About UsIn the beginning:Founded in 2003, annieB's™ specialises in designing, manufacturing and supplying a range of stylish, timeless and high-quality home accessories for children and adults alike. annieB's™ encourages children to engage in imaginative play, create fun games and to act out stories using the essential child's play criteria:
The original annieB's™ product, the PlayPalace™, evolved from something built in almost every household at some point by mums and dads, aunts and uncles, grandparents and/or children... a 'cubby house'. Mostly these used whatever was handy at the time; sheets and blankets, boxes, tables and chairs, but this was a labour intensive way to create a play space, was definitely not portable and was a chore to pack up when the children were finished with it. As a mother to one and an aunt to many, Ann Anderson (annieB) began to think there had to be a better way to provide a safe, convenient and durable play space that was fun for kids and easy for grown-ups. She researched the products on the market at the time and found nothing that suited her needs, so she got to work and after much thought, many designs and more than a few late nights, the PlayPalace™ was born. Ideas were bounced off annie's 2 sisters, Clare and Mary and creative Piscean mum, Irene. In annie's family children outnumber adults so it was relatively easy to test the products for safety and durability, and the little girls in the family gave valuable feedback on colours and styles. Clare continues to support us with her sense of style and Mary so generously comes to our aid with her invaluable book keeping skills. Annie sought out quality Indian cotton for durability and chose vibrant colours she knew would appeal to boys and girls. She had her design fully tested to comply with Australian Safety Standards, and devised a smart kit that folded down into a backpack for portability and easy storage. A very creative friend, Emma McDermott brought the products to life through gorgeous images she took at a variety of locations around Sydney. Emma continues to support annieB's behind the scenes, supplying the creative work for advertisements, logos, banners, flyers, and trade fair stands. With her help and the enormously valuable support and insight of an extremely talented friend, Colette Houtzaager, a brand specialist from the retail sector, annieB's™ goes from strength to strength.
Spreading the word:In December 2003, the PlayPalace™ was launched at the Balmain markets in Sydney and the first annieB's™ website went live. From there the product range and the business have steadily grown. With a small advertising budget Annie set out to build a brand which covered a gap in the market for simple, practical and beautiful home accessories for kids and began a wonderful and ongoing relationship with both Australian Country Style and Rural Press to help spread the word. Both these mediums have played an integral part in the growth of the business - from Broome to Boston, Hobart to Helsinki, Canberra to Christchurch and Double Bay to Dublin. Seven years and quite a few trips to India later annieB's™ offers a great product range that continually evolves based on homewares and lifestyle trends and the ever important feedback from our valued customers.
Ginghams and Stripes ..... No longer confined to country kitchens and quaint Italian restaurants, the classic gingham check has gone high style ..... while classic stripes remain a favourite of the style conscious decorator. They're timeless classics with a sense of fun! We've recently revved up our colour range and have been busy creating new designs to delight and inspire you. All of our products are designed in Australia and made exclusively for annieB's™. We're proud to say that over the years the product range has broadened from just a few key pieces for children to an ever expanding lifestyle selection. annieB's™ has always been about stylish but creative play and at the heart of the product range remains the original PlayPalace™ - perfect for gardens, children's bedrooms, verandahs and playrooms. The rest of the range has been designed to compliment with fun and practical accessories such as bean bags, puppet theatres, bunting, teddy bears and Christmas stockings. And we've recently included essentials for the bedroom, playroom and kitchen including duvet covers and matching pillowcases, sleep over bags, chair covers, table linen and aprons. The introduction of children's sleepwear has provided a natural extension to the range , with the addition of classic pyjamas in cotton, which have become real favourites. annieB's™ is Australian owned and run. Our core products are made from the highest quality machine washable Indian cotton for durability. Natural fibres breathe better than synthetics and reconnect us, if only subliminally, with the natural world around us. We have carefully chosen our manufacturers in the south of India. The dyes are hand mixed and are of vegetable and mineral derivation. The dyeing process is 100% environmentally friendly with zero effluent discharge, thanks to a reverse osmosis system in the water treatment plants where the recyled water irrigates around 60 acres of prime cultivated land. Why India? 5,000 years of textile looming/manufacturing tells us that there's a lot of history there and the've got it right. As a country, India produces some of the best cotton in the world due to its' climatic conditions. Our core product range remains timeless and is designed to sit equally well in a contemporary apartment, beach house or a country cottage. We hope you enjoy using our products as much as we've enjoyed creating them.
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