Glossy magazines adore Sibella Court, the founder of the homewares and interiors store and blog the Society Inc. And it’s no wonder – Court sure knows how to curate a collection of beautiful items, from reclaimed vintage shutters to decorative crystals that would look swell in any dream beachside home. Hey, even if you don’t have the paypacket to support a weekend pad on the coast, it’s still tempting to dress up that Inner West share house as if you do.
The Society Inc used to have a boutique in Paddington; now the store can now be found at Precinct 75 in St Peters in a space that’s twice the size of the previous shop. Located in the heart of an industrial warehouse, the store is filled with eclectic antiques and oddities as well as new pieces of furniture and homewares sourced by or produced by Sibella Court. Stacked in the corner are rustic, bleached shutters from Java available for $350; there’s a nostalgia-inducing rope swing set, made in Australia, for $320; and there are indigo-dyed throws brought back from the western gulf of Africa starting at $190.
Standing tall in the centre of the store is a colourful army of longboards, designed by Sibella in collaboration with McTavish. The Gypsy range is inspired by Court’s travels and she has worked with Australian designers like Shibori and Bethany Linz to create the wistful patterns. The surfboards are available in three lengths and they’re made to order for just over $2,000.
One of the most popular items in store is a mirror designed in the shape of a shield, the Society Inc’s emblem. A staff member tells us that everyone who works there has one, and at $75 it’s an accessible way to own a piece of the Society Inc lifestyle.
Sibella Court is often at the store herself, and there are a number of gift items that loyal followers will lap up – like the hardware designed by Sibella, a range of handles, hooks and decorative tools with an industrial feel. There’s a pile of Sibella Court’s own literature, such as The Stylist’s Guide to NYC (Court lived there for ten years). And there are soaps branded with the shield emblem in fragrances inspired by her travels to the Galapagos and Transylvania – all crafted by Richmond Soap Studio ($15 each).
The in-demand stylist claims to be part gypsy, part pirate: her themes are seen throughout the store, from the porcelain fortune cookies ($15) to ornaments adorned with Turkish eye designs. ‘Fuck Everything Become a Pirate’ is sketched above an antique sink stand. One of the ways shoppers can indulge in the dream is to pick up a zeolite crystal for 20 bucks. We say, give in to those nomadic fancies and spend the afternoon in store, picking out a few nuggets of your own.