At Home with Phoebe and Chris of Sage x Clare
We were contacted by Phoebe and Chris mid 2020 when Melbourne was in deep lockdown. They were looking for a custom desk and bed to suit their downstairs office area that doubles as a guest’s retreat and in the future will become the most epic teenager’s hangout.
Phoebe and Chris are the creative rockstars behind the bohemian and energetic homewares brand; Sage x Clare. It was love at first sight and we knew instantly that this was a duo that we’d love to work with.
We met over Zoom and they gave us a tour of the space, we jotted down the dimensions of the floor plan and got to work designing.
We came up with a combination of our Ledge Bed and much-loved Bookshelf headboard. This is by far the biggest headboard we’d ever made measuring at a whopping 2.5m long and 1.2m tall and behind the bed sits a matching timber desk for the perfect working-from-home setup. (Daytime naps anyone?) We designed the headboard tall enough to discreetly hide the computer screens meaning you truly can switch off after a day’s work.
Thank you Phoebe and Chris for welcoming us into your beautiful home nestled up in the trees and smothering the bed with your beautiful wares. We absolutely love the finished result and it took every inch of our willpower to restrain from jumping into the bed and never leaving.
And a big thank you to Jude for pulling out his tools helping Al set up the bed & being the cutest little model around town!
Get the look
Sage x Clare - Lio Stripe Linen Quilt Cover - Tangerine
Sage x Clare - Blush Linen FLat Sheet
Sage X Clare Hayfolk Linen Fittet Sheet
More Styling
Fiona Killackey, author of Purpose, Passion, Proft & host of the hugely successful podcast My Daily Business Coach interviews Imo all about business and life. Click here to listen to the episode.
We are honoured to be featured in local Home & Interior Design publication My Coastal Home. If you’d like to read the article written about us click here. We chat about our furniture, the education side of our business and our house build.
When it comes to designing and building furniture Al and I always consider practicality, functionality, longevity and aesthetics. Essentially.. we want our furniture to do more than just look good. And from our sales it shows that our customers too are looking for multifunctional furniture, in particular our drawer beds that capitalise on the prime realestate that often goes unused OR not used well.
For this bedroom style we were inspired by the flowering wattle blossoms and how they pack a punch of colour on a gloomy winter’s day. So when Al finished making this custom Bookshelf Bed and matching Lowboy Chest of drawers it only felt right to go bold and style using a mix of fun colours, textures and prints.
We are honoured to be featured in Australian Home & Interior Design publication Inside Out Magazine. Pick up your copy from all supermarkets & newsagents. If you’d like to read the article written about us click here. We chat about our furniture, the education side of our business and future plans.
It's not every day that we get asked to build a black bed so when we were approached by clients from Tasmania to create a custom black Bookshelf Bed of course we said yes. Of course we had to bring it inside and style it up in our home studio. We was so curious to know what it was going to look like when styled and we absolutely love how the bed fades into the background and all of the bed linen and styling items just pop!
Click through to read about our design, functionality, inspiration and organisational tips for your newborn's room.
Looking for last minute DIY wood projects that would be great woodworking gift ideas? Check out these easy woodworking projects and plans for beginner woodworkers to pro woodshop owners.
HEY! WE’RE AL + IMO
We’re a husband and wife duo, building our dream life one DIY project at a time. We are proudly self-taught, furniture-makers, business owners, designers and stylists.
DIY RUNS IN OUR DNA
We firmly believe what you learn should be shared which is why we created our Journal. A place where you can learn new skills and be inspired by other creatives.
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Elevate your bedroom with our passion for design, sustainability, and the beauty of custom creations. Dive into the world of AL + IMO and transform your sleeping space into a sanctuary of style and craftsmanship.
When it comes to designing and building furniture Al and I always consider practicality, functionality, longevity and aesthetics. Essentially.. we want our furniture to do more than just look good. And from our sales it shows that our customers too are looking for multifunctional furniture, in particular our drawer beds that capitalise on the prime realestate that often goes unused OR not used well.
This holiday season I’ve teamed up with Cricut to create DIY personalised Christmas gift sacks for Goldie and all of her little friends. This is a really fun project and I know the kids will enjoy them for many years to come. I hope this inspires you to get crafty this holiday season and from my family to yours Merry Christmas!
We are honoured to be featured in local Home & Interior Design publication My Coastal Home. If you’d like to read the article written about us click here. We chat about our furniture, the education side of our business and our house build.
When it comes to designing and building furniture Al and I always consider practicality, functionality, longevity and aesthetics. Essentially.. we want our furniture to do more than just look good. And from our sales it shows that our customers too are looking for multifunctional furniture, in particular our drawer beds that capitalise on the prime realestate that often goes unused OR not used well.
For this bedroom style we were inspired by the flowering wattle blossoms and how they pack a punch of colour on a gloomy winter’s day. So when Al finished making this custom Bookshelf Bed and matching Lowboy Chest of drawers it only felt right to go bold and style using a mix of fun colours, textures and prints.
We are honoured to be featured in Australian Home & Interior Design publication Inside Out Magazine. Pick up your copy from all supermarkets & newsagents. If you’d like to read the article written about us click here. We chat about our furniture, the education side of our business and future plans.
It's not every day that we get asked to build a black bed so when we were approached by clients from Tasmania to create a custom black Bookshelf Bed of course we said yes. Of course we had to bring it inside and style it up in our home studio. We was so curious to know what it was going to look like when styled and we absolutely love how the bed fades into the background and all of the bed linen and styling items just pop!
Click through to read about our design, functionality, inspiration and organisational tips for your newborn's room.
This is an all-time favourite recipe, it’s full of flavour and really doesn’t take that long! Just make sure to prep all of your ingredients first! You can also substitute the seafood for chicken thighs or puffed tofu.
This recipe came from a friend’s dad, we’ve been cooking it for years and it’s a staple in our kitchen throughout winter. I love cooking this whenever we’re sick or on a cold, rainy day. This was also a meal I prepped before Goldie’s birth and enjoyed postpartum.
We received this recipe a couple of years ago from our friend Jess, it's a meal that we love and have on heavy rotation. You can pack it out with seasonal vegetables and the leftovers can be eaten with eggs for breakfast!
Honey and Bacon… name a better duo… this breakfast is an absolute winner! Sweet, salty and perfect for when you want that cafe experience in your own home.
I remember going to the same cafe everyday and ordering a tandoori wrap in India. This is my interpretation and always a total crowd-pleaser.
There’s no denying that Al and I absolutely love eggs! We are very lucky to have access to farm-fresh golden eggs from our neighbouring farms! One of our go-to breakfasts is a delicious omelette packed full of flavour. The below recipe is what we had readily available in our fridge but you can definitely substitute any of the ingredients with your own.
The one thing that I found really helped during my first trimester was drinking a smoothie in the morning before getting out of bed which I continued to do into my second trimester. I highly recommend giving this recipe a go if you’re finding is hard to get out of bed.
After a quick morning coffee with our neighbour Marissa up at Freshwater Creek Cottages we were sent home with a tray of eggs from their chooks and a pile of beautiful herbs from their veggie garden. It only felt right to whip up some delicious fritters with a zesty yoghurt.
Inspired by a breakfast we ate two days in a row on a recent trip to Daylesford. Baked eggs with all of the good stuff - we’re pretty sure you could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We made one of our all-time favourite Ottolenghi recipes which is his Turkey and Sweetcorn Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Sauce, we had leftover sauce so we thought we’d create a delicious breakfast dish around it. I make these flatbreads all of the time, they are particularly great with Indian dinners!
Stacks on baby!! Basically a super simple oven-baked sweet potato rosti stacked with a pile of deliciousness. A really easy and tasty breakfast when you want that cafe experience in your own home.
This is a really super delicious, healthy and easy breakfast recipe that we whipped up with leftover vegetables that we had in the fridge - packed full of flavour and a great way to feed a large group (or one Al who eats enough for 3 people).
Ok - stay with me here. One of our absolute favourite side dishes is maple syrup roasted brussel sprouts - we eat them for dinner, lunch and now also for breakfast. Not surprisingly these translated beautifully to a morning treat!
These pancakes are on high rotation in our household - not only are they absolutely delicious but they are also healthy! The batter is made up of bananas, oats and eggs… so you can treat yourself without the guilt!
Sometimes there is nothing better than a big breakfast - the key to nailing the BB? Using really good produce! This is our take on the always-satisfying Big Brekky all made from locally-sourced produce!
Inspired by a Jamie Oliver carbonara recipe we thought some of the ingredients would translate well to a breakfast dish. This is really easy and so packed with flavour!
Al was in charge of making breakfast this morning so Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict was the pick! This is a great substitute for a cafe breakfast which I know we’re all craving at the moment (insolation coops are real).
An experiment that turned out pretty good! We were inspired by cans of beans and a pasta sauce we found in the pantry and used up all of our leftover vegetables. This would be great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and you could probably just use whatever you have laying around.
This recipe is inspired by one of my favourite breakfasts from a cafe called Caffiend in Cairns - every time I travel home I visit and order this breakfast. I’ve made it up from my memory and I think our rendition was pretty successful!
I was strolling through the supermarket and was stopped in my tracks by these beautiful looking tomatoes and thought why not whip up a simple breakfast bruschetta? This is a really quick, simple and satisfying meal.
We felt like treating ourselves… and what’s more indulgent than butter? A really simple but seriously delicious breakfast that will leave a yummy taste in your mouth all day long!
A bit of a crowd-pleaser…. the kind you feel good making and eating. This breakfast is a total winner - super easy, delicious and healthy as hell!
A great way to use up all of those leftover vegetables, a healthy and delicious meal for either breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The potato hash is absolutely delicious and we were surprised at how easy they were to make!
Nothing fills up our cup more as a family than heading out for a walk together. The track from Bells Southside to Bells Beach is one of our favourites. For anyone searching for a good dose of nature this is it, it’s usually pretty quiet - maybe because it’s not suitable for prams… so get your front packs on mummas and pappas and enjoy!
I spotted The Bootmakers Cottage in Birregurra on Instagram, only half an hour from our house it looked like the perfect place for our first family holiday! We spent our time rugged up by the fire, eating food and soaking in the tub - what a perfect location for my first bath with Goldie!
The Lon Retreat is a luxury hotel and spa located in Point Lonsdale on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria. What a perfect place to spend our ‘Babymoon’ AKA the last holiday just the two of us we’ll have in a while.
Imo grew up in Cairns and we’ve lost count the amount of times we’ve travelled back to visit friends and family. Far North Queensland is filled with beautiful places to explore and is a perfect holiday destination for nature lovers.
Daylesford is a favourite weekend holiday destination for those who love nature, design and food! We couldn’t help but share our stay at the beautifully considered Room and Board Airbnb which is perfect for couples wanting a quick getaway.
Before we moved to the Surf Coast we used to spend every weekend driving down here to surf. We would wake up early Saturday morning and hit the road - stay as long as we could and drive back to Melbourne. And if the surf was really good we’d wake up on Sunday and do it all over again. We moved in September 2016 and haven’t looked back.
What a hidden gem… only an hour from Melbourne’s Westgate Bridge, close to the epic Surf Coast beaches and on the way to the Great Ocean Road.
If you haven’t heard of this place before, than this is our gift to you - do yourself a favour and get Unyoked.
We chose Sri Lanka for our honeymoon, here’s our guide on eating, surfing, adventuring and relaxing.
Imogen Gilchrist
Imogen Gilchrist is a creative director, Squarespace website designer and social media strategist who loves good design & good people.
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