Tell us about you and what you do?
My name is Nicole, I am a lover of all-things interiors, fashion, travel and lifestyle.
I grew up in Wollongong and moved to Sydney when I started working in the industry. I wanted to be closer to work; so I lived in the Surry Hills and Darlinghurst area for about 9years, and loved every minute!
The pace and lifestyle of living in those areas was exhilarating and I will always have the best memories of living up there. Two years ago my fiancé Tom, and I, we decided it was time for a change of pace and we bought our first home down in Bulli, so we essentially made a full circle, but was the best decision we could have made!
I have been working for eleven years in the Interiors industry for a Sydney company called Life Interiors. It has been an enriching professional and personal experience as I am extremely passionate about the Interiors and Design industry.
Being a Creative Manager in the interiors world sounds like a dream job can you tell us what your days looks like?
Yes it is; I absolutely love what I do and the company that I work for, and feel extremely grateful to be able to work in an industry that I am so passionate about!
My role is Senior Buyer and Creative Manager. I head our local buying division, which includes selection and curation of our local brands and products; I also assist with our overseas imported furniture selections and curation.
As a result, I attend the local Australian trade shows 3-4 times a year, and I travel overseas to visit the international furniture fairs twice a year (pre covid that is!).
As the head of Creative across buying and also branding, I manage the process of concept-to-creation from start to finish. So, essentially at the end of every season we analyse our product mix, what is working and what isn't, which products resonate with our customers, and how we can expand into the new season.
We will then have a clear vision for the products we are looking for before we head into the tradeshows. Having a clear vision for the product ranges and categories prior to hitting the shows is key, and it allows us to create curated and concise ranges.
The buying and development time between visiting the shows and actually getting the products in store can sometimes take up to 6 months. So, we are buying ahead and then in between working on marketing plans, visual merchandising, and very importantly, content creation, there is a process which then roles out into all our other areas in the business.
Where do you draw inspiration from for the products and collections?
The Life Interiors aesthetic is drawn from a vision for Modern Australian Living, which is a love of comfort, quality and a relaxed lifestyle. Our ethos is to provide everyday Australians with great design that is accessible to everyone.
We work really hard to create products and collections that are practical, functional but we are also on the lookout for key trends that we can apply to our ranges. Our customer loves colour, so you will often see us be quite daring in our colour selection for larger furniture items as well as accent pieces, such as armchairs.
One of my favourite pieces that I have also recently purchased is the Jasper Swivel Armchair in Olive velvet ♡