Spilling out onto Liverpool Street is the eclectic contents of Dust. Two Egyptian-style movie prop columns guard a huge oil painting of Frida Kahlo, which sits beside uncategorised furniture and an old dressmaking mannequin. This sprawling collection increases tenfold once you wander inside, with vintage toys, antique jewellery and newly created art covering almost every surface.
This well-loved Darlinghurst corner store is a prized relic in the antique community, operating for 19 years in the same tiny room packed to the roof with interesting one-off pieces and well-preserved collections. There doesn’t seem to be a strict rule on the style, era or heritage of items. You’ll find a 100-year-old Nepalese hill tribe mask beside a set of toy robots from the 1960s and old French perfume bottles.
You may want to know your costume bling from your precious antique jewels, as the cabinets brimming with glittery objects don’t have adequate signage distinguishing between the two. But, if not, owner Stephane Fodor is happy to help. He melds into the back of the store, with his mild manners and thick French accent, but was excited to show us his own watercolours, which he also sells on site beside other work from local artists.
If you want to talk more with Stephane about art and antiques, or simply take stock of the unusual trinkets you’ve just unearthed, Darlo Bar is just across the road.