Cam, our new designer, has been hunting around some old files and stumbled across some shots from our very first photo shoot over 5 years ago. Paul & I were auditioning as catalogue models - I think Paul did much better in that audition then me!

Btw. I head to Europe tomorrow for a couple of weeks - retail adventures, trade fairs and beach research! I’ll be touching base with the blog… In the meantime, if anyone has some good London & Paris restaurant recommendations, shoot them across please.

Bon Voyage.

JB.

I thought you’d like to see a pic of our special visitor to SunnyTown yesterday… Orlando Cherny was kind enough to drop by so we could see how he was doing 12 days into his life! As you can see he bought a smile to the faces of everyone in the office.

We’re all hoping (particularly Lu), that he visits us again really soon!

Hi There Readership,

It’s the time of year when I turn my attention to what come’s next from SunnyLIFE. This means I’m looking at anything i can get my hands on for ideas and inspiration. It also means I head to London next week to explore UK retail followed by trade fairs in Paris (lucky me!). I’m going to keep you updated on my findings and my travels. To reflect this, I’m going to add something new to the blog which will simply be “things I like”.

The first thing I like is something I came across on the internet. Lately I’ve been trying to evolve my limited cooking skills - more to improve my domestic viability than based on Masterchef. As part of this new hobby, I’m looking to add to my kitchen utensils collection - and this is what I want next!

It’s a pots and pans range designed by one of my favourite architects, John Pawson, for Demeyere. I love it when high design is applied to everyday objects. Not only does it take an incredible amount of cosnideration from the designer, but it also requires a leap of faith by the manufacturer.

I don’t think you can buy the product in Australia - but you can find out more here.

Paul (SunnyLIFE’s MD) and his wife, Sarah, welcomed their first child into the world yesterday. Orlando Cherny weighs 8.14lbs and mother and baby are doing great. We’re all very excited here and I’ll be posting pics as soon as possible.

Hi All,

I just wanted to thank everyone for visiting us at the Melbourne Gift Fair. Having survived the 5 long days, I always come away with a renewed respect for our retailers – who work their stores every day.

The response to the new range was as I’d hoped – with customers, new and old, loving the new designs and the new categories.

A special shout out to Nell from Jedo’s who actually referenced my blog while visiting the stand.

See you all in season!

Joel.  

Have you noticed a buzz in the air? That can only be one thing – it’s time for the Melbourne Gift Fair. It’s the time when those fortunate enough to be a part of the gift and homewares industry converge on the Melbourne Showground’s to peruse the latest and greatest from SunnyLIFE.

I betray no bias when I tell you that our Summer 09/10 Range is the best thing you will ever see. I’m looking forward to catching up with all of our customers in person and I’ll be happy to sign print-outs of your favourite blog posts.

For more information on the fair click here.

With the new website up, product arriving and the summer season about to begin – I’m starting to get fired up! Last week I was in Sydney doing media showings for the new ranges. This involves assorted style editors visiting me at the SunnyLIFE suite overlooking one of our spiritual homes at Bondi Beach. The aim of these showings was to generate some excitement amongst the eminently stylish. The good news is that I didn’t have to work that hard because everyone absolutely loved the range!

I was very pleased to see the response to our new Melamine offer. This is the first season we’ve created a real outdoor table solution – which is long overdue, because I’ve always believed it perfectly fits into a SunnyLIFE. When we developed the range, we were focused on delivering a sophisticated and high quality product. I think we have hit the nail on the head with our Miami story – which appropriately enough would have looked right at home in Miami in the 60’s.

 Check out the full Melamine range here

Every year I look forward to July 1… That’s because I know summer is finally here! It the time of year when I wake up in the morning and can’t feel my ears, it’s dark at 5pm and I wear multiple layers when leaving the house. It’s also the time that the new SunnyLIFE website is delivered. The website features all of the new season product for Summer 09/10 so you can almost taste it warming up!

I absolutely love all of our new products and the images we created to capture them. There are so many highlights – rather than listing them it’s easier if I just direct you to explore the new site. Go and have a wander in the digital realm. What I will tell you is that I’m particularly excited about our new melamine and lacquer bamboo collections – I’m always excited when we’re expanding our service of the outdoor lifestyle.

A few key acknowledgements for the website… Jess, James & Tim – our trio of photographers, in particular Jess who shot the model and products on location. Jess – you made a beautiful girl (Melody) and an amazing place (Pt Leo) look even better! Great job. Thanks to Annika, our designer who styled the shoot. Thanks to all of those who generously supplied the fashions that allowed Melody to project some serious summer style.  In particular – Grace & Jets by Jessika Allen… I’ll be blogging about my friends at Grace very soon. Also – a big thank you to Shirley & Michael for use of the location.

I love getting feedback – so tell me what you think of the new site and the new range.

Happy Summer.

Love Joel.

To the SunnyLIFE Blogosphere - I’ll be back soon. We’re getting ready to relaunch the site with the new summer ranges and mood. It’s all looking fab! The updates will be more regular when we’re in season. Until then feast your eyes on our new SunnyGirl.

So I’ve been rather slack in my blog updates lately - apologies for that, I have felt guilty and neglectful. This is probably why I shouldn’t be given blogs, pot plants or pets. I forget to feed things. That said, I’m back with an update.

Briefly, we’re well into production of the Summer 09/10 SunnyLIFE collection. The first products go into store in early August so, regardless of the fact we’re heading into winter, it’s a hive of activity at SunnyTown.

Last week we had our studio photo shoot to capture images of the new range for the web and promotion. Next week we’re shooting on location at the beach with our new SunnyLIFE girl. Do me a favour and channel some positive energy into good weather for Tuesday and Wednesday.

I’ve included a sneak-peek of our new towels… More sneak-peeks to follow.