A little while ago, I ducked into Kmart — as you do, when it’s next door to the supermarket — and I was mildly surprised to discover that, hey, a bunch of this stuff looks really cool. Hello, worst-kept secret in Australian interiors!
Over the past few months, Kmart has been stepping up their game, and the current line of Kmart homewares brings in a lot of pastels, monochrome, marble and timber. SO MUCH MARBLE. A part of me wonders how they’re managing to produce and sell all this stuff so cheaply. Tiny profit margins? Massive economies of scale? If you feel twigged out about the thought of $6 marble coasters, or $10 marble cheese boards, or anything from IKEA at all, this post probably isn’t for you.
Honestly, though, I’m glad to see on-trend design with durable materials being widely accessible in Australia. Since style trends move from high to low, from boutique to mass-market, I’m sure we’ll start hearing about how marble and matte black are soooo daggy soon enough. Let us basics have this one for now.
Quick note #1 — For the North Americans reading this, Kmart in Australia/NZ is a separate entity to US Kmart. It’s similar to Target in the US.
Quick note #2 — This is not sponsored in any way. I bought enough of these products that I thought I’d talk about ‘em.
Marble coasters ($6)
These are the aforementioned coasters, in and around some other clutter in the study. (That glass coffee table makes everything look like it’s sitting directly on the floor.) Time for tea and magazines.
Embossed canisters ($5 each)
It’s the embossed pattern that’s doing it for me. I don’t even know what I’d use these guys for, but I want some. Help.
Set of three hexagon metal trays, $9, via @mama_style_maker
I’m not a big fan of blush pink or pastels in general, which might be somewhat rich coming from someone whose blog layout features a pale pastel green. (It’s celadon, I’ll whine in response.) But I do like how the trays neatly nestle into each other. It’s like watching the perfect tetris piece falling into its slot, or seeing my cat squeeze herself into an empty cardboard box that is just the right size. It’s visually satisfying, is what I’m saying.
This series of matte-finish dinnerware: black plates, bowls, b&w plates ($2 each) and the matte black pitcher ($15)
The only thing keeping me from buying these is wondering how quickly they’ll chip. My current set is grey-blue, and I’m thinking about getting some of these to mix in, with a couple of the light grey as well. Real big decisions.
Salt & pepper grinder set ($12)
Speaking of middle-class problems: my plastic grinders both broke on me, and I just spent way too damn long choosing a set of salt and pepper mills that I didn’t hate. (Traditional: nah. Electric: not for me. Brightly-coloured plastic ones that look like sex toys: no thanks.) I felt very bougie as I pondered various $80 grinder sets before eventually splashing out on a pair of Peugeot grinders. They’re great. They better last forever.
And then I saw these Kmart grinders and I definitely felt the briefest stab of buyer’s remorse. No regrets.
Marble cake platter, $15, via @lets.go.homestyle
If I ever make a fancy cake, or any cake at all, at least the plate will be beautiful.
Outdoor ‘bistro’ chairs ($25 each)
They’re minimal in design, powder-coated and stackable. Man, Kmart really is chasing after the IKEA market.
Marble/acacia chip-n-dip ($19)
Remember Pete Campbell and his chip-n-dip on Mad Men? The tacky-ass ceramic platter he received as a wedding gift, which he exchanged for a rifle and then brandished around the office? I remember it every time I hear the words “chip-n-dip.” Same price as a chip-n-dip, can you believe it?!
Anyway. I like to serve up salsa and chips when people are over and this feels like an elegant way to do so. Pictured here are a few of the tomatillos that need to be turned into salsa ASAP, they’re here to guilt me into making more salsa already.
Wire plant stand in black, white, or copper, $6 (plus the wire table stand, $17)
I picked mine up as soon as I saw them come out last year. They only came in bright yellow and turquoise at the time, so I spray-painted mine in metallic charcoal. (I tried silver, but it looked like bike spokes. Not great.) Most of my succulent collection is here — aeonium, jade, aloe, haworthia, et cetera. That aloe bud kept growing and it burst into flower very recently. I’ll have to share it with you, I couldn’t believe this bitty aloe could produce such a massive spike.
Marble house-shaped doorstop, $9
Aw, this marble house ornament is the cutest, silliest thing. It does make for one stylish doorstop, and I like the carrying rope. Right now it’s chilling with some candles, just because. Happy autumn!
I really didn’t expect to write up a post about Kmart homewares, but I’ve got enough of them that it felt worth discussing. Australian/NZ friends, have you found anything at Kmart that you’re into? Yay or nay about pastel and marble?
(PS: I’ve been a little quiet here lately, but life and work have been overwhelming, in a very good way. My dance card has been full up! Expect a future post about the photography + social media summer course I took, among other things. I am also now a DIY Contributor at Homedit, where I’ve been sharing weekly DIY projects. Feel free to check it out! xx)
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I love marble anything. So classic! I like pastels, including celadon. But I’m on the fence about the outdoor table & chairs. Very stylish looking, but the chairs look like they’d be very uncomfortable (like many of Ikea’s chairs) and the table looks very flimsy and unsteady, like it could tip over if you sneezed. I’ll have to check out the Kmart here in the States & see what they have.
Yeah, I love marble anything too! Kmart Australia is a wholly separate entity to the US version as well.
That’s a good point about the chairs. They’d probably dig in at the sides, and they look like they need seating pads. I don’t love the table design either (with the wire chairs, it’s a bit too much) and I agree about it looking flimsy. But I like the stackable chairs.