Wall power

When you've got a lot of stuff and not a lot of space, it pays to think vertically. So if floor space is at a premium in your apartment, look up: those bare walls could be working a whole lot harder. Think floating shelves in lieu of clunky bookcases, wall-mounted organisers to free up desk space and hooks and hangers that double as decoration. Keeping things tidy has never been this stylish...

 Image via theseventytree.blogspot.com.

Smart use of a small section of wall (above).

Image via Bernada Bekic.

Crazy creative wall equals sparkly clean desk (and how amazing is that worn leather chair?!).  

Image via mechantdesign.blogspot.nl (left) and trendenser.se (right). 

Old fencing turned slimline storage that doesn't encroach on your space (above). Peg up invitations, reminders and photos; hang baskets or bags, tea towels or scarves, depending on where it's placed.

Image via theprettyblog.com (left) and designsponge.com (right).

Trend we love: no longer associated with school excursions, the classic clipboard is re-imagined as a chic alternative to the photo frame. Mount them above your desk to clip up inspirational messages and art prints, or in the kitchen to hold shopping lists, reminders and bills - no tacky fridge magnets required.

Image (right) via nordicdays.nl.

Bold oversized wall hooks turn your coats and scarves into contemporary art - we love these colourful circular hooks by Design By Them, $35 each - find them here.

Image via stylelixir.com.

Photo frames can be appropriated into all kinds of neat wall-hung storage options - we love this restrained take on a mood board (above) and clever coffee cupboard idea (below) for the kitchen. 

Image via decor8blog.com (left) and houseofturquoise.com (right).

Small kitchens never have enough storage, so save the cabinetry for pots and pans and show off your gorgeous collection of teacups by mounting them to a vintage paling on the wall. Saves on space and adds colour to the kitchen - it's a win-win.

Image via decor8blog.com.

Stationery storage (above) that throws the humble pencil case into sharp relief.

Image via apartmenttherapy.com. 

Vintage key cabinets make the prettiest jewellery organisers and you can see your strands of jewels at a glance (no untangling impossibly knotted chains here!).

{SHOP THE STYLE}

Cloud-shaped magnetic key holder from Hard to Find (left) and chevron wall hooks from Etsy (right).

A shelf and two drawers in one slender unit: $99, Ikea. 

'Assemblages' leather shelves, $198, Lightly.

'Mortise' porcelain wall hooks, $120/set of three, Hard to Find. 

'Queen Bee' wall hook, US$32, Anthropologie (left) and 'Scandi Black' hook, $14, Zakkia (right). 

Small cross wall hook, $14, Zakkia (left) and wishbone wall hook in Gold, US$30, Leif (also available in white, right). 

Friday find: Miss Poppy Design

If Cher from Clueless taught us anything, it's that stationery can be a serious style accessory (not to mention the power of a preppy white shirt). Today's object of desire is a modern take on Cher's fluffy-topped pens - and dare we say it, perhaps a little more sophisticated.

Miss Poppy Design, boutique gift and design brand, imprints pencils with wonderful words and dreamy messages for every occasion. Sit at your desk and be whisked to far-off worlds with the 'Places' collection, get in the mood for the weekend with the 'Celebrations' range, or ponder your next adventure with the 'Life Is For...' set. They make a sweet gift or party favour, with special collections for weddings and bridesmaids. Oh, and they make you write faster.

Image via @_willowandeve

'Paris' pencil set, $12/set of 6.

'Celebrations' pencil set, $12/set of 6.

'Places' pencil set, $12/set of 6.

'Bridesmaid' pencil set, $8/set of 4.

'Life Is For...' pencil set, $12/set of 6.

View the full range at Miss Poppy Design's online boutique or etsy store.

Image via @misspoppydesign

Artist in residence: Kerrie Hess

Commissioned by Chanel. Based in Paris. Featured in Vogue. Kerrie Hess' resume reads like the script of a fabulous fashion flick or Lauren Weisberger novel. But for this Australian illustrator, a glittering list of experiences and encounters is simply the by-product of an enduring passion for drawing. We've long been fans of Kerrie's beautiful illustrations (and yes, she's sister to Megan Hess, featured on The Apartment recently) and caught up with her to talk about her work, style and home.

An Australian in Paris - is it just us, or does Kerrie have a bit of Carrie going on? Photography by Carla Coulson

"If I could be any of the women I've drawn, I'd love to be one from my exhibition at Le Meurice hotel in Paris earlier this year," says Kerrie. "They were all dressed in styles inspired by haute couture." For those of you unfamiliar with her work, Kerrie's spécialité is depicting wonderfully stylish women - the kind you wish you could be. With each watercolour brushstroke comes a vision of a Dior-draped damsel on her way to the opera, a pair of sylphlike girls taking tea and macarons, or a well-heeled lady walking her dog to Tiffany's. 

While Kerrie's to-die-for drawings have graced billboards for Paris department stores, the pages of Tatler and a recent Louis Vuitton campaign, she also creates limited-edition prints (described as her "personal little passion project"), which you can purchase here. Our advice to fashion fiends: bag yourself one of these beauties to dress up your interiors.

 

Shop these prints - and more - at Kerrie's online store.

Kerrie created nostalgic paper dolls for Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2013 campaign. 

"Louis Vuitton actually asked me to write the brief for the project, which was scary!" she recalls.

It seems fitting - given the sense of style and sophistication infused in her work, not to mention the major fashion houses seeking out her talents - that Kerrie spent a "magical" 18 months in Paris. Here, she lived in a chic apartment decorated in timeless monochrome. "I've always loved black and white interiors with pops of metallic," she says, also professing her penchant for high-glamour statement pieces. "I think it's fun to add some unexpected elements to your home, like a chandelier in the office or kitchen."

 

Just like her illustrations, Kerrie's Parisian dining room is a vision of elegance.

 Artwork by Kerrie Hess.

Although Kerrie recently returned to Australia, the City of Light continues to inspire her work and lifestyle. "Aside from all the great shopping, style and fashion in Paris, the thing I miss most is my daily trip to the local boulangerie for a baguette," says Kerrie. "And my young son has become a food snob - he now prefers smoked salmon and goat's cheese to ice-cream and chocolate, which makes me laugh."

So what's next for this creative talent? "I'm currently working on some amazing projects with Laduree Paris and Lancome Paris," says Kerrie. And after that, well, we imagine she could be anywhere from exhibiting in New York to chronicling couture in Cannes... We await the next chapter of this fashion fairytale.

STYLE NOTES {kerrie hess}

dream home: It’s under renovation/decoration right now…

style icon: Emanuelle Alt.

favourite flower: Peonies.

best scent: Chanel No. 5.

colour palette: Black and white (but currently obsessed with pink and copper).

music of choice: Pink Martini.

film that inspires: Rear Window.

go-to outfit: An LBD, or jeans, t-shirt and blazer.

era of choice: For style, the 1950s.

ideal holiday: On the beach with my son, eating ice-cream.

perfect Sunday: A sleep in, breakfast out or a stroll at the markets, an afternoon of painting, then dinner somewhere cosy.

Image via totoi.com.au

Note: if fashion, Paris, macarons or flowers are your cup of tea, 

follow Kerrie's achingly beautiful Instagram account @kerriehessillustration.

Friday find: Xavier & Me

You know the feeling: some mornings, it's a skinny jeans and skim flat white kind of day; others, you're in more of a rah-rah skirt and frappe frame of mind. This new cushion collection by the Balmain-based Xavier & Me appeals to both sensibilities - sophisticated block pattern meets wildly-scribbled-on-with-texta prints. A muted palette of grey, blush pink, black and white - punctuated by bright blue and yellow - printed on crisp linen adds to the minimalist Scandi-chic effect. 

We found these at online emporium Everything Begins - a one-stop-shop for art prints and designer homewares sourced from around the globe (but with a focus on local talent).  Which design best reflects your mood today? 

 Xavier & Me cushions,  from $89 each, Everything Begins.

Starry night

Maybe it's the effect of one too many Christmas in July parties, but we've spent the weekend delicately unravelling strings upon strings of fairy lights. Cascading from the ceiling, dangling from window panes, clustered under glass cloches or arranged in garlands over the mantelpiece, fairy lights are pure magic inside - so why, we ask, do we limit their use to the festive season? 

Image via houseandgarden.co.uk.

There's something inescapably romantic about glimmering strings of fairy lights, especially indoors where they're completely unexpected - and therefore utterly bewitching. They imbue an apartment with cosy warmth and a touch of whimsy, and actually work best in small spaces, where their glow is most apparent. Try them draped over mirrors or bookshelves, or any aspect of a room that you want to softly illuminate. 

Image via decoraconrojas.blogspot.com.es.

Image via this is glamorous.

Image via vintageinteriorblogs.blogspot.com.

Image via lights4fun.co.uk.

Bright idea: a photo wall strewn with fairy lights (above). 

Image via Happier Mess.

Image via pinterest.

You may have noticed that we're strictly speaking about the subtle glow of white fairy lights - no flashing rainbow effects here. Places like Ikea, Bunnings and Big W stock white lights in all shapes and sizes, but we opted for the exquisite selection at online store Father Rabbit - malleable threads of silver and copper dotted with the tiniest orbs of light imaginable. Follow us on Instagram at @theapartmentblog for images of Anna's apartment and its twinkling light display.

Warm white fairy lights in Copper or Silver thread, $69, Father Rabbit.

Friday find: Hunting For George clocks

Meet Lola, Banjo, Olivia and Jesse. No, they're not a hot new indie-pop group hailing from Toronto. But they do have star quality, and impeccable rhythm. The quartet make up a collection of clocks from online homewares and lifestyle emporium Hunting For George. Crafted from bamboo with laser-cut hands, the range is timeless yet slightly offbeat - think Scandinavian simplicity meets quirky colour. Choose between 'Lola' (the cute one), 'Olivia' (the chic one), 'Jesse' (the cool one) and 'Banjo' (the loud one)...

'Lola' clock, Hunting For George.

'Olivia' clock, Hunting For George.

'Banjo' clock, Hunting For George.

'Jesse' clock, Hunting For George.

More than just functional timepieces (and don't go all Gen Z on us and tell us that you don't do analogue), these pretty faces moonlight as wall art. We love their circular form, which adds contrast to a wall awash with square and rectangular frames. In fact, we're such big fans, 'Jesse' has just made an appearance in Kathryn's apartment (above). Feeling envious? Find him (and his friends) at Hunting For George - we promise they'll make your heart tick.