Like Lovelight, Sally Klopper combines her shrewd sense of trend and eye for style with a spirit of innovation.

Sally Caroline Klopper is one of the Australian interior design space’s most notable innovators. She’s not only the founder of respected and eponymously named Melbourne interior design company Sally Caroline, she’s also the mind behind Open Design Studio, an online interior design course for new and established designers.

We most recently worked with Sally on a penthouse in Hawthorn Hill, which as she recounts, was fitted with “beautiful sheer curtains with block outs in the main bedroom” and “some beautiful sheers that just diffuse a bit of light around the TV area”. According to Sally, Lovelight’s window furnishings are “definitely the best quality” she’s worked with.

Sally and Lovelight make natural partners, as we both combine an eye for quality and a shrewd sense of trend with a fervent spirit of innovation which imbues everything we do. “From business, to even just being creative, to being a mum and trying new recipes, everything in life - you have to be innovative,” Sally proclaims.

Sally's eye for colour and texture are evident in this fireplace scene.

In particular, Sally stresses innovation when it comes to the environment and energy efficiency, two areas Lovelight is intimately familiar with and which have shot to the top of priority lists for most homeowners. “Having an understanding of the environment, processes and sustainability is a big part of design. From early design in spatial planning and the direction of light, down to the materials that we select,” Sally explains.

“When we’re looking at a room’s orientation, the types of windows are an environmental consideration because we’re trying to create a home that is efficient to run.” Indeed, a report by Melbourne’s Deakin University found inadequate window shading can be responsible for “up to 87% of unwanted heat gain in the home”.

As a thought leader in the local design space, we naturally had to ask Sally what it is she looks for specifically when it comes to window furnishings. “When sourcing window furnishings, most importantly, we’re looking for something that suits the project. That could be the architecture or the space that it’s sitting in,” she says.

A beach theme for this sprawling seaside home -- a shell-like vase and sandy pine floorboards.

“It’s a lot about the mood that we’re trying to incite in a particular space. In a bedroom for example, we might want something that’s a bit calming and floaty, so for that reason a curtain is a great idea. It’s really based on what will best suit the space.”

If there’s one lesson you can take from Sally, it’s that sometimes innovation comes from working with what you’ve already got.

“Having an understanding of the environment, processes and sustainability is a big part of design,” she says. “From early design in spatial planning and the direction of light, down to the materials that we select... it’s really maximising and leveraging our natural resources.” That’s wisdom you can apply anywhere.

Part of Sally's innovative approach involves making the most of what's already available.

“It’s a lot about the mood that we’re trying to incite in a particular space," says Sally of her approach to design.

A slab of vivid blue pops against the pristine walls of this beachside residence.

“The types of windows are an environmental consideration because we’re trying to create a home that is efficient to run," Sally says.