Paulina & Clark, Darlinghurst, Sydney
This week we visit another one of our favourite creative couples, Paulina Ortega and Clark Kent Koga. The duo live in a sunny terrace in Darlinghurst hidden down a side street near some of the suburb’s best cafes and bakeries. We spoke to Paulina and Clark about their professions, their favourite things and how they’re feeling in light of the current climate.
Clark: “We’ve lived here for about two years. I think when we saw the backyard, we were sold.
Paulina: “... the backyard, the sunroof, the proximity to the best chicken sandwiches.”
PO: “We love our little collection of pieces by Filipino artists. We hand carried them all from Manila with nothing but some bubble wrap and a couple of Hail Mary’s. A lot of them are by artists who are friends of ours, and that makes them extra special, but more than that, they keep our new home tethered to our original one.”
We love our little collection of pieces by Filipino artists. We hand carried them all from Manila with nothing but some bubble wrap and a couple of Hail Mary’s.
CK: “When my mom figured out that I smoked, instead of telling me off, she gave me one of her lighters—a gold Cartier piece. I consider it her first tangible acknowledgement of my agency, my independence. I quit years ago, but I always have it with me.”
Paulina & Clark’s bed is dressed in an IN BED 100% linen duvet cover and pillowslips in moss with fitted sheet and flat sheet in Mist. Paulina wears our IN BED 100% linen short sleeve shirt and pant in white.
PO: “[Around our neighbourhood we enjoy] going to Artificer for coffee most mornings, getting pretzels and croissants from Organic Bread Bar, grabbing our produce at the Paramount Rec Club (Clark is there every day it seems). We hardly ever leave the little stretch between Surry Hills and Paddington.”
Clark wears our IN BED 100% linen men’s short in stripe with his own t.shirt.
CK: “We were very early to [lockdown], actually. Maybe 2 weeks before it was official. It took some getting used to, but now I’m really comfortable in my routine. We’re very, very lucky with the space we have, but I miss exercise the most. You can never get as exhausted as when you have other people going through a workout with you.”
I’m really comfortable in my routine. We’re very, very lucky with the space we have, but I miss exercise the most.
PO: “I feel pretty anxious about everything going on, to be honest. A lot of our close friends and family live in countries that have been more heavily impacted by the virus (the Philippines and the US), so we’ve been worried about them, on top of the situation in Sydney. But I’ve been finding little joys in being at home — having a bit more time on my hands, meditating regularly, cooking (and eating) every waking minute, plowing through Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
PO: I spend half my week working for the industrial design practice, Caon Studio, and spend the other half running my own graphic design practice, which focuses on branding. Prior to this, I worked as an art director and designer for a boutique design firm in Singapore, and for the ad agency TBWA in Manila, before then. I also design scarves, and paint, and draw...and don’t sleep.”
CK: “I recently started consulting for small businesses, here and in the US. It began as an exercise to cope with the crisis. I figured helping was better than worrying and flailing. And now, I guess I’m working again?”
PO: “The most recent, most memorable trip was the month we spent in Mexico last year. We got married in the Yucatan and spent the weeks that followed travelling around the country — agave plantations in Oaxaca, discotecas in CDMX. I would love to spend more time there.”
We got married in the Yucatan and spent the weeks that followed travelling around the country.
PO: “For the rest of this year I’m most looking forward to the eradication of the Corona virus. Haha. I’m laughing, but it’s true. And, hopefully, returning to a sense of community that goes beyond the internet.”
CK: “Yeah, Hugging friends again. And the better world that (hopefully) comes out of this.”
Paulina & Clark’s bed is dressed in an IN BED 100% linen duvet cover and pillowslips in moss with fitted sheet and flat sheet in Mist.