Header image: On Jackson Street

Living and working in Melbourne, Kitiya Palaskas is a craft-based designer who specialises in creating props, installations, and images using handmade techniques and craft methods – often reimagined in innovative and unconventional ways.

This week we took a (physically distanced) peek into her incredible home and chatted interior decorating for renters, how to stay sane while in self-isolation, and how crafting and plants are the perfect escape to keep your hands busy and mind happy.

Tell us more about your home! How would you describe the space’s style?

I live with my fiancé and our two cats. I would definitely say I’m a more-is-more kind of person! My home style is very colourful, I like to mix patterns and textures together. I also do a lot of collecting, so I love to display and curate my collections throughout the house.

Do you have any tips for other renters on how to bring life into their home?

Some people say that it’s challenging to make a rental place into a home, but I’d have to disagree.

I think you can make any space into a home.

It’s all about injecting your personality into the space, and filling it with things that really reflect you as a person.

It’s interesting times at the moment. How are you keeping positive while in isolation?

I’ve been trying to work out ways that I can give back to my community at this time, and I think that one way I can do that really well is through craft. I’ve created a whole bunch of DIY kits that you can order from my online store, and then make at home if you’re in self-isolation or in quarantine. It’s a way to keep your hands busy and your mind happy.

One of the DIY kits that I’ve been creating is a mini felt monstera kit. A lot of people stress about keeping plants alive, but this is a fun way that you can have one that lives forever – you can display it on your desk or in your favourite space, and it just brings a little bit of joy into the house.

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So this weekend I would have been at @themakersandshakers market, where I was meant to have a little felt plant pop up stand, but sadly like many events in our creative community this had to be postponed. So instead, all weekend, the Makers and Shakers team are featuring everyone over on their profile who would have been there so that you can still support them if you're in a position to. Head over and check out their feed this weekend to support these makers! You might not be able to buy a felt plant from me this weekend, but you can make your own mini version with one of my new DIY Monstera Kits. They're up in my shop now… ?? link in profile! Thanks for all of your support, it means a lot to me ? #creativityxgigi

A post shared by Colourful craft-based design (@kitiyapalaskas) on Apr 3, 2022 at 6:35pm PDT

A lot of your work features plants and foliage – where do you think your connection to nature stems from?

I spent a large part of my childhood living in Papua New Guinea, where I was surrounded by the most incredible tropical plants and animals –  and I think that’s where my connection to nature really started.

I’m really interested in trying to incorporate nature into my craft based design work, and I’ve been doing that through creating felt foliage (so making plants from felt). I find it really appealing to try and recreate something that’s real out of unconventional materials – there’s just something really interesting and fun about it!

Lastly, how would you describe your Plant Life Balance?

Most of the time, I feel like my life is pretty stressful and busy. I seem to be always working, and at the moment I’m stuck in the house doing those things and it can get really overwhelming.

So plants for me are a kind of escape – they’re a way for me to take a step back, pause and chill as I spend time around them and get into that methodical routine of watering, pruning, and wiping leaves.

It’s really meditative, so I think that having plants around me and looking after them really balances me out.

Want more of that rainbow goodness? Follow Kitiya’s work and DIY craft tutorials on her Instagram, or nab yourself a craft project for the weekend on her website here.