All photos by the irreplaceable Rachel Kara, full spread, as always on her blog
How should a person be? It's a question we've been asking ourselves since visiting the Girl & Graaf store on Bondi Road a few weeks ago. Alongside deliciously crisp salted caramel macarons and coffee from Panama House, Lauren and Simon - the sunny duo behind Girl & Graaf, online and IRL - seemed to have all the answers. A person should live in a way they love, they should love the way they live, they should always keep their eyes open, they should travel earnestly, ridiculously, spontaneously and copiously, they should use their hands as well as their hearts, they should smile easily and laugh often. Perhaps it's a Bondi thing. We're rarely there but whenever we are we are bathed with sunlight and fresh fruit and yoga-glow. It might be a Bondi thing but it's more probably a Girl & Graaf thing.
The store is so white, and so light, and so fresh and so clean. It smells like Swedish dream soap and fresh paint. It's filled with the stuff and things you want to become your stuff and your things; falcon enamelware mugs for the kitchen (and filled with honey, ginger and lemon for the bedroom), Poplin pyjama sets for sunday mornings, tuscan aprons in soft cotton for sunday afternoons, Sugar Paper notecards because you want to bring back everyday correspondence, photography prints of far-away locations because you're a dreamer at heart. We've grown to love this store quickly and with a reckless, unconditional fervour. I think it has to do with finding people who look at the world, and all the stuff and the things in it, in the same way that you do. Who know the value of building something from scratch, of making it work, and of a glass of red wine at the end of the day.
In their own words, Lauren and Simon of Girl & Graaf:
What is lifestyle? Lifestyle is the way you choose to live your life. It’s something deeply personal that should reflect your true values. Anything less and you’re cheating yourself.
What is travel? Travel is the best education you’ll ever get.
What is love? Love is something you earn.
What/Who is Girl& Graaf? Girl & Graaf is the story of our life so far and the life we hope to live in the future. When you look at Girl & Graaf, you’re looking at us and all our dreams rolled up into a neat little ball.
Girl and Graaf, 189 Bondi Road, Bondi
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