If you’re a Cronulla resident or have ever visited the popular beachside destination, you’ve no doubt encountered the chicest rotisserie, carvery and cocktail bar in all of the area – C.C. Babcoq.
Now, if that name sounds familiar to you it’s because it’s the best character from 90s sitcom ‘The Nanny’. Sure, Fran had style, she had flair, she was there, but C.C. Babcock? C.C had serious sass, my friends.
So when Kelly Doyle, Billy Blue grad and Interior Designer at Tom Mark Henry, was tasked with developing the space, the brief she received was to reflect Babcock’s wardrobe and personality – that combined with the beachside flair Cronulla calls for, of course.
“I had all of these ideas going through my head and I really explored the character from The Nanny. Her bold fashion, the colours, and her sassiness. That’s quite a fun way to interpret her personality into an interior,” Kelly told PEDESTRIAN.TV, noting that she loves it when a client is really passionate about an idea.
These mustard tiles in the bathroom? Inspired by one of Babcock’s coats. Burgundy tones and pops of pink throughout the venue are also a nod to Babcock’s bold style, as the confetti “sass” wallpaper is to her personality.
The result? “Memphis mixed with sass, if you will.”
Doyle landed her dream job with the position at Tom Mark Henry, where she has worked for two-and-a-half years now, but the Billy Blue graduate’s career path hasn’t come without its obstacles. She explained:
“Everyone’s like, you just fluff cushions. No I don’t. I make the cushions after I do the space. That’s the final touch on a space. There’s a lot to it. You have to think about flooring, lighting, you even have to think about plumbing.”
“You’ve got to have a thick skin to be in the creative industry. I’ve had a lot of setbacks or people try to put me down on my way to get where I am,” she elaborated.
Regardless of the hurdles, mostly in the shape of people, Doyle’s pushed through with epic success.
“Always say yes to every opportunity even if you don’t know how to do it, because you can always work out how to do it later,” she stressed.
“Often in life, they’re the best risks to take – if you’re too scared to try something, you’ll never know the outcome and it could be the best thing you said yes to.”
