Dipping in The Society Inc.

So have you seen this book while visiting Anthropologie? If so, you should get it. I am so glad I grabbed one around Christmastime, because they were gone so fast. It is Etc. by Sibella Court, a stylist/designer/shop owner in Australia. She is my top #2 on my all-time favorite list.

Like Atlanta Bartlett, I love that Sibella is original, fearless, eclectic, and more undecorated than decorated. She has a love of fabrics that came from her mother who worked with exotic fabrics and travelled the world to find them. Because Sibella is wordly, you can see her love of unique trinkets and treasures in her rooms. She displays everything with her soul and heart, not her mind. It appears a lot of her vignettes may have just been happy accidents....she lays an oyster shell on the mantle and just sees how it reflects the light if she hangs some

ribbon next to it. Maybe she'll throw up some old, industrial lantern next to it and see how it looks with a paint color that reminds her of the sea. Of course, she may be much more deliberate than this....but I like to think this is how Sibella creates.
One day I hope to make it to Australia and visit The Society Inc. I get email newsletters from her store, and each time it makes me long so to visit! Liam, my three-year-old, is buds in his preschool class with little Joshie from Australia. They are moving back soon and Josh's mom said we are welcome to visit! Oh, we have to go visit. I think this is part of my love of Sibella's style. I have always loved Australia and even went so far to get an application for grad school at The University in Queensland. Met a guy, though, so I stayed. But I digress....

I feel all of the earth's elements when I look at Sibella's room....all things beautif

ul and ugly. She makes the "ugly" and the everyday beautiful. I especially feel the ocean in her colors. She has also launched her own line of paint colors. Just fabulous. I wish I could find them here. Maybe I can bring my copy of Etc. to Wal-Mart and they can match it.