How did The Design Files come about?
I originally started because I was reading so many excellent international blogs and I just felt that Australia wasn’t really represented. I would read about all these amazing designers and products and shops, mainly in the US, and it was frustrating that there weren’t really equivalent Australian design blogs.
I didn’t necessarily think I would fill that gap though. I just kind of started and it snowballed from there.
I started writing The Design Files in January 2008… although back then it was nothing like the beast it is today! Today it is much more in-depth, more organised and a little more structured.
Georgie Kay – Guest editor whose home was profiled by Lucy
So, is blogging your day job?
No not my day job! Everyone asks me that! It is gradually turning into a little business… and it does turn over some money now from advertising. But if you actually looked at the hours put in vs. income I don’t think it would seem like a viable business. Maybe next year.
I work as a set dresser and interiors stylist. I work on TV commercials, TV shows and films. At the moment I am working on a feature film, which we start shooting next month in Melbourne.
Also I style interiors for a handful of lovely local magazines and for print advertising. It is fun, creative work but it is freelance…. which means it is quite up and down. That is why the blog is such a good side project – it fills the gaps!
I have found that my styling work perfectly complements my blog work – I am often outsourcing something and will spot a new store or product that needs to be blogged!
What’s it like talking to all these amazing designers?
Um, AMAZING! The Design Files is the best excuse to make contact with people I admire and get a sneak peek into their world (an unexpected but welcome side-effect of writing a popular design blog).
I have truly met some of the most amazing people through this blog. Many have now become great friends – Megan Morton, Liane Rossler, Joost Bakker, Trent Jansen… so many superstar Australian designers. And guess what, they are all truly so nice! Talent alone is not enough to get yourself on The Design Files. I only interview nice people.
Liane Rossler in her Sydney studio. Image kindly supplied by photographer Daniel Boud of Boudist
Where do you go to get away?
Oh it is really difficult to get away from the blog because you can never escape. The Internet is everywhere! I went to Bali earlier this year and spent 4 hours every day by the pool on my laptop; very bad. I went to New York last year and the same thing happened (minus the pool). I could do with some advice in this area!
Best coffee in Melbourne?
That is just seriously impossible to answer because Melbourne has such good coffee. Can I say 2 places? Market Lane in Prahran, and Seven Seeds in Carlton. But there are so many more.
Where to next for The Design Files?
Oh there are many plans afoot for 2011. But they are a bit secret. One super exciting project I am working on right now is a Design Files calendar for 2011, featuring the work of 12 local illustrators.
HEY! That’s an exclusive, you heard it here first! I have not even blogged it yet. It’s The Design Files first ever-printed papery physical thing. It will be available to buy online in November… stay tuned!
A Day in the Life of Lucy Feagins
7:30 am:
By 7.30 if I am good I will have already been to the gym, and I’ll be on my way to work by now, munching breakfast in the car!
8:30 am:
I start work at 8.00am. At the moment I am working on a new Australian feature film. First up when I get to the office I get a coffee, check my 200 emails and try not to let my boss see how many Design Files-related requests I am responding to.
10:00 am:
Meetings, emailing, list-writing, more coffee, more mid-morning snacking…
11:00 am:
Usually by 11.00am I head out to source props, furniture, fabrics etc… I have some favourite shops and suppliers who have such beautiful things, are happy to loan and hire stock to me, and always give me good deal – Safari Living, Loom rugs, Jardan furniture and Spacecraft are firm favourites who I visit regularly. It is a bit of a danger zone because I often end up buying myself something whilst doing the rounds!
1:00 pm:
Lunch is usually in the car, on the run… very bad habit.
6:30 pm:
I finish work at 6.30pm most days… I dash home, grab some groceries on the way, cook some quick and easy dinner and have an hour catching up with my boyfriend over dinner before it’s back to the laptop.
8:00 pm:
Back to the laptop until midnight catching up on The Design Files stuff – responding to emails (it never ends!), making contact with interviewees, formatting photos, writing and uploading content… god this makes me sound really boring.
Not at all Lucy, not at all!
The Design Files
thedesignfiles.net