24 Hours With… Dinosaur Designs

Artists Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy know how to make your house feel like a home with every handcrafted piece realised by Dinosaur Designs. An embodiment of the couple’s shared lifelong love for art, each characterful collection offers us all a little slice of their artistic, nature-loving lifestyles to brighten up our own personal spaces. We caught up with the creative forces across time zones to get a snapshot of their day-to-day lives, surrounded by the beautiful Sydney landscape.

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“Starting my day with a 7AM swim at Bronte Beach.”

“I paint in my studio in the Highlands countryside.”

“Stephen in his art studio, shot by Earl Carter.”

MORNING

What time do you wake up and what's the first thing you do when you get up?
Louise: At 6/6.30AM. The first thing I do when I wake up is look out at the blue ocean that we can see from our bedroom.
Stephen: Around 7AM and I also look at the ocean.

Do you have any morning rituals?
Louise: A 7AM swim at Bronte Beach.
Stephen: I have a stretch and shower.

Where do you live and how long have you lived there?
Louise: We’ve lived in Sydney at Bronte Beach for over 20 years now.

Favourite thing about your neighbourhood/where you live?
Louise: I love living by the sea.
Stephen: The fact that it's on the ocean.

In your opinion, what makes a house a home?
Louise: Our home is open and breezy, we have a view of the ocean through gumtrees. We get lots of native birds that love to eat the gumnut flowers.
Stephen: Family.

What is your favourite home away from home?
Louise: Tokyo and Kyoto.
Stephen: New York and London.

What does your average day look like?
Louise: I’m always in one of our studios. Either Dinosaur Designs in Sydney or my studio in the Highlands countryside outside of the city where I paint.
Stephen: It’s usually very busy between running Dinosaur Designs and my art studio. If I'm working on a show it's just me. We have an experienced team working at DD but the company is still very demanding so the juggle is real.

“Hitting the studio to finish a painting.”

“I need more time for painting.”

“We follow the philosophy of colour and form.”

DAYTIME

What is your idea of a perfect day?
Louise: To swim in the morning and create during the day. Then cooking with friends and family in the evening and sleeping well at night.
Stephen: Early surf when the waves are pumping, followed by breakfast with my girls; then hitting the studio and finishing a painting. Enjoy an afternoon catch up with friends at a local pub and move onto dinner followed by a bit of dancing, home and off to sleep.

When you’re not working, what do you do for fun?
Louise: I love to watch movies, listen to music and read.
Stephen: Surf and party.

What did you do on your last day off?
Stephen: Surfed and partied.

What do you need more time for?
Louise: Painting in my studio.
Stephen: Music production.

What was your route into design and how did you begin Dinosaur Designs?
Louise: We started Dinosaur Designs in our last year at art school in Sydney.
Stephen: Art school was coming to an end and we needed to make money. We all had our individual crafts we were selling, so we combined our ideas and created some products for the Paddington markets.

One thing you can’t live without?
Louise: My family and friends - their love enriches my life and makes me feel so happy.
Stephen: Family, they are my life.

What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What gives you goosebumps?
Louise: The unexpected moments that life sometimes gives you. What’s happening to the environment and the effects it has on people in third world countries. Art, music and nature.
Stephen: Sending and receiving clips on Instagram with friends. Losing friends. Music.

“I love cooking with fresh organic produce.”

“Details in our home - books and 1970s Eros Nero Marquina Marble.”

EVENING

What’s on your bookshelf?
Louise: Art, poetry, designs, architecture and biography books.
Stephen: Mark Rothko: From the Inside Out; Clive James’ Unreliable Memoirs; Ghost Wave by Chris Dixon; A. M. Holmes’ The Unfolding; and The Secret Heart by Suleika Dawson.

What are you listening to at the moment?
Louise: A Time For Healing by the Kahil El’Zabar Quartet. I also love Steve’s Spotify playlist, and I’ve also made one over time which I find really good to paint to.
Stephen: I’m developing my musical algorithm on Spotify by creating playlists. Just search Stephen Ormandy to have a listen.

What was the last piece of art/furniture you bought, or ogled?
Louise: 1970s Eros Nero Marquina Marble.
Stephen: They’re two marble side tables by Angelo Mangiarotti.

What do you usually do for dinner?
Louise: I love cooking with fresh organic produce. I’ll stop on the way home to see what’s looking good to cook that night.
Stephen: We mostly eat at home. We love Hainanese chicken.

What’s your favourite restaurant? And what do you eat/drink there?
Louise: Sean’s Bondi Beach for seafood with a chilled glass of rosé.
Stephen: Alberto’s Lounge. It’s Italian based and always delicious with an extensive wine list.

Do you have any evening rituals?
Louise: An evening herbal tea with a Loco Love Chocolate.
Stephen: I love a glass of Pinot wine with dinner, watching the news, and if we’re watching a show we look at a new episode or two.

What time do you go to bed and what's the last thing you do before you sleep?
Louise: We go to bed around 10PM, read for a little while and drift to sleep.
Stephen: At the latest 10:30PM and I have a look at Instagram.

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