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Green Interior Design: Browsing bespoke with BalatroDiscovering Balatro - a Surry Hills Fine Arts Gallery in NSW |
| When I discovered that [the Surry Hills Fine Arts Gallery] Balatro (Latin for jester) was owned by an art gallery owner from Kentucky, the diverse collection of furniture, art and accessories and the tasteful, whimsical way they were displayed made sense. Being greeted by a southern accent (the owner’s friend moved to Sydney to help her open the shop) set the tone for the sophisticated, cozy vibe. Balatro’s owner collects retro furniture and crafts bespoke pieces. I asked what bespoke means because I haven’t heard the term often in the U.S. and I’ve seen it everywhere in Sydney. “Taking something old and through art, making it your own, yet functional,” Balatro’s owners says. With that definition, it sounds to me like bespoke is about as green as it gets. (It’s also widely used in the U.K. to describe high-end, custom-tailored men’s clothing, kind of like women’s haute-couture. It’s become a more common term across industries and around the world, including furniture design, indicating a custom, hand-crafted for the individual feel.) Here are a few of my favorite Balatro finds:  They can’t keep these retro sideboards in stock because they’re been so popular with the 20 to 30-somethings. Fortunately, they’re always finding new pieces. People come to the shop and say, “Hhhmmm. I have something like that at home. Can I bring it in?” Sideboards are priced from $250 - $600.   These clocks are collected from estate sales all over. Priced from $75 - $180.
Balatro opened in July. Their web site is still in the works, so there’s no purchasing online just yet. You’ll just have to stop by 329-341 Riley Street the next time you’re in Surry Hills. |
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