New Coastal | Ingrid Weir
Suzy Chase: When two podcasts collide, magic happens. Welcome to Dinner Party, the podcast where I bring together my two hit shows, cookery by the book and decorating by the book around here. We're all about cooking, sharing stories behind recipes, and creating a cozy home. I'm your host Suzy Chase, a West Village wife, mom and home cook. Inspired by Martha Stewart trying to live in a Nora Ephron movie, surrounded by toile. plaid, cookbooks, decorating books and magazines, cooking in my galley kitchen and living my best life in my darling New York City apartment in the cutest neighborhood in the city, the West Village. So come hang out and let's get into the show.
Ingrid Weir: I'm Ingrid Weir and my new book is New Coastal: Inspiration for a Life by the Sea
Suzy Chase: Dreaming of the ocean. You've come to the right podcast in this follow-up to New Rural Ingrid takes us into homes along the US and Australian coasts. But before I ask you about the inspiration behind this book, I want to say it's so nice to see you again because we went out to dinner. Was that 2020 or 2021?
Ingrid Weir: 2022. I was halfway through doing the book
Yeah.
Suzy Chase: It still felt very much like the city, New York City here was in pandemic mode. I was like, you should take a cab, you shouldn't walk around.
Ingrid Weir: I had such a great stay because it was in the middle of doing the book and I stayed with a friend over in Carroll Gardens and then saw you and we had a great day going to the Guggenheim, so I had a fantastic time. It was like this lovely little island of city in the middle of all the beaches.
Suzy Chase: It's so good to see you again. So onto the book, what inspired you to create a book that brings together both Australian and American coastal towns?
Ingrid Weir: The inspiration came, it was very much coming out of the pandemic and I was sort of interested in a feeling and mood of health and simplicity and kind of freshness in life and in design. So I put together a book proposal covering coastal towns into Hardie Grant and they came back and said yes, they wanted to do it. Then to my surprise, they said, would you go international? Previously it was only Australia actually, and I was like, oh, wow. Yes. Then for me, international was America. As you know. I'd been to school there several times, college lived and worked there, so that was the logical extension.
Suzy Chase: I love this line in the book because I feel the very same way you write. I've always had a fascination with how original thinkers shape their surrounds. As an interior designer, you see good design as thinking made, visual thinking, made visual, such a great line. Could you chat a little bit about that?
Ingrid Weir: Yes, very much so. There's a lovely quote from the furniture designer, Charles Eames, where he said a great designer's like a great host always like anticipating the guest needs and looking out for them and providing that experience. When I start with design, it's often the client has a shopping list they need to get a couch, a rug. That's the starting point. I always say, let's rewind back, let's talk about, let's think. What's the thinking in this room? What do you want to feel? What's the mood? So you really think about it first before you go off and buy and purchase. And I always try to hold back on the purchasing as long as possible till you get the thinking coming through.
Suzy Chase: Is the thinking more conversation? Is it mood boards?
Ingrid Weir: Mood boards I think are wonderful, and then talking about how the room's used. So that's a practical thing, although it can get into people's lives, which is interesting. Mood boards I just think are such wonderful tools, magazines, I have a resource of coffee table books for that reason, and I like Pinterest a lot as well.
Suzy Chase: So in the book you talk about how you are warmly welcomed by strangers. So how did you find all these homes and people?
Ingrid Weir: Yeah, that was an interesting one. Some people I did know, either they were friends or friends of friends, I don't know. I found mostly through the internet, social media articles and it's sort of like people, I guess you sort of tune in on the pulse they put out and the energy and then see if you're aligned and it did happen and everyone I met was really wonderful and a very interesting person.
Suzy Chase: So you talk about how throughout this journey you've been surprised along the way. I'm so curious about that.
Ingrid Weir: Yeah, I love learning. I think it's a constant thing to be learning throughout life. I find that interesting. I love curiosity and so there's something about travel too that kind of freshens you up. You just see different perspectives and how people do things differently. And even studying, I'd grown up by the sea, but seeing it and really looking at it and examining what is this? I did see other things come through. One thing I'd say is sea air, I really got into that. I really thought, gee, there's something that lifts you up when you get that air coming in off the ozone, off the ocean. And then there's an interesting through line connecting say a beach to the design of a house by beach. One thing I noticed was if you think of a beach, there's a beautiful expanse freedom, and when I went into this lovely sabi stays in Tasmania, they'd done a beautiful job because they had really gone into Wabi Sabi philosophy and they had, there's a lovely term, generously wasted space. So large parts of the room where there's just nothing in the room and that works so well by the sea because you're on a beach and there's large expanses of minimal nothing.
Suzy Chase: Interesting. Did that kind of drive you crazy though as an interior designer where you thinking, oh, we have to fill this with something, we need to put something here?
Ingrid Weir: No, I think it's actually a really good interior design tool and the term generously wasted space comes from Rose Uniacke from UK and I think that was a really interesting thing to see that emotion because it does give a generosity to a room if there's some empty areas, and so you're sort of gliding through the space.
Suzy Chase: That's so cool. You say these places are filled with energy, just kind of like what you were talking about, the mood and feel of these coastlines harmonize with the design. You're drawn to a warm modernism with an organic edge. So what does the coast mean to you?
Ingrid Weir: Yeah, so the coast to me, I think it does give you energy. I think if you are in a certain moon, you go down, it's the sounds, the air, as I mentioned, the textures. You're very much in nature and walking along the beach even you sat feed in the sand. So what I've become more and more interested in with design is really stripping things down and getting into the essence of things and how much can you peel back to that essential thing. I think that's where design gets very beautiful and you can see a minimalism coming in with that. But just say if you're at the beach and you see a piece of driftwood that in some sense is the essence of a tree, a beautiful sculptural form.
Suzy Chase: So in various passages in the book, you give credit to the traditional owners and continuing custodians of the land. I'd love for you to chat about how First Nation people are an integral part of this book and also your last book too, New Rural.
Ingrid Weir: That's important. It's a sign of acknowledgement, a sign of respect, and I think it's a fairly widespread practice now in Australia. A lot of businesses, institutions, and I just have an interest like many, many Australians and curiosity and would any chance to bring in some kind of acknowledgement or looking at that ancient part of Australia or contemporary creativity from indigenous culture. It's something I love to take.
Suzy Chase: So also in the book, photography plays a huge role. Just talk a little bit about the process of capturing these places and people and what you hope the readers feel when they see the photos. I know I felt things when I saw these photos
Ingrid Weir: When I'm photographing a room. I'd love it that you think, oh, I could love to go and sit on that chair. That's one thing. So you'd like to go into the room. That's something I like photographing people. Again, it's sort of I want you to meet the people like I did. So it starts a portrait of the person's house and I love portrait photography. It's a sort of new thing for me, but by the time I sort of interviewed people, photographed the person's house, you kind of have a connection. And so getting a good portrait, it's all about a connection and that very much helped there.
Suzy Chase: You introduce us to some intriguing personalities. How do these modern day renegades embody the freedom of the sea?
Ingrid Weir: Well, I think when you live by the sea, you are often on the beach and you are using the sea. The sea becomes almost your part of your backyard and people can pick up some of that fresh energy. The person I start the book with is Damion Downey, the artist who was at one stage in a big band that was very famous in Australia and he walked away from it, his starting point to have a career in art. And so we went down to Bondi Beach and took some portraits there. It was interesting coming back to the portrait taking, I found when I'd take portraits of people in their house and we'd been talking and there was some interesting shots, then I'd often say to them, why don't we take a portrait down at the beach? And that was an interesting experience because what you got then, somehow the energy became bigger down at the beach and a little bit wilder and you could have some wind and sand and they were sort of some very interesting shots after that. You couldn't go back to the house and take shots. It was like that was the crescendo that had the energy.
Suzy Chase: He has a quote in the book that said, I like seeing the horizon. There's a lot of future in the horizon. You can stare at it forever. Isn't that the truth?
Ingrid Weir: Yeah, yeah. I love that quote. And from his windows you could see the horizon.
Suzy Chase: And he also talked about he loves the pastel version of life and if you know anything about him, I've watched some videos with him in it. He loves pastels, he paints with them, he lives with them.
Ingrid Weir: And it's interesting, that's why it's so integral in Bondi that there's a funny hazy sort of sea air that comes in over Bondi. So it has a hazy pastory feel. That's why it works so well. His interior, he's got a great energy. He also hosted the after party for the book launch in his studio, and he really knows how to create an atmosphere. It got a little bit naughty. There was some spontaneous female wrestling. I wasn't there, but it was a really fun night.
Suzy Chase: Female wrestling. What?
Ingrid Weir: Yeah, spontaneous. I dunno much more than that, but no, it's great. He is just a life boss. Yeah,
Suzy Chase: So Galveston, Texas is one of my favorite beach towns in the United States. Have you ever been there?
Ingrid Weir: No, I've never been to Texas. And I'm intrigued
Suzy Chase: If it weren't for the annual hurricane threats, I would seriously consider moving there. Does new coastal address or reflect our evolving relationship with the ocean and then the coastal living amidst climate challenges at all?
Ingrid Weir: No. No, it doesn't. And that was deliberate. This book wasn't about that. What I try and create with a reader is they're sort of floating along almost above the coastline, this kind of dreamy atmosphere. So I took it in that direction.
Suzy Chase: The thing I love about this book and your last book, new Rural, is that I felt like I could be friends with everyone in the book. I think that's where your photography and your writing really comes together because it makes you think like, whoa, I really, really like these people. And a new coastal. I just adore Katie Bowes and her home in Portland, Maine. She and her husband moved from Brooklyn to Maine a few years ago and she talks about living with the seasons. Can you chat a little bit about her?
Ingrid Weir: Katie's an inspiring woman and how she's living her life through her store, the post supply. She's really creating this kind of web of reference and artisans in Maine, and she did mention Living With the Seasons. She mentioned a book that she'd read called Wintering by Catherine May about that. And I leave that reference in the book because I like things that are almost little Easter eggs in there that you can find stuff, you can look up a book, you can find an interesting cafe, you can get an idea for something or go somewhere. I like giving people things that they can use.
Suzy Chase: I actually wrote that book down. I thought that was fascinating. She talks about cold water swimming and I think that's in the book wintering also.
Ingrid Weir: It's quite wonderful actually.
Suzy Chase: Cold water swimming scares the heck out of me. I love swimming. Do you love swimming?
Ingrid Weir: Yeah,
Love swimming.
Suzy Chase: Do you cold water swim?
Ingrid Weir: I have. It's easy to start the habit. It's very easy to then drop the habit.
Suzy Chase: Yeah, I could see that one dip and you're done.
Ingrid Weir: I think we don't quite probably it does get cold in winter here in Australia, but probably not as cold as Denmark or something.
Suzy Chase: And another thing I learned from the book is Maine has a longer coastline than California. Who knew?
Ingrid Weir: Yeah. I mean, Maine was a revelation to me. I didn't really have a consciousness of Maine in Australia. I contacted a girl I follow on Instagram over in Oregon, and she said to me, no, go Maine's the coastal town. Go there. And then she told me, put me in touch with Katie. So that was a really interesting connection. Katie's guide to Maine, which I put in the book, was spot on. Wonderful. And then Carter Belo Smith, who has a beautiful collection of houses up on the island. The two of them just cracked open Maine for me, and I just had a dreamy, wonderful, extraordinary experience there. Actually
Suzy Chase: After every home you have a list of retail shops, wine, coffee, art, food galleries, hotels. It's so helpful. And that's another thing I love about your books. Can I just sit here and talk about everything I love about your books? No, sure. Yeah, that's another thing we aren't just left with like, oh wow, that sounds great. I was left with, gosh, I really want to explore Portland, Maine, and at the very last page, you tell us where to go to really explore Portland, Maine, which is fantastic.
Ingrid Weir: It's a tricky thing to give a recommendation in a book because say with a restaurant as you know, it could close or different experiences. I really only put them in the book if I think they're good. What I do is I ask the people I meet for their recommendations because they have such a strong sense of the area.
Suzy Chase: Another great thing you include in your books, in both of your books are tips on design, which features wisdom from interior designers, tastemakers architects, and other creatives like Hilary Robertson. So talk about including that in your books too.
Ingrid Weir: I like reading Q and A's from stylish designers and I always love getting little tips and entices you into the book as well. A big thing for me was I would like people to read my books and I know that's a funny thing to say, but a lot of people with coffee table books leaf through and look at the photos, which is a normal way of looking at a coffee table book. I love to try and get people to reading. So I think Q and A's are a little way you can pull them in also pulling out quotes and then if you get a bit interested, you might read the article.
Suzy Chase: Yeah, you're so good at that. So out of all of the places in the book, if you could go to a beach tomorrow, where would you go?
Ingrid Weir: I think I'd have to say going back to Maine, because I then traveled up the coast to stay at Carter on Bailey Island, which I love. And then went into Brunswick and then further up, I spoke a bit about it to Carter Belo Smith because he had an interesting take on it that it's a demographic of people who make things. A lot of artists, a lot of writers there, a lot of bookshops there, university students, fishermen, lobstermen, and I thought it was an intriguing mix.
Suzy Chase: Now for my segment called The Perfect Bite where I ask you to describe your perfect bite of your favorite dish.
Ingrid Weir: Current favorite. It's the whipped ricotta and strawberries on sourdough toast, which you get on the rooftop of the AP bakery in Sydney and it's slightly toasted house made sourdough with a little crunch to it and the whipped ricotta with a little lemon. Then the strawberries and thme and a little bit of honey.
Suzy Chase: Oh my gosh.
Ingrid Weir: There's a few TikTok videos on it actually.
Suzy Chase: You're coming into summer. The summer season, right?
Ingrid Weir: Yes.
Suzy Chase: So I guess your strawberries are getting good.
Ingrid Weir: They're getting good.
Suzy Chase: I could chat with you all day long about your beautiful books. So where can we find you on the web and social media?
Ingrid Weir: I'm on Instagram under Ingrid Weir Goodreads Ingrid Weir, and my website is ingrid.com au.
Suzy Chase: Well, thank you so much, Ingrid for coming on Dinner Party podcast.
Ingrid Weir: My pleasure.
Suzy Chase: Okay, so where can you listen to the new Dinner Party podcast series? Well, it's on substack susie chase.substack.com. You can also subscribe to Dinner Party for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Additionally, the episodes will be available on both Decorating by the book and Cookery by the book. Long story short, you'll be able to listen to it virtually everywhere. Thanks for listening. Bye.
