in the spotlight : hide & sleep

As well as bringing you all the best, most niche, most gorgeous products  ... we think it is also important to bring your attention to creative people providing fabulous services.  Jacinda Malloy of Hide & Sleep  is one such person and is new to Magnolia Square.  Jacinda provides a one stop shop for parents wanting to make a beautiful space for their children. You will find her in the BLOOM area near the cafe.

Tell us about the service you provide and why you think there was a gap in the market place? 

Hide & Sleep is an Interior Design service focused on Children's Rooms. I started Hide & Sleep after witnessing first hand how much difficulty mother's have making decisions when it came to their children's rooms. They often know what they liked and have great taste and style, but lacked the confidence of being able to bring the room together. Sometimes they are so overwhelmed with choice that they make no decision at all and 13 years pass and the children still have sesame street bean bags.

I noticed there were many interior design services but none specialising in kids rooms, and i actually like kids more than adults (most of the time), so it seemed the perfect business for me. Now i get to work with children, be creative, meet lovely women, and feel a sense of satisfaction when i see my client's faces and watch the children's excitement, when they show off their new room.

Have interiors always been your background or was it a hobby you were passionate about ... 

I owned a home wares shop in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne for a couple of years and worked at L'Oreal so i have always had an interest in design, fashion, furniture & interiors. With no children (YET) of my own, i didn't see myself becoming a children's interior designer but you never know where life will take you, and i enjoy it so much that i now can't imagine doing anything else. 

How would you describe your look/style in children's interiors 

As a Libran (star sign) I am very indecisive, so what i like now, may be different tomorrow. My style changes regularly but I will always love the sweet touches to a room. It's finding that perfect lamp, painting the stool sage green, discovering that Pinocchio doll at Camberwell market, or having something personal embroidered into a pillow, it's the personal touch that i love to bring to the rooms of my clients. 

What are you top 3 sources of inspiration 

One of my closest friends Katrina - every time i go to her home she has something new and quirky that i love, never expensive, but it's always cool. I am forever stealing her ideas. - pinterest is an amazing source of inspiration but i am finding it maybe too addictive. - the children i work with. I will have an idea & then one of them will bring home a Christmas decoration they have made and my idea goes out the window, and the room becomes themed or inspired by this little decoration they have made.

Can you give our readers a couple of cute design tricks they can implement quickly and inexpensively? 

 I love using wrapping paper. I use it to make inexpensive pictures, by framing different papers. I use it to cover the back of bookshelves to give them a new, revived look. Letters are very popular at the moment, so now i cover them in wrapping paper or newspaper to give them a quirky feel. It's inexpensive, & you only need to add glue or double sided tape and can you will be surprised by how many great wrapping papers there are out there. Calenders are another simple way to update pictures in children's rooms. I often buy calenders from etsy with handmade illustrations, or sweet photography, then cut images to size and frame. I often get 12 wonderful images that i can use for much less than i would pay to buy them individually. You can then give the left over dates to the children to use for BINGO. just kidding, well i guess you could if you wanted to. see i just came up with another clever idea..

Jacinda Malloy - Interior Stylist
Hide & Sleep

0401 757 116  and www.hidesleep.com.au