“I am a big believer in the joy that comes with working with people you know and love,”
says Lucy Folk of the decision to open her new store on William Street in Paddington, surrounded by friends and collaborators, including interior designer Tamsin Johnson and florist Bess Scott.

“I’ve always adored the William Street precinct as a retail neighbourhood, and the fact our space is bookended by Tam and Bess and other members of our creative family – including 10 William St, Russh [magazine] and P Johnson – made it a very easy decision,” says Folk.

The jewellery and fashion designer recruited Tamsin Johnson to design her eponymous brand’s newest home – she has another store in Bondi and two in Melbourne – and the result features plenty of the striking colours, rich textures and bold motifs Folk is renowned for.

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Inspired by the nomadic sun-seeker philosophy that informs Folk’s designs, Johnson has employed a palette of buttery yellows, ginger and ecru to transform the Victorian terrace into a mini medina with Tuareg mats lining the ceiling and American oak floors.

“Tam is incredibly talented, and I’m delighted about the results,” says Folk. “The site gave her and me the opportunity to bring some big ideas to life that we’d been throwing around for years.”

Ceramicist Ben Mazey has created custom stacked ceramic funnel lights for the store, while furniture designer Lex Williams was commissioned to hand-build American oak pieces to house Folk’s wares. French brutalist chairs and a sculpted Lex Williams tabletop with travertine legs occupy the upstairs space, home to a bespoke jewellery salon helmed by master jeweller Craig Spark.

“Bespoke jewellery is something we have been offering for some time, and the upstairs space really lends itself to this,” says Folk. “Craig Spark and I will be in Sydney regularly offering appointments with a service that is incredibly special and intimate, but also an extension of us in that there’s a sense of ease and creative joy about the whole process.”

Downstairs you’ll find the new Lucy Folk collection, which features plenty of the terry-towelling resort wear, caftans and food-inspired jewellery the designer is renowned for.

“A personal favourite is the new organic cotton, hand-screened sarongs that I’ve been living in recently,” says Folk.

Also on the horizon are homewares, which will launch early next year with a range including bathroom hooks, handles, towel rails and even a toilet-roll holder.

“Homewares is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and when I was working on my own new house I realised it was time, as I couldn’t find what I wanted,” says Folk. “We approached everything as scaled-up jewellery for a domestic environment, and I worked on the pieces with my jewellery team in pretty much the exact same way we develop jewels.”

When visitors have finished browsing the boutique, they are invited to relax in the sunny outdoor courtyard over a herbal tea and a selection of books selected by Folk from Good Publishings in Byron Bay.

“We are encouraging our friends in the neighbourhood to treat it as a local communal space,” says Folk. “Come by, have a look at our books, sit in the sun and have a chat.”

Lucy Folk
31 William Street, Paddington
(02) 9357 6545

Hours:
Mon & Wed, Fri & Sat 10am–5pm
Thu 10am–6pm
Sun 11am–5pm

lucyfolk.com
@lucy_folk