Couple Crystal Bailey and Mitchel Lindsay started out with a $6 bag of concrete in their sink and an idea to create containers in the shape of a disposable cup. Since then, the Design Twins have built up a following of 60,000-plus people on Instagram for their range of lightweight pots and concrete planters. Now, the Design Twins are opening up their first shop in Precinct 75, St Peters.
It’s a smart move for Bailey and Lindsay as they’ll be neighbours with Sibella Court’s the Society Inc, Sample Coffee’s café and roaster and the new brewery from Willie the Boatman. Along with celebrity stylist friends like Megan Morton championing their industrial aesthetic, they’ll no doubt gain even more followers thanks to their location alone.
You’ll find their large storeroom at the back of the precinct. It’s styled like an interiors magazine photo shoot: speckled artworks by Danielle Cross are displayed on the walls ($425), marbled cups and plates by Milly Dent ($26-$132) are stacked on counters and there are weatherproof leopard-print cushions tucked into corners, by company Into the Fold ($200).
Bailey and Lindsay say 90 per cent of the homewares in store are Australian made, and they favour industrial materials and fabrics such as copper light fittings, ceramic candleholders and monochrome macramé potholders. There are dramatic bedding displays, which include pendant light fittings suspended above a four-poster bed. And in the kids’ area there’s a picnic table made out of marble – giving Koskela a run for its money on aspirational parenting!
As for the Design Twins’ own products, metallic-painted pots around the store come in three sizes from $140-$250. For the first time, shoppers can customise their pots in-store. Grab a flat white at Sample Coffee and wait while your pot is hand painted in whatever shade and design you desire.