Behind The Scenes with Tara Wokulski from Coco Camellia
What does the average day of an interior stylist look like? And what is your favourite thing about styling?
It can be quite busy depending on how many projects are happening all at once, this last month has really been loads of planning, colour selections, furniture selections, custom upholstery designs, consultations, site inspections, lots of ordering, phone calls to suppliers, installations, along with creating visual content of my own home for my Instagram as a way to connect with a wide audience. My favourite part about styling of course is seeing the whole job come together from its initial concept to the final product. But what I really love is the entire process, organising, planning, and taking my clients through from start to finish and making sure its enjoyable, stress free and it involves them every step of the way.
What do you attribute the success of your interior styling business to? We know that creative time and family time are both important to you, do you have any tips for work/ life balance?
I still feel very much that my business is in its infancy, I don't necessarily feel it's all that successful at the moment as there are so many goals I am yet to achieve, and so many more projects I'd love to be working on now and in the future. To me work life balance is all about doing what you love, and Interior Styling is something I'm so passionate about, and something I've been able to work in with having young kids at home which makes that work life balance that little bit easier. So my tips would be to find your passion, and go for it, you'll never be happier and feel more full, and that work life balance will come naturally.
What are the upcoming homewares trends for this season and what products are you hoping to see?
Some of my favourite homeware trends coming through this spring summer would have to be Native botanical prints, along with round, oval, and arch shaped mirrors, also stunning linens and neutral tones. As I mentioned earlier I'm a sucker for having ceramics in my home so I'm hoping to see some fresh new pieces this season especially from my one of my all time favourites Country Road.
Do you have any go-to styling tips that my subscribers could use in their own home?
My number one styling tip is to come up with a concept and jot it down before you start your project whether it be notes, mood boards or via Pinterest, do this from the very beginning no matter how big or small the project is, as once you start working through a space you can come up with so many other ideas that your original concept may get lost very quickly. By creating these mood boards, Pinterest boards and notes you can very easily look back on your original plan through out the decision making process to make sure concept is still being carried out through the entire project.
In todays fast paced lifestyle, winding down and getting a good nights sleep is much harder. Can you tell us about your bedtime routine?
My bedtime routine revolves around our kids, they almost always go down without fuss, but once I know they're soundly sleeping I'm the first to head to the kettle for a milo (there may or may not be chocolate involved also), I then check my emails, and tuck into bed like a nana probably around 8:30-9 and talk to my husband about our day, I do often work late even though in bed, as I'm most productive once the kids are sleeping at night, so as for the unwinding part, possibly not so much as sometimes I feel like this is where I get most of my work done.
What’s the best advise you’ve received?
My husband Phil always gives the best advice hands down, he's got some serious nuggets! He's always telling me to follow my passion, and to back myself and the rest will come. I was also told once by a 90year old when I was Nursing (I come from Nursing Background) that kindness is everything, without it, you have nothing. and for some reason I've just never been able to forget that advice, and I fully believe and practice this daily.
What’s coming up for you at Coco Camellia?
Coco Camellia is still in its infancy so there is so much planning, collaborating, and growth that I'm currently working on, all I can say is watch this space as I am always connecting with new people and new projects, so 2019 is going to be super exciting.
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Sleep Well,
Nikki
The Team at The Cover Collective
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