already had sell out seasons at Rose Seidler House (NSW), Walsh Street House (VIC), and numerous architecture festivals.

In Brisbane, it will be staged at Eisenmenger House (1961) (see the house here), which is owned by the publishers of Australian Modern. Proceeds from the show will also go towards the publication of Australian Modern Design, which is a limited edition (and independently-published) book that will be out in late November 2013.

For those unaware, Tim Ross became a household name as one half of comic duo ‘Merrick and Rosso’, with co-comedian Merrick Watts on Triple J radio. On TV, Rosso has made guest appearances on shows such as All Saints, Spicks and Specks and Rove Live. He has guest programmed Rage and was a regular on Weekend Sunrise. Along the way he’s picked up numerous ACRA radio awards, an Astra (I'm pretty sure that's not a Holden), GQ Man of the Year award and an ARIA. In 2010, he released his first book, Mum Had A Kingswood. He is currently a contributor to Men’s Style Australia, Rolling Stone and writes a monthly column Rosso’s Sydney for 'The (Sydney) Magazine' in The Sydney Morning Herald.

TICKETS, TIME & PLACE

SESSION: 7:30 pm Saturday 2 November (7:00 pm drinks)
TICKETS: $30 Donation (fundraiser for Australian Modern)
ADDRESS: 9 Burchell Street, Carina

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL AS SEATING IS STRICTLY LIMITED RSVP:  
Chris+Susan (07) 3395 4571  E: chris@brisbanemodern.com.au

OTHER INFORMATION
Pre-show drinks provided. Street parking is available. Please respect the property and privacy of the neighbours. This event is held at a privately owned mid-century home in the suburbs, and is a private party event.

I've already chosen my flammable frock to wear for the evening - it's going to be such a fun night. Hope to see you there!

Random shots

I was having a good old recline one evening on our leather lounge chair and noticed how we have really settled in here at the Sow's Ear...(if you click on the link you can see the old sunroom) 

The sunroom especially has become a lot cosier...it doesn't seem that long ago that we had fibro cladding and cream-coloured walls, which sadly didn't suit most of our furnishings. It has become a much more inviting space and we eat at the dining table every night.

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We are happy we painted our side/back door orange - it is a fabulous colour. The colour is still quite vibrant despite getting the brunt of the western sun. The Murano chandelier is also holding up well despite its jinxed beginnings. (again, if you click on the link you can see photos of the sunroom as we renovated it)

Our old coffee table is residing here for the moment and playing host to the growing pottery pieces...

In other news, I've found a new shade for the Bitossi lamp - it wasn't expensive but it was the best shaped lamp shade I have seen in a long time.

Most ready-made shades are too short and squat, which seems to be the fashion in most retail outlets. Tall and slender with a slight taper is what I really want, but this tall one will do quite nicely until I have one custom-made. Decisions, decisions.

Bitossi lamp with tall shade

He came, he saw, he lopped

We had a few old trees lopped today by old Bob the tree lopper. I actually just rang for a quote and Bob turned up within the hour of my first call. He gave a me a quote which seemed okay and then said he could do it straight away as he had a free moment or two.

You can see the dead grevillea. It used to be such a beauty too. 

Seriously, the guy was a complete trooper. No nonsense. Just a man and his chainsaw (and an extension ladder).

We had the large dead grevillea removed. Jason was not making much of a dent in it with his hand saw...and had lost hope! When he started toying with the idea of buying a chainsaw, I knew it was time to call in a tree lopper. As much as I tease dear Jason on the blog, I am rather fond of his limbs and would hate for him to be without them! A chainsaw is an unforgiving tool in the wrong hands.

Anyway, the poor old grevillea had apparently become too top heavy over time and had split down the middle of its main branch, according to Bob...Very sad but we needed to get rid of it sooner rather than later...as it was becoming a landmark for the Sow's Ear. ("Yes, you can't miss us. We're the white house, the one with the dead tree out the front," I'd explain to first-time visitors looking for the Sow's Ear).

Bob removing all the smaller trees first. Didn't mean to get such an unflattering shot of Bob...

Bob also removed about nine other smaller trees which were planted too close together and were really under-performing. There were also some weed trees which had started growing of their own accord (think medium Chinese Elm and umbrella trees). Good old Bob poisoned all the stumps which he had cut down to ground-level too.

We left all the mock orange trees (murrayas), the frangipani and a couple of the better established natives. So now we have a little more room to breathe down this section of the garden...and we can plan our next garden project to spruce up the joint.

Renovating Sexism: Can we speak to your hubby?

It's a funny old thing the world of renovating and home improvements, which is largely a sexist industry from my personal experience. Case in point: this morning, I received a telephone call from a solar power supplier confirming an appointment I had made with them for a quotation next week.

Apparently, they want Jason, as my husband, to be present. But Jason's not interested and is happy to be a passenger on such matters...which makes perfect sense since I am generally around home and he is at work.

I told the lady on the end of the telephone this, but she said that they couldn't proceed as they wanted to speak to both of us at the same time.

It should read: "That's why tradies prefer to speak to men." 

I said, that wasn't possible, explaining that Jason won't take time off work and is not really interested in having someone come after hours to our house. He genuinely couldn't care less and is happy enough to go with whatever I think is the best option, if at all...

Then, I started posturing that I was the main decision-maker in the family...that I was perfectly capable to make a decision without The Hubby (Well, I am! Jason does the shirtless grunt work, while I do the strategic planning). Anyway, the lady agreed with me 100 per cent but she still had to check whether it was okay for me to still get the quote and would get back to me!

You have to laugh. If they do call me back, I am tempted to say that Jason can make the appointment after all and that I can't make the appointment. I wonder if they will still insist that we both be present? I wonder...

Jason finds this whole scenario highly amusing and is now dancing around the house, singing I've got the power. You gotta love the 1990s! Or is that 1890s?