#8 At Home Series - Becca Stern

Becca, co-founder of Mustard Made has dabbled in various fields, over the years, including fine arts and jewellery design, Becca's artistic evolution has been a process of discovery. While the label of 'artist' never quite fit, her love for creative entrepreneurship blossomed.

Today, as she navigates the complexities of running an international business and raising three boys, Becca finds solace in the pursuit of calm amidst chaos—a sentiment reflected in both her home decor choices and her approach to Mustard Made's aesthetic.

Join us as we delve deeper into Becca's world, exploring the intersection of creativity, practicality, and the art of finding beauty in the everyday.

Featuring Solstice Pot, photos for mustardmade.com

Tell us a bit about you. What’s your creative field, style, passion etc?

Along with my sister Jess I’m the co-founder of Mustard Made. We make colourful lockers to help keep life tidy! Our aesthetic has a sense of nostalgia, but it’s a fresh and modern take on retro design.

I have done a little bit of lots of things over the years, and it took me a while to find my niche. I trained in Fine Arts and ran my own jewellery business for years, but the term ‘artist’ never sat quite right on me, I was always about the ideas and fell in love with creative business. Throughout the years I’ve come to realise I feel happiest when I’m dreaming things up and bringing them to life.

How does your creativity play into your home aesthetic?

I have a very full, busy life. My husband and I have three boys, plus an international business to run with lots of overlapping timezones and priorities. I really crave calm amongst the chaos, and I think my home reflects that. As much as possible I try to have a place for everything, because I can’t be creative (or relax) when it feels like there’s no order around me. I’ve packed my home with lockers because you can shove all the mess inside and lock it away — instant stress relief!

I’m a painful perfectionist at work but my home is a space I want to feel happy and lived in. I’m all about how things look and feel so texture and materials are a big focus in my home. I’ve always been drawn to objects with a story and that’s actually how the idea for Mustard came about. I had picked up a few vintage lockers over the years and thought there was something really special about them, if only they were a bit more practical. We made the necessary tweaks and Mustard was born! There’s lots of vintage pieces in my home and they always inspire me to think about the way I approach design. We want every Mustard piece to be something that will look as good in fifty years as it does today, and to be something that wouldn’t have looked out of place fifty years ago either.

What Capra Designs products did you choose and why?

I have collected quite a few Capra pieces! The Roma and the Solstice pots add texture and are the perfect size for a burst of green on a table top. I love that they come with a hole and a tray for watering too, it’s essential for keeping plants healthy!

Featuring Solstice Pot, photos for mustardmade.com

What role does colour play in your home decor?

I naturally seek out blues and greens as they’re very soothing colours. Olive is my all-time favourite from our range. People are often surprised at how many neutral colours I have in my home, since Mustard is such a vibrant rainbow! But I really love our subtler shades too, like Slate which is a moody deep Charcoal with a soft touch of blue, and Chalk which is a beautiful creamy off-white. With mid century pieces mixed with plyroom beds throughout, there’s a big focus on timber and earthy tones to ground the space (and me!) that I think gives depth and history. I love pieces that age gracefully and stand the test of time. For me, home is a sanctuary and I think those colours reflect that. They bring a bit of nature inside. With so much going on in our home (three kids is a lot!) having a cohesive colour palette running through the home ties it together and creates a sense of flow through the rooms.

Featuring Solstice Pot, photos for mustardmade.com

What do you love about living with plants?

It’s all about finding that sense of calm and peace. Nature is good for the soul, I think that’s why I love blues and greens so much as they are the colours of land and sea. We have plants throughout our home and the Mustard office and it really makes such a difference to how you feel in the space. Whenever I water the plants and move them from their spots, I instantly notice how much life they bring to a corner! The house looks naked without plants!

You can follow Becca on Instagram: @mustardmade

Or shop via her website: https://mustardmade.com/

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Thanks again Bianca!

If you have missed the first articles of the 'At Home Series' click below:

#1 - Bianca Lambert

#2 - Courtney Adamo

#3 - Maryanne Moodie

#4 - Jason Chongue

#5 - Bree Leech

#6 - Bianca Maverick

#7 - Jeni Westle

xx - The Capra Designs Team