greg hatton shopshoot

greg hatton shopshoot

• 5 Nov 2012

Way back in April I went down to Melbourne on a work trip. I decided to combine business with pleasure and spent the weekend staying with an old friend in Castlemaine. Castlemaine is about an 1½ hour's drive from Melbourne Airport but I made a leisurely trip via Kyenton to see some autumn colour. The following day we drove to the nearby village of Newstead to pay furniture and lighting designer Greg Hatton a visit. I saw some of Greg's work when I photographed Koskela and wanted to see more. As we drove through Newstead we saw this magnificent brick chimney and knew we were heading in the right direction.



Greg and his family live in the old Newstead Butter Factory and when Greg bought it, the building had been used as a candle factory. Greg had to painstakingly strip the wax back to reveal the beauty beneath.



The building is huge and houses Greg's workshop, a small flat and a large gallery like area which features Greg's furniture and lighting. Greg has great plans for the factory and the weekend we visited he was in the middle of building a new kitchen.



All these images were taken in the little downstairs flat. I absolutely loved all the details.



I loved the bentwood chairs and the unexpected touch of glamour provided by the chandelier. The chandelier is very similar to one my Grandma had hanging in her home.



Outside are remnants of the building's former life as a factory, garden beds, lots of interesting looking sheds and of course, a 'ute'.



Greg handed me a cup of tea and I roamed around snapping to my heart's content. I took loads of photos that day because there were so many interesting things to photograph.



Back inside I visited the workshop where the magic happens.



In the entry way was a bee box sideboard.



Greg is the ultimate recycler, so nothing goes to waste.



One day I hope to have one of Greg's lighting creations hanging in my own home.



There was enough time to take a few more pictures before we left for a spot of lunch in Castlemaine.



I hope you enjoyed my visit to the old Newstead Butter Factory. Many thanks to Greg, Katie, Hazel and Kevin the wonder dog for allowing me to visit their home.

See you all again on Wednesday,

Jillian