Sheila Magazine

sheila I interiors to bring a bit of her birthplace back to Australia, is the story behind a new table dressing and event styling small business owned by Ana Holland. The Eagle Bay resident is the brains behind the newbie business, Turquoise Table, an idea which started as a pipe dream for the Portuguese native and her close friend Jodie Lambert. "I started decorating in Portugal so I've always loved working with beautiful things," Ana said. "I met my husband who was in Portugal at the time surfing and much to my parent's surprise I ended up marrying an Australian and moving to the other side of the earth." Ana said it was then when she gave up any decorating ideas she had to have children, choosing to stay home and raise them while her husband worked away. " I worked in advertising for a little while but then I stopped to raise the children. "It was only last year that I decided I should really give this a go with my friend Jodie." Similar tastes and trust provided compelling reasons to start the partnership, a combination Ana said worked well. "We started the business a year ago so we are still learning but we are quite busy at the moment and things are going well," she said. "We love what we are doing, it's what we enjoy and what I love most about it A LOVE of beautiful things and a desire 108 SHEILA MAY 2012 beautiful that guests will remember. "We think it is so important for guests to walk away remembering the event, the styling, the attention to detail and that's what we are all about - attention to detail." is that I get to do it with a good friend of mine. "We have been friends for a long while and we have the same taste and thoughts so it works. "We trust each other 100 per cent have a lot of fun and we both get excited about plates, glasses, jugs, bowls and cutlery." Ana said the service she offered was vastly different to that offered by Perth event styling companies and this helped spur on the decision to start up the business. "I believe there is a shortage for what we do in Perth and in particular the Margaret River region," Ana said. "Weddings are a huge business here but there isn't much for brides or for people who want to hold an event to choose from. "I think if people are going to pay money to hire the generic options for a little more they can have something so walk away remembering THE EVENT WE THINK it is so important for guests to you should be exporting all of this and selling it in Australia. "But I was raising my children and it never occurred to me to do it because I didn't have time and now my children are grown, my mum has passed away but now I'm doing exactly what she wanted so I've come a full-circle. "Everything from the glasses, the plates, the cutlery all comes from my home country. "There is so much amazing stuff there and with the economy towns of Guimarães and Caldas da Rainha ensures the duo are never stuck for ideas. "When I used to visit my mum in Portugal she used to tell me Ana Y being in such bad shape at the moment I'm happy to support my country of birth and put it on the map." And while putting Portugal on the map might be one of her goals, the other is to make the events she styles memorable. "Eating and sharing food with family should always be a celebration but it's not about food anymore people want to see the whole package and hopefully we will continue to deliver their vision." early visits to her country of birth and visits to the

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