Erika & Charl’s Open and Welcoming Warehouse
Name: Erika and Charl
Location: Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia
The space is very similar to both our offices, which personally makes me feel so comfortable in my day-to-day. We moved in with Charl’s dining table – a refurbished monastery window which my dad broke immediately trying to get it inside – we since restored it with a huge glass shower window, which I personally think has made it look even better; and his black leather couches, my cow hide, plus our various bits. There was an existing free-standing wardrobe/shelving and large bookcase that divided the studio and the bedroom, and that was it.
One thing we love to do is have awkward dinner parties: where we invite between 4-10 people over who don’t know each other, each must bring a bottle of wine. It’s all small talk at the start but by the end everyone has a new friend. We thought it would be nice that each person had their own chair, so we’ve found different chairs from private sellers or Vintage Danish stores like Modern Times, one of our favorite places to spend a weekend in.
We made a deal when we moved in together that we would buy one record a week, mainly to increase Charl’s record collection but also to increase my poor music knowledge. This deal has become a bit of a ritual and usually extends to books, and another piece of (black) clothing.
Favorite elements:
#1 The windows. We never shut the blinds, even though they are amazing and roll up, not down.
#2 The architect’s table. I had to be convinced to bring it over from my last apartment (it wasn’t mine), and I’ve since grown to love it. There’s something about standing/working and looking out onto the street.
#3 The space. I love that they haven’t built any rooms within the studio- other than the bathroom. The kitchen is also huge which is amazing because Charl and I both love to cook. He does most of it.
Favorite items:
- Charl will probably say his paper mache Homer bust that he picked up on the streets of California. He can fill you in on that story.
- Or the old boxing bag that we found in a retro vintage store near us, which he had to have as soon as we moved in.
- We also have a ‘fluffhorse’ a sculpture that we bought in Austin, Texas last year. It pretty much sums us up.
- I’m a crazy plant lady and I always stress about them when I travel. If I had to choose between my Maidenhair and Fiddle Leaf Fig… well, I couldn’t.
Thanks, Erika and Charl! And thanks to Kilee for the photos and sending Erika and Charl our way!
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