Featured in Equestrian Living Magazine – November/December 2020
Our Classic Wine Bottle Stoppers and Banksia-Nut Coasters were featured in the November and December 2020 issue of Equestrian Living, the premier magazine of country life. This issue focuses on uplifting stories in the Heroes feature that highlight people helping others during the holiday season and into winter, and it is filled with inspiring visits, profiles and creative ideas.
In this issue, readers visit Olympian Peter Wylde in his beautifully designed Florida home and hear about the next steps in his career. The magazine also explores Valiente, Wellington’s extraordinary 130-stall polo farm, with owner Bob Jornayvaz. There is a look at some of Jessica Springsteen’s favourite hotels, restaurants and must-haves, a photo story on the historic Arapahoe Hunt Club in Colorado founded in 1907, and a showcase of sculptures by award-winning artist Hrvoje Dumančić. The issue is rounded out with a collection of design, fashion, food and drink and décor ideas designed to stimulate creativity.
The feature included our Classic Wine Bottle Stoppers, hand-turned pieces with clean, familiar shapes that offer an elegant way to seal an unfinished bottle of wine, port, liqueur, oil or balsamic. Each stopper is made from stainless steel and fitted with tapered rubber seals that create an airtight closure for a wide variety of bottle sizes. They are available in three distinct Australian materials: iconic Banksia nut, classic Redgum and striking She-Oak. Each stopper is nicely packaged and ready for gifting.
On the same page, readers were introduced to our Banksia-Nut Coasters. Each boxed set contains six coasters made from the seedpods of Banksia Grandis, a large Banksia that grows in the understory of the Jarrah forests in Western Australia. These coasters are quintessentially Australian and take their common name from Sir Joseph Banks, the English botanist who sailed with Captain Cook. Banksia is also known as Banyallah and Wallum in Aboriginal languages, and while the plant is native and unique to Australia, many varieties are now found in botanic gardens around the world where their unusual form continues to fascinate.
Every set of coasters shows a mix of natural textures. You will find rough outer edges from the outside of the seedpod, open holes where the seeds once were and areas of soft red velvety fur. Once turned on the lathe, the coasters are finished with shellac and oil to enrich their natural colour. The seedpods are harvested only after they have expelled their seeds and completed their life cycle, minimising disturbance to the forest and giving the coasters strong green credentials. Lightweight, unbreakable and attractively boxed, they make ideal Australian gifts that can be posted locally or overseas with ease.
The appearance of these two products in Equestrian Living sits comfortably within an issue that celebrates generosity, creativity and the pleasures of well-considered living. Together, the stoppers and coasters offer readers practical pieces that also carry a story of Australian materials and careful craftsmanship.