If you read the last Boutique Diaries, we left off somewhere between demolition, paint preparation and wondering why preparing walls for painting takes approximately 700 years. 😂
Well, I can officially say that three days later, the walls were painted, the last little repairs were being finished and we finally reached a pretty exciting moment.
Our blank canvas was ready.
The floors. The walls. The ceiling.
Done.
Now it was time to start adding the next layer to our canvas.
Furniture.
Where Do You Even Start?
Honestly, I don't know. 😂
Somehow, one piece at a time, I just started looking.
I went through pretty much every shop in Griffith and approximately every online store in Australia that doesn't charge $100,000 to ship something here.
And slowly, things started coming together.
The funny thing is, I've actually had a vision of what I want the Soulehe boutique to look and feel like for almost four years.
I've imagined it SO many times.
But having a vision in your head and actually standing inside a real space trying to make it happen are two very different things.
The space itself makes some of the decisions for you.
There are things I imagined doing one way that simply don't work in this particular space. So you adjust. You move things around. You come up with another idea.
You find one thing and think, YES, perfect!
Then you find the next thing and suddenly realise the first idea doesn't work anymore. 😂
Then you figure out how to make both work.
And I guess that's basically what designing a boutique is.
One big puzzle and a LOT of problem solving.
There Were A Few Things I Knew I Wanted
There have been a few things in my vision from the very beginning.
I knew I wanted a BIG mirror.
I knew I wanted a large piece of artwork.
And there are a few other things I'm not going to tell you about just yet, because if I describe the entire boutique here, there won't be anything left for you to discover when you actually walk through the doors. 👀
We can talk about all of those details after opening day.
But the artwork?
I decided to make that myself.
Again, I had such a specific idea in my head of the colours I wanted and what I wanted it to look like that eventually I thought... why not just make it myself?
So I did.
And then we found the perfect mirror.
THE mirror.
We ordered it and when it finally arrived, I saw that the packaging was damaged.
Oh no.
Immediately, my brain had already created the entire disaster scenario.
The mirror is broken.
I'll have to send it back.
Then we'll have to wait for another one.
The new one won't arrive in time.
It'll be opening day and there will be a giant empty space where my beautiful mirror is supposed to be.
You know. Completely calm and rational thoughts. 😂
Thankfully, the mirror was okay.
But THIS is the stressful part about ordering so many things when you're working towards an opening date.
I've tried to allow as much time as possible for deliveries, but if something arrives damaged, suddenly you need time to return it, replace it and wait for another delivery.
And we don't exactly have unlimited time anymore.
So yes, apparently every furniture delivery now comes with its own tiny moment of drama.
Okay, Maybe I'm A Little Bit Of A Drama Queen
I'll admit it. 😂
But I actually don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
I care.
I care about the space looking beautiful. I care about the little details. I care about things being done properly instead of just saying, "eh, good enough."
And I care A LOT about everything being ready on time.
Some days Hans and I have to laugh at ourselves.
In the morning, everything is wrong.
There's a problem.
Then another problem.
Then a bigger problem on top of that problem.
And we're standing there wondering how on earth we're going to get everything done.
Then somehow we solve one thing, then another, move some furniture around, put something together...
And by the evening we're standing in the middle of the shop going:
OH MY GOD. This is going to be the coolest boutique. 😂
Welcome to our current emotional rollercoaster.
Our Evenings Now Consist Of Building Furniture
We went back and forth between shops, collected furniture and slowly started bringing everything into Soulehe.
And then came the very glamorous evening activity of...
Building furniture.
So. Much. Furniture. 😂
We've also pretty much emptied our home office and moved everything into the boutique.
And this part is actually really exciting for me because for the first time I'll be able to make almost all of my jewellery right there at Soulehe.
Including my polymer clay pieces.
That wasn't really possible at our Griffith Central pop-up, which was one of the reasons I couldn't simply be open Monday to Friday every week. Some of the jewellery still had to be made from my home studio.
Now everything can finally happen in one place.
I can make jewellery, work on orders AND have the boutique open.
That feels like a pretty big upgrade.
The First Layer Is On
So that's basically where the last week disappeared.
Our blank canvas officially got its first layer.
The furniture is almost in place.
We're just waiting for the final table legs to arrive from Canberra on Wednesday and then I think we can finally say...
The furniture stage is DONE.
And then...
Then we get to start the part I've been waiting for.
WE GET TO PUT THE JEWELLERY OUT!!! 🥹
I am SO excited for this part.
Now we actually get to start styling the boutique with the products.
Jewellery.
Crystals.
Displays.
All the little details that are going to make this space feel like Soulehe rather than simply a room filled with furniture.
I've already started putting a few things out and testing different ideas...
And you guys.
IT'S GOING TO LOOK SOOOOO GOOD.
I genuinely think we're creating something completely different.
And I'm just going to say it.
There isn't another boutique like this in Griffith.
I am ridiculously excited for you to finally see it.
There are still a few things I'm deliberately not showing you because I really want there to be that moment on opening day when you walk through the doors and see the finished space for the first time.
We're getting SO close now.
And Then There's Opening Day...
Ohhh yes.
While all of this has been happening, there's another very big project running in the background.
Actually organising the opening.
And the marketing.
And filming content.
And planning what we're going to do on the day.
We've already filmed a bunch of different videos and have been working on some really fun ideas for opening day.
And oiiiiii...
I wish I could tell you everything already. 😂
We've planned a couple of VERY exciting things for the opening, including something involving a pretty big prize.
So if it were me?
I'd be at the door at 10am. 👀
Over the next few days, we'll start revealing more and more information about opening day on our social media, so make sure you're following @soulehe.studio on Instagram and Facebook.
Because from now until opening, things are going to move FAST.
Save The Date 🤍
Soulehe Boutique Opening Day
📅 12 September 2026
🕙 10am to 4pm
📍 Banna Avenue, Griffith
And one little P.S...
I can't promise that our main opening day prize will still be waiting for someone at 3pm.
So personally?
I'd be there at 10am. 😉
See you in the next Boutique Diaries. 🤍