Sarah Shanahan has made a sweet career out of doing what (most) women want. She’s a professional organiser, food stylist AND interior shopping tour host. Oh and she’s also a mother of four!
Over the last five years, she’s been organising and making homes more beautiful, in and around Adelaide. “I love a well organised home and love nothing more than sorting through people’s cupboards, wardrobes and drawers. Strange I know,” she says.
Um, is this the point where I ask her to marry me?
Image credit: Fete Magazine
How the hell does Sarah keep an organised home with four children?! Well, she has one rule: “If we don’t love it, need it or use it, it goes.” She also believes that if your possessions don’t give you joy, get rid of them. What amazing advice!
Two years ago, she began sarahshanahan_lifestyle on Instagram and since then, her small business has boomed. She’s got over 16,000 followers and if you follow her, you’ll see why! Her photos of food and homewares are beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. I do warn you though, you will get Insta-envy after scrolling her feed.
Image credit: Fete Magazine
And Sarah’s not limited to her serious organising skills…
Two years ago, while spending a weekend in Melbourne with a few girlfriends, she went on an organised homeware shopping tour. This made her realise how lucky we are right here in Adelaide, with so many great homeware shops. But she also realised that we don’t do tours of that same calibre here. So she started her own — #shopwithsarah!
“The lucky girls on each tour are treated like VIPs the whole day, from start to finish.” She runs these tours approximately every 6-8 weeks and they’ve attracted interstate visitors too.
Sarah Shanahan’s Shopping Tours are are the perfect day out with girlfriends. They’re also a great way to get to know your own city and all the fabulous places inside it.
She’s an Adelaide super-mum who created a career out of her passions, so we think she’s pretty special! Today she’s our Inspirational Adelady and these are her fave places in Adelaide:
Hayley xx
Favourite homeware stores
Organising my bus tours, I see all the fabulous homeware stores Adelaide has to offer — we are so lucky! I love that each has their own individual look and feel to them, so I know just where to go when sourcing certain products for myself, clients and friends.
Two Pairs on Magill Road is just beautiful; Oscar and Willow makes my Scandinavian heart happy; Little Bohemian is full of divine cushions and curiosities and 29 Milan has the most beautiful curated wares from around the globe. Outdoors on Parade is the perfect store for fun on trend gifts, gift wrapped to perfection and now with awesome coffee aswell! Each has its own unique look and I couldn’t have started my shopping tours without their fabulous support from the very beginning.
Image credit: Two Pairs Homeware
Image credit: Two Pairs Homeware
Fave shops for kids clothes
With my kids all being late teenagers now, they have their own sense of style. Country Road gets a workout, especially during the ‘spend and save’ promotions. Cotton On is a big favourite with my boys, plus any surf store. I’m also seeing a lot of Seed and Fashion BNKR parcels arriving in the post too!
Image credit: BNKR
Fave coffee spots
Living just off Magill Road, I am spoilt for choice!
Espresso Royale for their superb De Groot coffee. The Little Eastern for coffee and delicious Manoushi. Long Lost Friend for coffee and the best eggs Benedict with pulled pork ever! Five Little Figs for their yummy raw sweet treats. These are just a few favourites!
You will always find me at Brick and Mortar, Norwood. It’s the perfect place to start my shopping tours, with great coffee and unique independent stores to browse through.
Image credit: Long Lost Friend
Fave hidden gem
Poets Ode, Hahndorf. This beautifully curated store is just so calming and peaceful — it’s all sorts of perfect, in a wabi-sabi way, which suits me to a tee! There is also a tea room with great coffee, tea and pastries.
Image credit: Poets Ode
Weekend getaway
Our good friend has a place at Kings Beach, which you can see at Kings Beach Retreats. We have been visiting since our kids were babies and it is a total escape from the outside world, yet just around the corner from busy Victor Harbor. The rammed earth dwelling, with its beautiful interiors and ocean and cliff views from every window, is just breathtaking. And walking the Heysen Trail is just spectacular in winter or summer — perfect!
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Great article on Sarah Shanahan – a beautiful person with a lot of style and grace!