A stylist’s guide to incorporating French elegance into your home

The Society Inc. founder Sibella Court on why mixing French and Australian design works so well.

To kick off the new year in style, Chandon invited four influencers to share

their secrets for fusing the best of French and Australian fashion, beauty, design and

culture.

The Society Inc. founder Sibella Court joined Talisa Sutton from Badlands Journal, Sara

Crampton from Harper and Harley and Kiara King from Lion in the Wild to celebrate all

things French-Australian chic. The event was inspired by Chandon, which is a fusion of

French heritage and Australian innovation. It was founded by French Champagne house

Moët & Chandon and makes quality Australian sparkling wines in the Yarra Valley, using

the same method used for Champagne.

Court has been visiting France every year or two for the past 25 years, collecting pieces,

ideas and inspiration for her books, clients and online store The Society Inc. Check out

the video above to hear how these trips have shaped her trademark style, and read on

for more.

What keeps drawing you back to France?

I go to source pieces from the markets for my hospitality projects, to uncover vintage

wares to use as inspiration for my own range of (hardware) product designs, to visit my

favourite museums, for Maison et Objet. My next trip in 2018 is to spend time in Grasse

and the surrounds to attend a fragrance workshop, learn about the distillery process of

flowers, visit the Fragonard museum and try for an invitation to Les Fontaines

Parfumées. There’s always a good excuse for France.

How have these visits influenced your work?

I’m a long-time collector of beautiful objects and have been shopping in flea markets

throughout France for 25 years. It’s one of my all-time favourite things to do (the other

is beachcombing).

Who are your favourite French designers?

Dorothée Meilichzon, Charlotte Perriand, Christian Liaigre, Jean-Michel Frank – so

many!

What do you like most about French interiors style?

The combination of beautiful old structures and buildings decorated with furniture and

objects from many different periods and styles that all sit in harmony. This has become

very much a part of my own hallmark.

What do you like most about Australian interiors, and how is this reflected in your

work?

The Australian land and soundscape resonate within and even though I have a

wanderlust soul, it has a strong hallmark in all my work. We are a land of resourceful,

innovative and inspired people, and I have the pleasure of working with many of them:

makers, designers, architects, hoteliers, publicans, publishers, editors, shop owners,

shipwrights, sign-writers, weavers, crafters, dyers, painters, writers, visionaries and

luminaries. They form the language of my own work alongside our vast, diverse scape

that is drenched in sunlight and has the background sounds of our unique birdlife, the

wind and the sea that influences us all.

In what ways do you think French interiors style works well for the Australian

lifestyle?

French interiors have a very comfortable feel, even when they’re formal. They invite you

to experience them, sink into them and relax – I believe this is a combination of floor

layout and the choices of furniture and finishes.

What do you think are the benefits of Chandon being founded by French Champagne

house Moët & Chandon and making sparkling wines in Australia?

This effervescent combination of French and Australian creates magic.