kip&co

Kip&Co X Hunting For George Q&A

Kip & Co Q&A
with Lucy Glade-Wright of Hunting For George

 

1. We’re so excited for the next chapter of Hunting for George. You and the brand are the like an amazing chameleon, morphing from destination online homewares store, designers and product developers, to straight-up addictive content creators. How did you plan for and find the time for these transitions and what was the lure of each?

 
Yeah we sure do like to tick a few boxes! My background is Communication Design so I have always created content and crafted stories to build or reinforce brand identities throughout my career. My motivation behind starting Hunting for George was really to be able to work on something that was my own and that allowed me to shape my own brand identity. Our origins began in eCommerce and I’m incredibly proud of everything that we achieved in that industry. We rose from very humble beginnings and our growth in revenue, audience and product offering was very organic. Most of our transitions in business have been instinctive, it was by accident that we stumbled into product design and then customer demand gave us the confidence to develop our offering further. When it came to our most recent decision to leave retail and  instead focus on the creative media aspect of our business it again came down to instincts and being honest with ourselves as to where our focus and passion lay. It was not an easy transition by any means as we had an established retail business to convert and I wanted to undertake the process as seamlessly as possible - and we’re still transitioning. There’s been a lot of hard work and sacrifice behind the scenes but we don’t really publicise that - at the end of the day it comes down to doing what you need to do in order to create a life that is fulfilling. 

2. You are Jonno are a dynamic duo - husband and wife who seem to effortlessly pull off content creating while keeping a joyous loved up relationship. What are you your tips for working with your loved one?

 
Jonno and I have worked together for a long time now. We vary in our work styles however we both get really inspired and excited when we’re being creative. Neither of us like sitting behind a desk for too long as we tend to get a little restless. So this year has been a really exciting transition for both of us to be able to experiment with new ideas and execution. When it comes to giving tips, let me just say that I’m no expert! However I do think it’s important to find moments in your day that remove you from your work, whether it be solo or together as it’s always important to try and switch off. The biggest challenge you face when working with your loved one is separating work from your personal life, so anything you can do to define that separation is key. 

3. You’re across every social media platform with impressive dedication  - how do you manage to keep some “Lucy” time in there?

I’ll be honest it’s tough! Myself and my team put a lot of work into the content that we create which means repurposing our creative across multiple platforms. Since the transition of the business the personal demands of maintaining our presence on social media have been taxing. For the most part I love engaging with our audience so I do really enjoy it however the ‘round the clock’ attention is not an easy one to manage. Right now, I’m trying to make sure that I allocate time each day to breathe - which is more difficult than it sounds. I also love to exercise, go for walks, get facials, have a bath (literally my favourite thing to do) and I’m trying to get back into the habit of reading rather than using my phone before bed. It’s a work in progress but I think regardless of what you do, you should always try to be kind to yourself. 

 
4. Where do you see social media headed in the next five years?

 Dear god, there’s probably going to be another handful of apps I need to understand. We’re on TikTok at the moment which Jonno has been talking about for ages. It’s a dangerous weapon of procrastination but I can see why it’s so popular. Video is definitely at the forefront for us and where we see the most opportunity in social media moving forward. In saying that, we’ve been in business for nearly 10 years and have seen a lot of technology and social media change in that time. However there is one thing that never changes and that is the demand for quality content. Regardless of how social media shifts, engaging and unique content always performs. So we focus our attention on our content first and then work like crazy to keep up with the changes. 

 

 

5. Your house tours are next level! What’s been your favourite (can we put a vote in for Tasmania?!) and can you give us any juicy insights about what we can see coming up soon?

 
Oh it’s like choosing a favourite child. I adore visiting all of our homes, especially when I get to chat with the owners. When it comes to favourites, I have a soft spot for our very first episode ‘the Wensley’ as we were totally winging it. Plus it’s a beautiful rustic design with an outdoor bath, what’s not to love? But my most recent love is our latest home tour, Episode 21 with yours truly Alex McCabe! I knew that going into a Kip & Co home would be full of colour and energy, but I had no idea how much it would make me smile. I loved every bit of it, especially how confident the interiors were. That kitchen, omg I was practically drooling. Thanks for letting me in and I hope you don’t mind that I helped myself to your chocolate.

What’s coming up next?… We are about to reveal our epic design trip around Tasmania and yes you are right, there are some definite favourites in there! We are also about to start a renovation at home and will be sharing this process including lots of tips on how to reno on a budget. We’ve also got more travel plans coming up, so watch this space!

 
6. You’ve been knee deep in homewares for a long time now - what trend are you loving?

I’ve been noticing a lot of great colour in homes recently. I feel like people are becoming more open to the idea of introducing colour themes at home especially with painted feature walls. I’ve also been seeing more and more textural elements being applied to walls and cabinetry such as timber panelling and OSB. I especially loved the use of OSB in Alex’s home in the laundry/pantry cabinetry. 

7. What’s your bedtime ritual?

Before bed I’ll pull out clothes for the next day to be ready for my morning workout - if they’re not ready then I’m not going. I’m also a sucker for a warm wheat bag just before I pop into bed and my new favourite thing is chilling a wheat bag for my eyes - it’s cold, heavy and because its resting on my eyes I can’t reach for my phone ;)

 
8. If you could have dinner with three other people (dead or alive), who would you invite over?

CW Stoneking, for the tunes
Sam Rockwell, for the laughs and the moves
Emma Stone, because I want to be her friend

Check out Episode 21 below!