a Valiant Hire blog
Archive for July, 2011
Nemo Chair…
Jul 30th
At the stunningly beautiful Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton at their annual summer benefit, one of the stars of the show was the collection of white Nemo chairs placed in a field.
The longhouse reserve on 16 acres was founded by the textile designer Jack Lenor Larson in 1991, and is an amazing place. This year’s benefit honoured the artist Dale Chihuly.
Definitely worth a visit, but the reserve is only open a precious few days and times a year!
Biennale of Sydney 2012 : all our relations
Jul 28th
Biennale of Sydney 2012 : all our relations
We had the pleasure of attending an event this week to listen to the vision and direction of the 2012 Biennale by Artistic Directors Catherine de Zegher and Gerald McMaster. In addition we heard from some of the many talented artists from across the world who will be descending on Sydney in June 2012.
They will transform some incredible art spaces across our city into amazing installations that will be accessible by everyone and encourage interaction with modern art.
The evening was held in the stunning Seidler Penthouse in Milson’s Point overlooking Luna Park and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
As radiant as the venue was Penelope Seidler who graciously allowed the use of the property for this important meeting. Penelope has been involved in the Biennale for many years and has attended every Biennale that has been held in Sydney from its beginnings in 1973. This year Sydney is fortunate to have Penelope join the board of the Biennale. Her wealth of experience will benefit this massive project.
Valiant Hire will continue to be involved as a supporter for the events as well as helping out with the office furniture for the Biennale office for the next 2 years. We have been involved in the Biennale for many years and continue to support the arts across Australia.
Check out the amazing brochure for the Biennale on their website and you have to have a read about the Seidler apartment as well.
There is also an interview with Penelope Seidler on specifier.com.au that provides some insights to a truly wonderful person.
Re-use, Recycle – some interesting Green concepts!
Jul 28th
Being in the furniture hire industry, you could say we are at the forefront of recycling and green business practices.
Instead of furniture ending up in landfill, it is reused, therefore reducing the carbon footprint of many companies across the world.
This got us thinking as to what unusual forms of recycling we see in the world.
One of the coolest ‘reuse’ projects around is the conversion of airplanes to hotels. There are a few around the world including Jumbostay and Hotel Suites in the Netherlands . Some are designed as exclusive upmarket retreats and others as economical hostels close to the airport.
Whatever the style, the concept of recycling a plane to a hotel is innovative and fun! (Not to mention a great opportunity for ‘flight-phobics’ to experience the feel of a plane without any anxiety at all.)
There are also amazing pieces of office and home furniture that have been created from recycled airplane parts (check out motoart.com).
This certainly proves that furniture around the home and office can be as individual as you are!
Valiant Hire helps to sell another property
Jul 15th
Styling with Valiant Hire, using our Property Styling Services in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane is definitely the way to give yourself the unfair advantage.
As seen below, yet another client was very happy with our property styling of their home in Sydney.
“Great news! We sold our flat on the weekend, and got a record price for the area! I’m 100% sure the furniture and styling had alot to do with it…So thanks again.” says Mrs R about her property in Ashfield.
To view more properties that have been styled check out our Flickr gallery.
Valiant Hire Property Styling in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane can help you with any size of property from Studio through to Mansion. Call us today for a quote.
Property Styling Sydney 02 9690 4000
Property Styling Melbourne 03 9320 5600
Property Styling Brisbane 07 3435 0800
Backstage Area for Lady Gaga in Sydney
Jul 14th
Here are the first few images we have of our furniture used in the back stage area at this week’s intimate Lady Gaga concert in Sydney Town Hall. (More are on their way of the final set up). It was the perfect platform for the amazing Bling range from Valiant Hire.
Lady Gaga is an undeniably unique figure in the entertainment world and it was natural that the event organisers, azb The Creative requested the assistance of Valiant Hire to provide some equally unique furniture for the occasion.
Be a local tourist!
Jul 13th
Having a strong interest in design we have almost limitless areas to observe and enjoy.
Ok , our obvious one is furniture, however the beauty of architecture and style surrounds us every day, and it occurred to me last week that we all probably forget about the local wonders around us.
If you are honest with yourself, how often have you taken the time to enjoy your local environment as seen through the eyes of a tourist? I would guess that after the first few months of living in your area, the day to day living has overshadowed the excitement of your city.
Here’s some advise – take some time to be a tourist again. If you drive to work every day, put aside one weekend, get on a train or ferry and go exploring in the same way you do when you are overseas or interstate. I bet that you will find something new and interesting that you overlook in your normal daily grind.
Rekindle the excitement of lying in a city park watching the clouds blow along the skyline and around the amazing buildings that almost every city has. Take time to escape from reality and enjoy your locality. (Was that perhaps a terribly annoying tourism advertising campaign in the making ?)
It is refreshing, invigorating and inspiring – and who knows what you will find.
The architects and designers throughout time have used the world around them for inspiration, so why can’t we?
Websites such as : http://www.australia.com/ www.timeout.com www.sydney.com www.visitlondon.com and many other sites in areas around your home will ignite your desire to be a local tourist ! Enjoy ! Don’t forget, the smartphone you probably carry in your pocket will help you find many of the hidden wonders in your city or town.
5 Styling disasters that you can easily avoid.
Jul 12th
Unfortunately not every DIY styling effort results in a positive outcome. Today we ask Vanessa Hadaway, one of Valiant Hire’s professional stylists about 5 of the biggest mistakes that she has seen in her career.
- Clutter: People often confuse “Cosy” and “Clutter”. The best rule is to try to avoid the “cosy” look when selling your home. Having too many accessories, personal photographs and other items in an attempt to create “Cosy” will actually make the property seem cluttered and lose its appeal to the broader market. Stick to stylish, understated and sophisticated furniture and accessories.
- Not being able to look past their own personal style: This is an area of great concern when you are styling a property for sale. You have to remember that your personal taste is not necessarily that of the market. When selling, you need to appeal to as many people as possible so remember – disassociate yourself from the house – Style it for sale, not for you!
- Inappropriate furniture size: This is one mistake that can cost you dearly. The use of furniture that is too big or the wrong shape can drastically affect the way a potential purchaser sees your home. The best way to avoid this is seek professional advice.
- Overspending: Although people may think that a stylist is just going to push more product to make themselves more money – this is not the case. Styling can be a very affordable option and when you look at the cost as a percentage of the sale price (or indeed the marketing budget of the project) you realise how tiny it really is. Styling is certainly an investment worth considering and can actually save you money by avoiding the many pitfalls of DIY !
- Paint Colours: This can make or break your styling efforts. Over the years I have seen many cases where people have bought paint based on a small sample that they have viewed in the lights inside a shop. Unfortunately, when they have painted and entire wall and see it in daylight – the results were not what they expected! My recommendation is that you try a large patch and let it dry and view it in daylight. Then you will see if it is suitable. Remember – you are trying to appeal to a wide range of potential purchasers so stay reasonably neutral in your choices.
The best way to avoid pitfalls like these is to use a professional stylist. You can experiment when you are living in your own house, however when you are selling it – get professional help! It will benefit you at sale time.
Design in your daily life
Jul 6th
Design in any aspect of our amazing world attracts our attention. With Boeing now closer to launching the Dreamliner, their 747 is still one of the most beautiful passenger planes in the sky.
It not only revolutionised air travel, it created a stunning silhouette that can fill the heart and mind with dreams of what lies across the globe as it gracefully moves out of sight and over the horizon.
It is important to have something to evoke passion and dreams in your surroundings every day. A unique or classic piece of furniture, some artwork that is close to your heart (from a design or sentimental point of view) or even a picture in your workplace or on your screensaver.
We do not always have total control over the real world; however we always control our dreams and thoughts.
Classic style and beauty not only pleases the eye, it opens our minds to what is possible.
We first found “Design Classic” as an iPad App last year, however it can also be found in the original print version.(Check out the link)
http://www.phaidon.com/designclassics/
It gives a great history of so many of the designs we see every day and does it in an amazingly beautiful format. The book itself is a design classic!
Working in the furniture industry, we are lucky to be surrounded by the designs of Eames, LeCorbusier, Mies van de Rohe along with more contemporary designers such as Philippe Starck , yet every time we see these pieces they still fill us with the passion and dreams that their designers had when creating them.
Whatever your design passion, furniture, planes, cars, artwork or the simple beauty of the world around us, try to take some time every day to enjoy it – It is certainly worthwhile!
747 Style in motion
Don’t become the biggest hurdle in your sales process!
Jul 5th
The biggest hurdle to overcome when you are having a property styled for sale can be you !
Unless you do it for a living, styling a property (or having it professionally styled) is something that many people may have only just come across for the first time. It is confronting!
A stranger (albeit polite and friendly) comes into your home and tells you what to do with your things. Under normal circumstances this would be an outrage; however these are not normal circumstances.
The sale of our home is often the single biggest financial decision we make. As such, it is vitally important that we make the most of that sale to take those precious $$$$ into our next venture.
So…. As jarring as it may be LISTEN to your stylist ! As clichéd as it has become in the last few years: YOU NEED TO DECLUTTER AND DEPERSONALISE your property.
The potential buyer doesn’t want to buy into the photos of your holiday in Hawaii or see you Skiing in New Zealand – they want to see themselves in THEIR new home.
Make it easy for them to imagine living there, and half the battle is over.
Forget what you like in your home, the objective is to sell it and move on with your life. The best advice will come from a professional who does this for a living. Stylists are in touch with Real Estate Agents daily, they know what your target market wants to see and how to achieve it.
Take it from the experts, once you decide to sell, pack up your clutter and get excited about your new life.
Let the stylists work their magic – make your property stand out from the crowd and sell quicker – and for more $$$$……….
