STYLE FILE | Turkish rugs

A colourful shipment of
handmade , one of a kind vintage Turkish rugs have just arrived, sourced on our latest travels through Turkey. 

Contact us to book an appointment to view the full range

02 8966 9555 | online@mrandmrssmith.net.au

WEEKEND SUMMER BBQ | Style guide

Weekend BBQs happen constantly throughout summer. A few drinks over a sizzling hot plate as the sun goes down in the distance seems like a common occurrence in the warmer months. Whether you're hailing in the weekend or farewelling it late on a Sunday afternoon, here is our guide to food, drink and styling your BBQ. 

Fresh fruit, bright colours and funky arrangements can make any BBQ table. Get your pop of colour from Bonnie & Neil linen table cloths or Dinosaur Designs bowls and serving-ware.

Concept Japan crockery is artisanally-made and works well all thrown together. Great sized plates for tapas or nibbles, through to fresh salads on a hot, sunny afternoon. 

For fresh lunch and dinner ideas that will be instant crowd pleasers, check our range of cookbooks available in store. From Mexican cantina, burgers and fries to Middle Eastern delicacies from Yottam Ottolenghi, you will kill it in the kitchen. 

Cheese platters are a safe bet and a great way to kick off your BBQ. We have wooden and marble cheeseboards of varied sizes and shapes arriving in the next few weeks. Add slices of apple, pear, fig and grapes to your cheese platter to get that perfect balance of sweet and salty. 

Wonki Ware from southern Africa adds another dimension to BBQs with its rustic, hand-crafted ceramics with intricate lace detailing. 

Finally, get the drinks right, with the Mason Jar Cocktail shaker and 'Shake' cocktail book, coming to Mr & Mrs Smith soon. Look out for it, because it has the best ideas for drinks that will keep you going from day to night. 

INTRODUCING SAMANTHA ROBINSON TO MR & MRS SMITH

After completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Art School in Sydney Australia and following on with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honors) at Sydney College of the Arts, Samantha established her Sydney based ceramic design studio in 2000.

Today, her heart and environmental influences are reflected in many facets of her work. Her exclusively unique handmade pieces use only the finest of porcelains and display unique characteristics that are evident in her use of form, colour and exquisite finishes.

Samantha's designs have been chosen by many Australian master chefs and culinary providers to showcase their own unique creations. Some of which are Longrain, Pheasant, Miss G , Kylie Kwong, Jamie Oliver and many more .

Samantha's pieces are exhibited in many high end galleries and she also sells her work throughout the world through many hand picked boutique retailers . The US, Singapore , Japan and Hong Kong are the most prominent thus far.  Her designs have featured in numerous prominent magazines, including Vogue, Vogue Entertaining, Belle, Inside Out, Home Beautiful, Delicious, Donna Hay and Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, In Style , Shop till you drop and Notebook.

With a prolific taste for life and her obsession with colour and mused with the functionality and her fearless experimentation through design, Samantha’s Handmade pieces connect to such a broad spectrum of people from all walks of life. With her domestic range including everything from lights to teacups, watermelon bowls, and a stunning range of porcelain furniture, it is very hard to limit her work to just one room within your home. Samantha’s creations are meant to be enjoyed and used everyday.

Shop the range in store or call us on  02 8966 9555 

Introducing Wonki ware to Mr & Mrs Smith

Wonki Ware is Fair trade and all hand made ceramics from South Africa

Di Marshall lives in a small town called George along the Garden Route in South Africa where she started a small studio in the town centre about 10 years ago.  Purely to keep herself occupied while her children where at school. The family lived on a farm at the time and had to travel quite a distance everyday so Di  thought it would be good idea to work in her pottery studio in the morning, collect her children and go back to the farm in the afternoon.  

She happily started working and slowly attracted the attention of the local community.  Shortly her little studio became a meeting place for other potters and people that enjoyed being creative. About the same time a young Xhosa man named Artwel started arriving every morning looking for work.  Di didn't have much money at this stage to pay him, but he was willing to do anything, so she started teaching him about clay.  Di devised a method of making pottery that Artwel could duplicate from her shapes that she had originally created.   To their delight he started producing very sensitively worked platters and bowls.  They began developing patterns that were relatively easy and simple to reproduce but at the same capturing a sensitivity in pattern and design.

 Another person that became invaluable to the team walked into the studio one day and painted a plate and Di knew she had to have her join their team. Les, Artwel and Di became a formidable pottery team.  Their energy and enthusiasm had people from all over the country popping into buy their pottery.  

The word had spread from Cape Town to Johannesburg and before long they had orders that they could not keep up with.  At about this time Janice joined their team and became their first agent and before long they had their pottery showcased in some on the most prestigious stores in South Africa.

Di and her team have now been in operation for about 10 years and are presently employing 40 people from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are all now skilled employers and are valuable, contributing members in their communities.    Their skilled potters are now training new comers in the art of making Wonki Ware and Di feel confident that this is being achieved successfully.  It is with pleasure and pride Di can hand over this side of the business to her employees. 

Wonki Ware is a product that got developed purely by chance.  It was born from a collective energy of 3 people whose excitement and enthusiasm were boundless.   It still amazes Di today what they unintentionally created.  

 The vibrant, warm spirit of Africa is clearly visible in the Wonki Ware pottery and Di thank their potters and South Africans for their enthusiasm and love for what they do.

Irish Green story || Available in store 

Wonki Dinner Plate

XL Oval Serving plate

Large Salad Bowl

XL Deep serving plate

Black ink || Available in store

Organic pasta bowl

Organic Dinner plate

XL cake plate

Introducing L'ascari hand crafted candles

Every time you buy a 1CANDLE.1CAN. marked candle, L’ASCARI will buy a can of food to help feed pensioners, students, low-income earners, people with mental illnesses and the homeless. Simple.

Lighting up your life with one or more of the L’ASCARI luxury candle range also adds a little light to the life of someone less fortunate.

(Currently available on the large candle range).

Handmade in Australia.

L’ASCARI is Australia’s premiere luxury candle brand.

L’ASCARI (lah-skah-ree) -An ancient word dating back to the Eleventh Century symbolising courage, honour, and nobility.

Its aim is to create products with a mix of a fresh look and an old past steeped in tradition- to create an item which will not get lost among the thousands of designer products already on the market.

L’ASCARI founder Luca Chiaravalle’s inspiration comes from architecture, vintage items, creative people, quirky objects and the every day.

L’ASCARI candles are made using traditional artisan methods by hand pouring the wax and hand blending the perfumes.

The consistency of the fragrance and soy wax used in L’ASCARI candles allows for a stronger and purer scent throw. This creates exceptional candles with the desired scent for any environment with a safe and clean burn.

All wicks used in L’ASCARI candles are twisted cotton, made from all natural fibers and contain no lead or other harmful metals. Only environmentally friendly earth grown soybeans are used in every candle.

The soy wax used in L’ASCARI candles is:

-biodegradable and free from toxic materials, pesticides and herbicides.

-contains no genetically modified materials and not tested on animals.

-manufactured using pure soy beans and contains no petroleum (paraffin waxes).

L’ASCARI candles are non toxic and non carcinogenic. No fillers have been used in any part of the candle to save on cost.

MANCANDLE is for every man. MANCANDLES allow any man to be able to enhance his space be it at work or at home by being able to customize the scent of his environment with one or a combination of 6 sophisticated fragrances. Putting the finishing touch to a room is no longer left to just the female. MANCANDLE fragrances smell amazing with a 27-30 hour burn time and truly exceptional scent throw. Beautifully presented in a glass amber jar (height 6.5cm) with screw top lid and packaged in a rigid sliding box. All L’ASCARI candles use pure soy wax and 

L'ASCARI Bath Salts are the perfect aromatic soak and are a wonderful means of relaxation whilst conditioning and purifying the skin. They are ideal for body soak, feet, bath and spa treatments. Made in Australia using organic ingredients and essential oils. Paraben free. Preservative free. Sulphate free. Petroleum free. Not tested on animals. Nil fragrance or color additives.

1CANDLE.1CAN. Each candle is 220g (7.76oz) with a 50 hour burn time. Recognized internationally as some of the world’s best packaging the inspiration for creating this artisan range comes from the photograph depicted on the glass of the candle. It is the home of our ancestors located in Fontecchio, a tiny village in central Italy where all things were made by hand. The range emphasizes a fresh look with an old past.

MEDITERRANEAN FIG

tuscan figs and the freshness of fig leaves create an earthy base with sweet top notes.

FRANGIPANI

gentle frangipani blended with a hint of rose.

GARDENIA

the softness of tropical gardenia creates the natural aroma found in the sweet and green flower.

VANILLA 

traditional soft vanilla with a subtle touch of cream.

The L'ASCARI MMX range is named to commemorate the year L’ASCARI was founded in 2010 (MMX in Roman numerals). The finest carefully selected botanical oils and fragrance oils are combined to create this beautiful selection of fruit and floral aromas. Packaged in a craft paper sliding box with the signature L’ASCARI wrap around text. Each candle has a forty hour burn time and as with all L’ASCARI candles uses twisted cotton wicks and environmentally friendly earth grown soybeans. 150g (5.29oz)