lynda gardener | melbourne.
spotlight on melbourne | lynda gardener.
Name: Lynda Gardener
Age: Can I just pretend I am still 28? (PLEASE!)
Star sign: Capricorn
Hometown: Melbourne
Where do you live now? North Fitzroy, Melbourne
When did you move here? And why? 18 years ago - always loved this side of the city and never want to move!
Describe yourself in 3 words or less: passionate, warm, unique.
Describe Melbourne in 3 words or less: just gets better OR laneways, cool, graffiti.
What do you do here? Interior stylist/decorator/hotelier with four accommodation properties (soon to be five) and occasional housekeeper!
What does a normal day look like for you? Wake up early (usually 4.30am and start thinking) try to fall back to sleep and wake up 7.30ish-am…work on emails/bookings for a couple of hours, walk Jack (my dog)…head off to style/work on interior projects/source/attend to the country properties/more emails/client meetings/phone calls/more emails/bath/ curl up on the couch around 8.30pm with my boyfriend and relax by watching a tv series, usually to take me to another place for a while! off to sleep around 11pm.
What makes Melbourne so special? its just so cool…the laneways, and laneways off the laneways in and around the CBD, graffiti, the forever changing cafes/bars/restaurants/galleries, small festivals and street parties…never ceases to amaze me how wonderful this city is…I travel often and to many different places around the world, however I always LOVE coming home…
Go-to coffee spot? I have never drank coffee…(can you believe it!) however I have always loved the concept and style of Market Lane coffee - all their locations in Melbourne are simple, cool and styled perfectly.
Favourite Melbourne brekkie? it changes by the week, we are so lucky to have one on every corner and practically a new one moving in somewhere every month! I can’t keep up. They are all great! current new favourites are Oxford Larder, Collingwood; Higher Ground, CBD; and old favourite: Babka, Fitzroy.
And favorite date-night dinner spot? Marion: Gertrude Street Fitzroy; or The City wine shop (which has been my favourite for over 20 years), in the heart of Melbourne.
Favourite spot for a negroni (or your drink of choice)?! Drink of choice: freshly squeezed grapefruit juice with a (very) large dash of Vodka…City Wine Shop Melbourne (they have it ready by the time I have walked in the door to finding a stool at the bar!) or Chin Chin for my all time favourite - Far East Side…(nothing has beat this one yet!)
Where do you like to shop? I love any flea market I can get myself to!! whereever I am in the world, I will find one! I have always loved melbourne’s Camberwell Market and any small design Markets held in melbourne throughout the year.
Favourite design store? Third Drawer Down; Tarlo and Graeme for vintage; and Scout house for a beautiful mix of old and new.
Favorite local fashion label? Not sure I have a favourite…so its not a fashion label however, I love AESOP for their beautifully designed stores and fit outs all around the world…they made their start in Melbourne and always feel so inspired by their store designs….I seriously drool over every interior!
Where do you take friends who are visiting from out of town? Oh I have lists of places…..breakfast at Higher Ground, designed and set up in an ex-power station in Melbourne’s CBD….a walk through the historic laneways in the city as they are filled with local labels, independent boutiques, super cool cafes, hole-in-the-wall coffee shops!!! always Collingwood, smith street and Gertrude street as they are a MUST.
When the sun comes out in Melbourne, where do you like to hang out? my local park…the Edinburgh Gardens in Nth Fitzroy…one of my favourite things to do - a picnic in the park with my boyfriend and dog by my side, just lay in the sun and people/dog watch!
Where do you go to get inspired? every day something new inspires me…from creative friends doing their own thing and starting new individual businesses to the architecture in our old city buildings…every day I find inspiration in something new.
Favourite gallery? I always love a local random gallery! right now there is one being held in an old disused cinema in Fitzroy!
Any other secrets we should know about Melbourne?…just to the city/laneways/fitzroy/collingwood/brunswick as seriously I can’t even keep up with it all…every day there is a new find, a new opening, a new cafe, pop up, food truck…its the best!
Where is your next holiday? Copenhagen is current on the list, must do right now and a quick visit to Amsterdam, just one of my all time favourite places to be!
What 5 things do you always pack? my jewellery - chunky rings and necklaces that dress up anything I am wearing….my favourite perfume, favourite shoes, phone and camera as I am forever taking snaps of everything!!
What are some of the quirky things you always do when traveling? buy a local baguette, or pastry and find a park to sit and take it all in - spend an afternoon just sitting!
Whats on your stereo? Oh my tastes change all the time, so it could be Chet Faker, Flume, Nick Cave and then crosses over to some old time favourites such as Cesaria Evora and Compay Segundo.
Who is inspiring you right now? always a wide variety of beautiful people - from Iris Apfel for doing her thing at the age of 95! to director Wes Anderson for the incredible movies he creates (all the time) - people in my industry, Hans Blomquist and Glen Proebstel for their totally individual styling and art direction - stylists, creatives, bespoke retail stores just doing what they love most - happily, confidently and passionately.
Words you live by…over planning kills the magic!