#InBedWith Cool Guides Founder, Alice Carrett
Alice Carrett’s Potts Point Apartment Is a Maximalist’s Dream Come True.
Welcome to our brand spanking new series, In Bed With, made in collaboration with our pals at The Sheet Society. On the surface it might just look like a really cool apartment series featuring really cool people, but in reality it’s so much more than that. In Bed With is an excuse to live out our most thrilling voyeuristic dreams (and, let’s be real, yours too): snooping around the homes of people with exquisite taste, becoming a fly on the wall of their shopping habits and interior styling choices. In today’s edition, we visit Cool Guides founder Alice Carrett’s energetic home, which is the perfect antidote to minimalism…
Today, Cool Guides founder and Hatrik House Head of Comms, Alice Carrett, invites us into her colourful, eclectic universe.
In Alice’s home, minimalism is a dirty word. Drawing inspiration from old country houses, batty 20th century artists and her colour-enthusiastic friends, she prefers to inject personality into every square inch of her Potts Point apartment instead. The result? A perfectly cosy, charming space to hang out with her boyfriend Max, read books, drink wine with friends (without fear of spillage), and host the dinner parties of her dreams.
When Alice isn’t exploring her neighbourhood nooks, hunting down vintage bargains, or “talking Max’s ear off”, you’ll find her chatting to interesting people all over the world (for this very here site!) and working with the brilliant bunch at the Hatrik HQ to bring more fun into the world of creative marketing.
Get to know her better below (allowing for ample time to tumble down the rabbit hole of home deco #inspo that will inevitably ensue), then check out her cute abode in the gallery above.
Name: Alice Carrett Location: Potts Point Star sign: Pisces
Bedding: Butter Tie-Dye
What is your elevator pitch? (I.e. who are you and what do you do?)
I am Head of Comms at Hatrik House, my favourite place in the world! We are a creative marketing agency based in Sydney and we have the best time with interesting brands doing cool things. We are a group of young people that wanted to do things a little different and so we are very lucky that Sophia (the big boss) went out and created that for us! I also run Cool Guides where I get to speak to interesting people around the world about their favourite places, amazing meals they’ve had—basically get to jump inside their passports for a day.
Where does your mind go when you hear the word ‘home’?
I think of our little apartment in Potts Point that I adore! We just moved and I am obsessed with our new place. All I want to do is hang out there all day and night (/forever), hosting dinner parties every night and sleeping in every morning.
How would you describe your home in five words?
Eclectic, happy, cosy, mismatched, silly...
What kinds of things do you think about when you’re decorating?
I think about the little world I want to create and who I would imagine living there if it wasn’t me. My house is a work in progress but I am endlessly inspired by insane 20th Century artists that had homes that told stories. I feel like a lot of homes can be so boring at the moment and when I step into one that is a little wacky and actually has some personality it gets me excited. I want people to have fun when they come over, not worried about spilling something in an all-white home that you can’t drink wine in. (Not afraid of offending minimalists, btw, I don’t really hang out with them anyway.)
Is there any correlation between your personal style and your approach to decorating? Elaborate!
I think so! I generally dress quite boyish with some fun accessories which I see translate throughout my house. Now that it’s getting cooler, I am loving my slouchy Dion Lee jumpsuit with socks, Prada stud sandals (ebay win!) and my fun Ganni leopard print bag.
We have quite boyish furniture which I surround with flowers, fluoro lamps and stack with hot pink books, so I think I do see a correlation there! What is your most treasured possession and why?
My rings that my Grandmother made and found the stones for, artwork made by my friends, my Luke Edward Hall x Richard Ginori pieces bought for me by Max, and my Chiswell sideboard that was found roadside in mint condition. It takes 5 years off my life everytime we move and it gets another scratch!
What’s the best thing about your neighbourhood?
We are so close to so many amazing restaurants and bars. It feels like we are in the center of everything and walking distance from the best galleries, parks and little shops.
My favourite hangouts are Room 10, Cafe Giorgio, The Roosevelt, Gaku Robata and Poho Flowers but there are so many more!
Where is your favourite spot in your home to chill, and why?
I love lazing around in bed or staring out the kitchen window where we have a little baby water view. It always feels too good to be true.
I also love watching the world go by out the window on the main street and waving to friends dining across the road!
Best place online/IRL to score a bargain?
eBay always! I spend so much of my time there finding bargains in the form of Prada shoes, Mid-century candle stick holders, Loewe dresses and Proenza Schouler turtle necks.
I also LOVE marketplace for antique furniture and second hand books.
IRL, I spend every Saturday morning in Potts Point Galleries finding vintage pieces.
What are your hot tips for styling a bedroom?
Invest in your bed. Have cute sheets that make you happy and that you could lay around in all day reading, scrolling, and drinking coffee in. I am a huge fan of a cotton situation so you never overheat.
I like to keep my bedroom quite simple and clean and just with a few little accessories and prints.
I always have my Provider Store aromatherapy oils going and AYU incense wafting throughout the house which relaxes me endlessly!
On the Marie Kondo to hoarder spectrum, where do you sit?
I love collecting things but I am also not precious when it comes to re-selling or donating items. I hate clutter and when I can upgrade something with a great marketplace I don’t hesitate, much to the annoyance of my boyfriend who will find that items have gone missing and wardrobes are suddenly empty.
Best Sunday morning read?
Luke Edward Hall’s column in the UK Financial Times, a trash romance novel (Bridgerton, I see you), T Magazine, 10 Mag or whatever book I have on the go—at the moment it’s Cecil Beaton’s Diaries.
Where do you find most of your decorating inspo?
I love looking at books and images of any batty 20th Century artist with their ridiculous houses. Luisa Casati, Cecil Beaton and Pablo Picasso’s studio immediately spring to mind.
All a bit insane but they each created their own little world, which I find so fun. Would love to inherit a windswept castle that I could fill with clashing prints and long tables one day.
On instagram I am of course obsessed with: @lukeedwardhall, @benpentreath, @marco_mansi_, @mccormickcharlie
I have recently realised that I am slightly (too) obsessed with English country houses and the fields of Daffodils, Chintz and fireplaces that go along with them!
I am always obsessed with my friends' homes as well! My beautiful friend Lesley has such inspiring taste and is someone I always look up to. I also love whatever my friends Lil, Sophia and Chloe are up to in their homes as well. They’re never afraid of colour or mixing different pieces and colours together.
What are your morning and nighttime rituals?
My skincare routine is everything! I am not a morning person so it really is the only thing that gets me up in the morning. I am a Pisces that loves a good snooze.
In the morning I wake up, make myself a Matcha and then slowly get ready while listening to a podcast. I work on a few social accounts so I also laze about on the couch for a bit working on those. Once ready I walk to work (I am very lucky I know!) through Potts Point and Rushcutters Bay before arriving probably 10mins late with a coffee in hand (Sorry Sophia!).
Nighttime is when I shine and really feel like the world is mine! I walk home and might grab a drink with my boyfriend at one of the outdoors bars near home. Once I am home I write a few Cool Guides articles, do some emails and then do a face or hair mask before doing my skincare routine. After that I love hopping into bed to read, finish my podcast, send Sophia outlandish ideas or talk Max’s ear off. I am trying to paint or draw more in the evenings to get off the screens but Monday nights for me always involve watching Last Week Tonight and SNL.
What is the best piece of decorating wisdom you’ve ever received?
“Never trust a person that doesn’t have books in their house” — My Mum
“Beige sucks” — Me
“That’s too trendy don’t buy it” — Sophia
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