The Walker Street store is home to a creative trio, writes Caitlin Sloan

Three businesses with creative flair have teamed up to open an interior decor and furniture store called Indigo Designs Co in Helensburgh.

The collective comprises florist Kristy Mitchell of OK Posy Co; artist Amanda Skye Mulder; and the Ayres clan of PCA Traditional Furniture and Building.

Amanda said the name alludes to their shared creative streak: “The colour indigo is believed to stimulate the creative side of your brain and since our space is heavily influenced by creativity it made sense.”

The original plan was to open in July, but lockdown stymied that and their first few months of trade were confined to online browsing.

In the meanwhile, the trio opted to spend the extra time setting up their online store, organising the shopfront and crafting unique products to add to their selection of art, homewares and furnishings.

Amanda hopes the boutique will become more than just a place to shop for locally made and sourced products and plans to host workshops.

“We felt we needed a creative hub in Helensburgh; a place where the community and visitors could find last-minute gifts that were unique rather than having to travel outside [of town],” Amanda said.

“We felt that providing a space where people could head to for workshops, unique [and] exclusive gifts, clothing and art would fill the little gap.

“I have tried very hard to ensure the items we have are different to other stores while supporting the community and our lovely surrounding businesses.

“Kristy will be the friendly face who greets everyone at the door and store manager.

“We plan on starting workshops around February, with different artists and creatives involved, from ‘sip and paint’ nights to kids creative workshops to flower arrangements and more.”

Amanda Skye Art

Amanda Skye Mulder’s art has likely already caught your eye. In April last year, she painted the cockatoo mural on the corner of Club Lane in Helensburgh.

Amanda’s muse is often flora and fauna, and her sizeable body of artworks ranges from colourful native birds to striking palms to pastel abstract designs.

“Intuition and nature play a big part in my subject matter of choice – it’s what I love most,” she said.

At Indigo Designs Co, she not only sells her original pieces and framed art prints, but her colourful designs can be found printed on candles, beach towels, mugs, and cotton tea towels.

“There is so much more available than what you see in the front window or on our website and social media channels,” Amanda said.

“We are super excited to start trading properly and have so many ideas for workshops!”

OK Posy Co

If you had asked Kristy Mitchell about her plans for the future at the start of 2020, she would have told you that she’d be spending her sixth ski season at the Snowy Mountains before returning home to the Gold Coast.

One year on, she’s settled down in Helensburgh with her partner, founded OK Posy Co florist, and she couldn’t imagine living or working anywhere else.

Heading into the Indigo Designs Co studio at 2am most days to create her fresh flower arrangements, Kristy spends the rest of her day organising the in-store floral displays and delivering her signature glass jar posies to doorsteps around the 2508 area.

“Some days my partner and I are driving around for hours delivering all these posies to everyone,” she said.

“It’s a real feel-good thing for everyone to get a nice, little, fresh posy on the doorstep with a little card.”

At the start of October, OK Posy Co launched the zero-waste OK Sustainability Range – providing new life to wilting flowers by preserving them for six weeks in the studio.

Kristy and the OK Posy Co team are looking forward to introducing workshop experiences for the community to enjoy.

“I can’t wait for everyone to come and join us and also be a part of the studio,” Kristy said.

PCA Traditional Furniture and Building

For three decades, Helensburgh local Peter Ayres has been creating custom furniture, homewares and fixtures.

Peter established PCA Traditional Furniture and Building while working as a shopfitting teacher for TAFE NSW before going full time at his business 20 years ago.

Now working alongside his son, Hayden, at their factory in Corrimal milling their own timber to create unique furniture and accessories, Peter has joined the team at Indigo Designs Co to showcase the best that PCA Traditional Furniture and Building has to offer.

All pieces made by PCA Traditional Furniture and Building are unique and will only be on display at the Indigo Designs Co boutique and their other joint venture, King & Ayres, in Wollongong.

Peter says that his wife, Cindy, is looking forward to working locally at Indigo Designs Co, offering hand-crafted wood creations such as hall tables, dining tables and serving boards.

“There’s been a lot of interest already,” he said.

“We can’t wait.” 

Indigo Designs is at 9a Walker Street, Helensburgh and on Facebook and Instagram @indigodesignsco