#shop fittings sydney

[cmlscommercialinteriors]

We will share handy tips for making good in your commercial office to help minimize issues and the costs that come about any make good project. For office make good, visit: https://www.cmlsinteriors.com.au/services/office-make-good/

[mkjprojects]

Elevate Your Retail Space with MKJ Projects: Premier Shop Fit Out Sydney

At MKJ Projects, we specialize in transforming your commercial space into a retail haven. Our expert team brings the perfect blend of creativity, craftsmanship, and attention to detail to every shop fit out project in Sydney. From concept to completion, we work closely with you to design and execute a bespoke interior that reflects your brand's personality and captivates your customers. Discover the art of retail space transformation with MKJ Projects, your trusted partner for shop fit outs in Sydney.

[shopfittersydney]

Choose to Explore a Wide Collection of High Quality Commercial Fit Outs

Business owners wishing to relocate their offices to a new facility or renovate an existing one can benefit greatly from the services of commercial fit outs firms. When it concerns uniformity, expediency is key because any downtime for an office equals lost revenue. Any reputable fit-out businesses will be aware of this and work quickly to get your business up and running. Continue reading for a few more benefits of hiring a qualified firm for office fit-outs.

The Main Advantages Offered by Fit-outs

The experts will talk about the sorts of partitions you should pick for your shop fitouts in Sydney and perhaps even propose placing plants around the space to enhance the atmosphere. A competent interior designer can help you navigate the confusing world of design options and guarantee a successful conclusion for your business.

Saving time: A fit-out will help you to avoid the hassles and lost time because there won't be any delays and you can move in right away!

Conserving money: If you're going to do it yourself, creating an office might be a costly procedure. It lowers the initial out-of-pocket expenses for a new tenant and protects the landlord from suffering a significant loss of income if the unit remains empty.

Trouble: The risk is on you as the tenant when you move into a new place and handle the fit-out yourself. The tenant is also responsible for making good on the space at the conclusion of the lease.

Build a Professional Relationship with your Designer for Out-Fits

Melbourne's fit-out businesses frequently employ seasoned interior designers who may provide advice on the intended layout of your new workplace. They might offer suggestions on colour schemes that encourage positivity to improve staff morale or enhance productivity.

Your goal is to create the ideal atmosphere for your company, which includes both the perception of your firm by your staff and the initial reactions of customers who have just entered your doors.

Source

[royaletruckservice]

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[infoactionratio7]

(you) on my arm - s. adamu

summary: sydney is at a wall, she has no ideas when it comes to the new menu at the bear. she decides to go to a bookstore for some new inspiration, she finds it, but not in the way she was expecting.

pairing: sydney adamu x fem! bookseller! reader

word count: 2,514

note: annoying! carmy bc he literally is insane, kinda fluffy meet cute vibes, reader just moved to chicago, inspired by the song (you) on my arm by leith ross cause the song is rlly cute! also sydney gives me sapphic vibes, she definitely would have a crush on a girl!

monday morning -

Sydney was pissed, she had sent at least ten messages to Carmy in the last twenty minutes. Some about the new menu they were working on together, some about the fact that he had been a bitch the night before when he kicked everyone out because Claire just had to see the new restaurant. She ran her hands down her face in frustration as she sat at her dad's kitchen table, the sun streaming in through the blinds into the apartment. It warmed the floor as she got up from the table, debating what to do. She had no ideas left, everything was either not working out, or it just didn't fit the menu for the new revamped restaurant.

"Sydney, where are you headed off to today?" Her dad walked into the room with a steaming cup of coffee, freshly brewed from a new coffee blend she had found shopping the day before.

"Uh well Carm is not responding so I'm gonna head over to The Bear and meet up with him for a little then see where the day goes from there I guess." She walked out of the dining area and put her breakfast dishes away.

"Okay honey, have a good day. Hope he stops being an ass." She laughed, "Me too... me too."

Sydney grabbed her shoes out of the closet she had thrown them in last night, slipping them on and grabbing her bag. "I'll see you later dad." She grabbed her keys, and started making her way to the restaurant where she could deal with Carmy in person.

-

You looked around the bookstore, you had only been open for a month but it had been a hit within the community. You had almost any book anybody could want. There were teens coming from the school a few blocks away to get some cheesy romance novels to bring to the park and read with their friends, and there were grandparents coming in to get their grandchildren a new picture book about god knows what. You even had some people come in and request books you had never heard of before, you promptly ordered two copies of any book you didn't have. One for the customer, and one for you, to read and explore the pages.

It was a beautiful space, tall ceilings strung with fairy lights and lanterns, trying to bring some sense of whimsy to the dull days in Chicago. The books were arranged in every which way, requiring the customers to truly search for a book they wanted to read. You had tables full of recommendations, from people online and the employees of the bookshop. You really enjoyed curating all the titles you had in your collection. Tourists looking for a cute little magnet or souvenir adored the hole in the wall place, a safe space to just cuddle up and read a book.

You had a few customers that day, a mom and her son looking for his first chapter book to read. You had suggested he read The Magic Tree House, a series, about a brother and sister and their time traveling tree house. There was a tall guy with a buzzcut, who said he worked just down the street and was looking for a book about how to get rid of mold in the structure of a building. He seemed in dire need of some help, so you found the best book possible, The Toxic Mold Recovery Guide. You had no idea you had the book but it was meant to be. He thanked you immensely, leaving his name and number just in case you ever needed anything. His name was Richie, he seemed pretty nice.

Low music played as you restocked a shelf, you hated the idea of having Colleen Hoover books in the store but they were a big source of income. They absolutely flew off the shelves. The least touched section of the store were the cookbooks, it seemed like everyone in Chicago was moving too fast to just dedicate one hour of their day to making a meal from scratch. It was disappointing, because you had a large selection, from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child to Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan. You knew that someday it might come in handy and you would be lucky to have all the cookbooks.

-

Sydney walked into the restaurant in a sour mood, Carmy had still not responded to any of her texts and she knew he was here. She walked straight into the office, passing the locker room, sans lockers and covered in black powder. Richie furiously flipping through a book that said something about mold on the cover. He glanced up at her

"Shut the fuck up." She was taken aback

"I didn't even fucking say anything Richie," he scoffed at her

"Well I was preparing for you to say something dumb as hell, and you did so I stand by my first statement." He looked back down at the book and mumbled something unintelligible to himself. She rolled her eyes and made her way into the office.

"Carm are you here?" Turning the corner she saw the chef, surrounded by papers and various file folders. He had his phone in his hand and was about to dial a number, "You little bitch, you fucking had your phone this entire time." She couldn't believe what was right in front of her.

"What do you mean chef?" Carmy looked confused, "Of course I had my phone, I'm about to call the fridge guy."

Rolling her eyes she brought her hand up to her face, holding her forehead in her palm. "I texted you at least ten fucking times, you couldn't even bother yourself to respond!" Shaking her head she sank down into the office chair Carmy had abandoned an hour ago.

He looked around the room, trying to get her to understand how much work he had been doing, "Syd I've been trying to make sense of this paperwork for hours, I haven't had time to respond to your messa-"

Fak's head popped into the doorframe, "Carmy I got your text about helping Richie clean up the mold but he's being mean to me." Sydney turned from Fak to the red faced chef sitting on the floor. He had been caught in a lie, of course Fak came in at just the right time for this to happen.

"Okay fuck you chef, I'm leaving." Sydney shrugged, stood up and left the room. She heard heated words from Carmy as she walked out of the office and passed the locker room again, now he was pissed at Fak, as usual. She heard her name as she turned around,

"Sydney, wait a sec come here."

"What do you want Richie, I thought you wanted me to shut the fuck up." She crossed her arms tight and shot him a pointed look.

"You should go to that bookstore a few blocks down, I got this damn mold book earlier and saw a shit ton of cookbooks. You should check it out." She sent him a tight smile and turned her back to him. "Thanks Chef."

-

You had just finished restocking the shelves for the day when the little bell above the door rang. You went behind the desk and called out, "Welcome to The Book Worm, If you need anything let me know!"

You heard no response so you just busied yourself cleaning up the case that was behind the checkout, it housed all your special edition signed or first edition copies of books. It needed to be dusted pretty often because you wanted to keep the quality of the books at their highest, just in case anyone would ever want to purchase one.

You heard a thud come from behind you, and turning around you looked down at the counter. There was a stack of six cookbooks placed on the counter in front of you. Looking up you saw one of the most beautiful women you had ever seen since you had moved in to the city. Her hair was long and perfectly braided, her eyes a beautiful shade of umber catching the light in a hypnotic way. She had a grimace on her face, yet still looked stunning. You had no idea how to react, so instinctively you started to enter the books into the register as you made some small talk,

"So how has your day been," She sighed and looked up to meet your gaze, "If I'm being honest, shitty. My fucking partner wouldn't respond to my messages and when I went to talk to him he had is phone in his hand about to call someone. So yeah really fucking shitty." You looked back down at the book at disappointment, of course she had a partner and of course she was straight.

Awkwardly smiling you tried to think of a good response"Oh, um, wow. That's pretty shitty I'm sorry." She seemed to sense your disappointment, trying to save the conversation, "Shit uh, my business partner I mean, he's a little bitch sometimes. We're uh, opening a business- or I should say um," She rubbed the back of her neck, "We're kinda rebranding his brother's old restaurant, its a lot." You had finished entering all the books into the system, your chest had filled with warmth when she rushed to clarify that he was her business partner. You thought that maybe, just maybe it might be because she wanted to make sure you knew she was single, and not exactly straight.

"I guess that explains the cookbooks then," You looked at her, she had been staring at you in a flustered state of shock. "What, oh, uh, yeah! I'm kinda stuck making the menu so wanted to get some inspiration."

Sharing an understanding smile, you read her total out to her. She grabbed her wallet and pulled out some cash, as she handed it to you her fingers brushed along yours. It sent chills down your spine, no matter how cliche it might be, you knew that she was someone to keep close. Your face flushed red as you took the cash and put it into the register, printing her receipt and giving her any change she needed back.

You decided that since she got so many books you would give her a free tote bag, just so she could carry all the books out of the shop. You pulled one off of a hook behind you and started to put the books into a bag. You decided to quietly slip a business card with your cell number and a little note into a book so she could find it and contact you. A subtle way of screaming, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen I want to spend the rest of my life with you, without being too forward. As you finished packing the bag, the two of you both happened to say something at the same time.

"Do you wanna come see my restu-"

"Do you work at the restura-"

You flushed

"No you can go-"

"No you can go - sorry um. Do you want to come to the opening of the restaurant. It's uh, the one down the street, we're not opening for a while but, if you want to come to the friends and fam-"

You cut her off, wanting her to know you really wanted to go to her restaurant, "I would love to go... what was your name?"

"Sydney, It's uh Sydney" Her face got hot, nervous about the fascinating bookseller she just had the pleasure of meeting.

"Well Sydney, I would love to go. Just let me know the details," You softly smiled as you gave her the bag filled with books. She looked to you and grabbed a bookmark you had as a display that happened to have the shop's phone number on it. "I'll call you, um when we get closer to the open date, promise." You smiled, hoping that she would get in contact with you sooner than she expected to. She turned to leave.

"Thanks for coming in, really good to meet you Sydney." The door rang again and she sent you a wave through the glass, walking away quickly.

You were frozen, you had just given a random girl you just met your number, and had openly flirted with her for all the world to see. You crouched down onto the small stool you had behind the desk, tucked your head into your knees and screamed. You were feeling rushes of emotion and didn't think you would ever recover from that interaction. The bell rang again just as you finished screaming, you shot up and saw a group of teenagers heading to the new books you had just set out.

"Welcome to The Book Worm, If you need anything just holler!"

-

Sydney rushed back to The Bear, she was so utterly mortified, she had never seen someone so radiant and in their element. The chef couldn't contain her emotions as she stormed into the restaurant, Richie was the first person she saw, he started to say something,

"Not right now Richie I swear to God" The tall man was taken aback but threw his hands up in surrender, not wanting to get involved.

She might as well have ran into the office at the speed she was going, throwin the bag of cookbooks on the ground and closing the door, sliding down the back of the door she groaned,

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck, fucking, fuck," dragging out the last word as she hit the floor.

Carmy stared at her from the floor a few feet away, "Yo Syd what happened to you? Looks like you just ran a marathon." He chuckled at the expression on her face.

"I just met the most beautiful girl and totally fucked up my chances with her cause I left so quickly." Sydney put her hands into her face and just sat there marinating in her embarrassment.

Carmy had some strong suits, his attention to detail one of them. He noticed something poking out of one of the books. He grabbed it, hoping that it was something that would change Sydney's mood before he had to work with her for more hours than they could count. He grinned taking the note out of the book and reading it,

"Hey Syd," He reached out to give her the note.

She looked up from behind her fingers, "What?"

He shook his hand, implying he wanted her to take the note from his grip. She groaned, then leaned forward to forcefully take it out of his hand.

She read the note, and smiled. Thank God you slipped her this note.

cookbook girl -

i hope you enjoy your SIX cookbooks, i have some more you could borrow for some inspiration. text me

Sydney's face heated up as she leaned back into door and scoffed.

Carmy had saved the day, one again.

[callmewrinkles3]

Deuxmoi Submissions, 2023

January

Spotted: Daniel Riccardo and his long-time girlfriend Emma on a romantic date at a restaurant in Perth. Weird thing was this time his manager was also there side by side in company of a blonde girl.

-

February

Subject: Twins

Email: whatever@gmail.com

Message: saw Daniel Ricciardo and his manager on a double date. One of the women was definitely Ricciardo’s girlfriend (and I think I saw a ring????) the other looked like her sister?

-

March

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo’s fiancée flower shopping with a group of women. Is the wedding happening?

-

April

Spotted: saw like four F1 drivers (Charles LeClerc, Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, and Esteban Ocon) getting off planes at Perth airport. I work the private terminal and there was a load of extra jets in. Is the F1 Royal Wedding happening?

-

May

Message: what Met gala attendee had a meltdown because her dress didn’t fit her chest an hour before her red carpet time? She didn’t get a lot of attention but she’s got a couple of high profile places to be this month with her husband, let’s see if it’s just her chest expanding.

-

June

Subject: wait WHAT

Email: reservebells@gmail.com

Message: ok I could be wrong but I think I saw everyone’s favourite Australian who isn’t doing his usual job leaving a maternity hospital in [removed for their privacy] with his wife. Both looked delighted, he was the happiest he’s been in years

-

July

Spotted: I work at a high end baby furniture shop and a high profile athlete and his wife came in. No clue how nobody knows she’s pregnant, it’s pretty obvious. Happy for them, they’re very in love and he couldn’t keep his hands off the bump

Update: yeah it was Daniel Ricciardo and his wife, also the tip they gave the furniture delivery bought us all takeout.

-

August

Saw Daniel Ricciardo and his wife in the same restaurant as me in Faenza. They’re too cute and he wasn’t drinking wine because she can’t thanks to her pregnancy.

*

Spotted: Em Ricciardo is a sweetheart! I was lost in Milan trying to find the train station with no phone signal, she speaks what sounded like fluent Italian and got the directions for me!

September

Subject: bundle of joy

Email: forthebees@gmail.com

Message: Got to see the former Red Bull teammates at Formula Nurnburgring, but the highlight for me was watching Sebastian Vettel giving Emma Ricciardo a giant hug and a gift bag. It’s really obvious that they get along well, she was there cheering him in his car. His wife was there too, saw her and Emma chatting.

—

October

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo out for dinner with his wife, his manager, and what looked like his wife’s friend? It was his manager’s birthday and they sang happy birthday, but they did a toast later.

Spotted: Em Ricciardo looking so proud at her husband’s contract announcement. Red Bull got Dan a onesie for the new baby, it was adorable.

—

November

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo running through LAX to catch a Qantas flight to Sydney. Someone mentioned his wife is due soon, is the baby coming?

Spotted: Em Ricciardo in Perth airport, looked like she was collecting Dan from Vegas. She’s still pregnant! #F1BabyWatch

—

December

Subject: flowers

Email: fakeyfake@fake.com

Message: I work in a florist and we had 22 bouquets sent to one room in [redacted] hospital in Perth. Most of the calls came from UK and European numbers. Looks like F1’s latest baby has arrived!

[ihonestlycanttellyou]

Sydney puts the fear of GOD into Whitney

(The quality tanked I think)

May I propose a bit of friend group au lore? :3

Low dom!Whitney is the guard dog of the group, that was moreso a joke someone started but he did start caring for them at least a smidge. Otherwise, he's the friend you would suspect doesn't even like them because of his confusing ass attitude.

Corrupt!Sydney brought the group together. He was already friendly with Robin and after a few good right hooks, he was at least on semi-friendly terms with Whitney (gotta lower that dominance lol). He also kicked Kylar's door down one day with "Okay, bitch, we're reconciling right fucking now." and now they're friends again! :D

High Confidence!Robin is kinda the mom friend, she carries around bandaids for Whitney and Kylar in case of their general BS and reminds Sydney to get good rest because that man does not sleep, though she gets teased a little by the group for it. She's the most responsible of the group (used to be Sydney before he became a menace).

Kylar is having the time of his life in this AU, his will to live is back, woohoo! After reconciling with Sydney, he was introduced to Robin and slowly warmed up to her. He and Whitney are...alright, I guess after a while of walking on eggshells. He's the one that gets protected by the group lol.

Based on the actual game, Robin, Sydney, and Whitney can protect you from bullies; Whitney even grants a bit of status. So Kylar isn't exactly liked in this AU but people mostly back off now and he's so grateful, a little too grateful maybe.

Platonic yan Kylar mayhaps?

Whitney gets to chill in Sirris' shop, his other delinquent friends aren't welcome because they broke some stuff in the store. Robin's a little put off by it and Kylar is NOT going to Elk Street, so they just chill at the park

Robin's stands are poppin', she's got a whole staff now! Robin and Kylar make the drinks, Sydney handles cash and keeps stock, and Whitney brings in the costumers while keeping the creeps away.

Your PC(s) can fit in anywhere if you want them to. :v

Original below!

Ngl I half traced this base, idk who made it because it's been reposted to Hell and back so lmk if you do.

[fibula-rasa]

(Mostly) Lost, but Not Forgotten: Omar Khayyam (1923) / A Lover’s Oath (1925)

Alternate Titles: The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, The Rubaiyat, Omar Khayyam, Omar

Direction: Ferdinand Pinney Earle; assisted by Walter Mayo

Scenario: Ferdinand P. Earle

Titles: Marion Ainslee, Ferdinand P. Earle (Omar), Louis Weadock (A Lover’s Oath)

Inspired by: The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, as edited & translated by Edward FitzGerald 

Production Manager: Winthrop Kelly

Camera: Georges Benoit

Still Photography: Edward S. Curtis

Special Photographic Effects: Ferdinand P. Earle, Gordon Bishop Pollock

Composer: Charles Wakefield Cadman

Editors: Arthur D. Ripley (The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam version), Ethel Davey & Ferdinand P. Earle (Omar / Omar Khayyam, the Director’s cut of 1922), Milton Sills (A Lover’s Oath)

Scenic Artists: Frank E. Berier, Xavier Muchado, Anthony Vecchio, Paul Detlefsen, Flora Smith, Jean Little Cyr, Robert Sterner, Ralph Willis

Character Designer: Louis Hels

Choreography: Ramon Novarro (credited as Ramon Samaniegos)

Technical Advisors: Prince Raphael Emmanuel, Reverend Allan Moore, Captain Dudley S. Corlette, & Captain Montlock or Mortlock

Studio: Ferdinand P. Earle Productions / The Rubaiyat, Inc. (Production) & Eastern Film Corporation (Distribution, Omar), Astor Distribution Corporation [States Rights market] (Distribution, A Lover’s Oath)

Performers: Frederick Warde, Edwin Stevens, Hedwiga Reicher, Mariska Aldrich, Paul Weigel, Robert Anderson, Arthur Carewe, Jesse Weldon, Snitz Edwards, Warren Rogers, Ramon Novarro (originally credited as Ramon Samaniegos), Big Jim Marcus, Kathleen Key, Charles A. Post, Phillippe de Lacy, Ferdinand Pinney Earle

Premiere(s): Omar cut: April 1922 The Ambassador Theatre, New York, NY (Preview Screening), 12 October 1923, Loew’s New York, New York, NY (Preview Screening), 2 February 1923, Hoyt’s Theatre, Sydney, Australia (Initial Release)

Status: Presumed lost, save for one 30 second fragment preserved by the Academy Film Archive, and a 2.5 minute fragment preserved by a private collector (Old Films & Stuff)

Length:  Omar Khayyam: 8 reels , 76 minutes; A Lover’s Oath: 6 reels,  5,845 feet (though once listed with a runtime of 76 minutes, which doesn’t line up with the stated length of this cut)

Synopsis (synthesized from magazine summaries of the plot):

Omar Khayyam:

Set in 12th century Persia, the story begins with a preface in the youth of Omar Khayyam (Warde). Omar and his friends, Nizam (Weigel) and Hassan (Stevens), make a pact that whichever one of them becomes a success in life first will help out the others. In adulthood, Nizam has become a potentate and has given Omar a position so that he may continue his studies in mathematics and astronomy. Hassan, however, has grown into quite the villain. When he is expelled from the kingdom, he plots to kidnap Shireen (Key), the sheik’s daughter. Shireen is in love with Ali (Novarro). In the end it’s Hassan’s wife (Reicher) who slays the villain then kills herself.

A Lover’s Oath:

The daughter of a sheik, Shireen (Key), is in love with Ali (Novarro), the son of the ruler of a neighboring kingdom. Hassan covets Shireen and plots to kidnap her. Hassan is foiled by his wife. [The Sills’ edit places Ali and Shireen as protagonists, but there was little to no re-shooting done (absolutely none with Key or Novarro). So, most critics note how odd it is that all Ali does in the film is pitch woo, and does not save Shireen himself. This obviously wouldn’t have been an issue in the earlier cut, where Ali is a supporting character, often not even named in summaries and news items. Additional note: Post’s credit changes from “Vizier” to “Commander of the Faithful”]

Additional sequence(s) featured in the film (but I’m not sure where they fit in the continuity):

Celestial sequences featuring stars and planets moving through the cosmos

Angels spinning in a cyclone up to the heavens

A Potters’ shop sequence (relevant to a specific section of the poems)

Harem dance sequence choreographed by Novarro

Locations: palace gardens, street and marketplace scenes, ancient ruins

Points of Interest:

“The screen has been described as the last word in realism, but why confine it there? It can also be the last word in imaginative expression.”

Ferdinand P. Earle as quoted in Exhibitors Trade Review, 4 March 1922

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam was a massive best seller. Ferdinand Pinney Earle was a classically trained artist who studied under William-Adolphe Bougueraeu and James McNeill Whistler in his youth. He also had years of experience creating art backgrounds, matte paintings, and art titles for films. Charles Wakefield Cadman was an accomplished composer of songs, operas, and operettas. Georges Benoit and Gordon Pollock were experienced photographic technicians. Edward S. Curtis was a widely renowned still photographer. Ramon Novarro was a name nobody knew yet—but they would soon enough.

When Earle chose The Rubaiyat as the source material for his directorial debut and collected such skilled collaborators, it seemed likely that the resulting film would be a landmark in the art of American cinema. Quite a few people who saw Earle’s Rubaiyat truly thought it would be:

William E. Wing writing for Camera, 9 September 1922, wrote:

“Mr. Earle…came from the world of brush and canvass, to spread his art upon the greater screen. He created a new Rubaiyat with such spiritual colors, that they swayed.”  … “It has been my fortune to see some of the most wonderful sets that this Old Earth possesses, but I may truly say that none seized me more suddenly, or broke with greater, sudden inspiration upon the view and the brain, than some of Ferdinand Earle’s backgrounds, in his Rubaiyat. “His vision and inspired art seem to promise something bigger and better for the future screen.”

As quoted in an ad in Film Year Book, 1923:

“Ferdinand Earle has set a new standard of production to live up to.”

Rex Ingram

“Fifty years ahead of the time.” 

Marshall Neilan

The film was also listed among Fritz Lang’s Siegfried, Chaplin’s Gold Rush, Fairbanks’ Don Q, Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera and The Unholy Three, and Erich Von Stroheim’s Merry Widow by the National Board of Review as an exceptional film of 1925.

So why don’t we all know about this film? (Spoiler: it’s not just because it’s lost!)

The short answer is that multiple dubious legal challenges arose that prevented Omar’s general release in the US. The long answer follows BELOW THE JUMP!

Earle began the project in earnest in 1919. Committing The Rubaiyat to film was an ambitious undertaking for a first-time director and Earle was striking out at a time when the American film industry was developing an inferiority complex about the level of artistry in their creative output. Earle was one of a number of artists in the film colony who were going independent of the emergent studio system for greater protections of their creative freedoms.

In their adaptation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Earle and Co. hoped to develop new and perfect existing techniques for incorporating live-action performers with paintings and expand the idea of what could be accomplished with photographic effects in filmmaking. The Rubaiyat was an inspired choice. It’s not a narrative, but a collection of poetry. This gave Earle the opportunity to intersperse fantastical, poetic sequences throughout a story set in the lifetime of Omar Khayyam, the credited writer of the poems. In addition to the fantastic, Earle’s team would recreate 12th century Persia for the screen. 

Earle was convinced that if his methods were perfected, it wouldn’t matter when or where a scene was set, it would not just be possible but practical to put on film. For The Rubaiyat, the majority of shooting was done against black velvet and various matte photography and multiple exposure techniques were employed to bring a setting 800+ years in the past and 1000s of miles removed to life before a camera in a cottage in Los Angeles.

Note: If you’d like to learn a bit more about how these effects were executed at the time, see the first installment of How’d They Do That.

Unfortunately, the few surviving minutes don’t feature much of this special photography, but what does survive looks exquisite:

see all gifs here

Earle, knowing that traditional stills could not be taken while filming, brought in Edward S. Curtis. Curtis developed techniques in still photography to replicate the look of the photographic effects used for the film. So, even though the film hasn’t survived, we have some pretty great looking representations of some of the 1000s of missing feet of the film.

Nearly a year before Curtis joined the crew, Earle began collaboration with composer Charles Wakefield Cadman. In another bold creative move, Cadman and Earle worked closely before principal photography began so that the score could inform the construction and rhythm of the film and vice versa.

By the end of 1921 the film was complete. After roughly 9 months and the creation of over 500 paintings, The Rubaiyat was almost ready to meet its public. However, the investors in The Rubaiyat, Inc., the corporation formed by Earle to produce the film, objected to the ample reference to wine drinking (a comical objection if you’ve read the poems) and wanted the roles of the young lovers (played by as yet unknown Ramon Novarro and Kathleen Key) to be expanded. The dispute with Earle became so heated that the financiers absconded with the bulk of the film to New York. Earle filed suit against them in December to prevent them from screening their butchered and incomplete cut. Cadman supported Earle by withholding the use of his score for the film.

Later, Eastern Film Corp. brokered a settlement between the two parties, where Earle would get final cut of the film and Eastern would handle its release. Earle and Eastern agreed to change the title from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam to simply Omar. Omar had its first official preview in New York City. It was tentatively announced that the film would have a wide release in the autumn.

However, before that autumn, director Norman Dawn launched a dubious patent-infringement suit against Earle and others. Dawn claimed that he owned the sole right to use multiple exposures, glass painting for single exposure, and other techniques that involved combining live action with paintings. All the cited techniques had been widespread in the film industry for a decade already and eventually and expectedly Dawn lost the suit. Despite Earle’s victory, the suit effectively put the kibosh on Omar’s release in the US.

Earle moved on to other projects that didn’t come to fruition, like a Theda Bara film and a frankly amazing sounding collaboration with Cadman to craft a silent-film opera of Faust. Omar did finally get a release, albeit only in Australia. Australian news outlets praised the film as highly as those few lucky attendees of the American preview screenings did. The narrative was described as not especially original, but that it was good enough in view of the film’s artistry and its imaginative “visual phenomena” and the precision of its technical achievement.

One reviewer for The Register, Adelaide, SA, wrote:

“It seems almost an impossibility to make a connected story out of the short verse of the Persian of old, yet the producer of this classic of the screen… has succeeded in providing an entertainment that would scarcely have been considered possible. From first to last the story grips with its very dramatic intensity.”

While Omar’s American release was still in limbo, “Ramon Samaniegos” made a huge impression in Rex Ingram’s Prisoner of Zenda (1922, extant) and Scaramouche (1923, extant) and took on a new name: Ramon Novarro. Excitement was mounting for Novarro’s next big role as the lead in the epic Ben-Hur (1925, extant) and the Omar project was re-vivified. 

A new company, Astor Distribution Corp., was formed and purchased the distribution rights to Omar. Astor hired actor (note, not an editor) Milton Sills to re-cut the film to make Novarro and Key more prominent. The company also re-wrote the intertitles, reduced the films runtime by more than ten minutes, and renamed the film A Lover’s Oath. Earle had moved on by this point, vowing to never direct again. In fact, Earle was indirectly working with Novarro and Key again at the time, as an art director on Ben-Hur!

Despite Omar’s seemingly auspicious start in 1920, it was only released in the US on the states rights market as a cash-in on the success of one of its actors in a re-cut form five years later.

That said, A Lover’s Oath still received some good reviews from those who did manage to see it. Most of the negative criticism went to the story, intertitles, and Sills’ editing.

What kind of legacy could/should Omar have had? I’m obviously limited in my speculation by the fact that the film is lost, but there are a few key facts about the film’s production, release, and timing to consider. 

The production budget was stated to be $174,735. That is equivalent to $3,246,994.83 in 2024 dollars. That is a lot of money, but since the production was years long and Omar was a period film set in a remote locale and features fantastical special effects sequences, it’s a modest budget. For contemporary perspective, Robin Hood (1922, extant) cost just under a million dollars to produce and Thief of Bagdad (1924, extant) cost over a million. For a film similarly steeped in spectacle to have nearly 1/10th of the budget is really very noteworthy. And, perhaps if the film had ever had a proper release in the US—in Earle’s intended form (that is to say, not the Sills cut)—Omar may have made as big of a splash as other epics.

It’s worth noting here however that there are a number of instances in contemporary trade and fan magazines where journalists off-handedly make this filmmaking experiment about undermining union workers. Essentially implying that that value of Earle’s method would be to continue production when unionized workers were striking. I’m sure that that would absolutely be a primary thought for studio heads, but it certainly wasn’t Earle’s motivation. Often when Earle talks about the method, he focuses on being able to film things that were previously impossible or impracticable to film. Driving down filming costs from Earle’s perspective was more about highlighting the artistry of his own specialty in lieu of other, more demanding and time-consuming approaches, like location shooting.

This divide between artists and studio decision makers is still at issue in the American film and television industry. Studio heads with billion dollar salaries constantly try to subvert unions of skilled professionals by pursuing (as yet) non-unionized labor. The technical developments of the past century have made Earle’s approach easier to implement. However, just because you don’t have to do quite as much math, or time an actor’s movements to a metronome, does not mean that filming a combination of painted/animated and live-action elements does not involve skilled labor.

VFX artists and animators are underappreciated and underpaid. In every new movie or TV show you watch there’s scads of VFX work done even in films/shows that have mundane, realistic settings. So, if you love a film or TV show, take the effort to appreciate the work of the humans who made it, even if their work was so good you didn’t notice it was done. And, if you’ve somehow read this far, and are so out of the loop about modern filmmaking, Disney’s “live-action” remakes are animated films, but they’ve just finagled ways to circumvent unions and low-key delegitimize the skilled labor of VFX artists and animators in the eyes of the viewing public. Don’t fall for it.

VFX workers in North America have a union under IATSE, but it’s still developing as a union and Marvel & Disney workers only voted to unionize in the autumn of 2023. The Animation Guild (TAG), also under the IATSE umbrella,  has a longer history, but it’s been growing rapidly in the past year. A strike might be upcoming this year for TAG, so keep an eye out and remember to support striking workers and don’t cross picket lines, be they physical or digital!

Speaking of artistry over cost-cutting, I began this post with a mention that in the early 1920s, the American film industry was developing an inferiority complex in regard to its own artistry. This was in comparison to the European industries, Germany’s being the largest at the time. It’s frustrating to look back at this period and see acceptance of the opinion that American filmmakers weren’t bringing art to film. While yes, the emergent studio system was highly capitalistic and commercial, that does not mean the American industry was devoid of home-grown artists. 

United Artists was formed in 1919 by Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and D.W. Griffith precisely because studios were holding them back from investing in their art—within the same year that Earle began his Omar project. While salaries and unforgiving production schedules were also paramount concerns in the filmmakers going independent, a primary impetus was that production/distribution heads exhibited too much control over what the artists were trying to create.

Fairbanks was quickly expanding his repertoire in a more classical and fantastic direction. Cecil B. DeMille made his first in a long and very successful string of ancient epics. And the foreign-born children of the American film industry, Charlie Chaplin, Rex Ingram, and Nazimova, were poppin’ off! Chaplin was redefining comedic filmmaking. Ingram was redefining epics. Nazimova independently produced what is often regarded as America’s first art film, Salome (1923, extant), a film designed by Natacha Rambova, who was *gasp* American. Earle and his brother, William, had ambitious artistic visions of what could be done in the American industry and they also had to self-produce to get their work done. 

Meanwhile, studio heads, instead of investing in the artists they already had contracts with, tried to poach talent from Europe with mixed success (in this period, see: Ernst Lubitsch, F.W. Murnau, Benjamin Christensen, Mauritz Stiller, Victor Sjöström, and so on). I’m in no way saying it was the wrong call to sign these artists, but all of these filmmakers, even if they found success in America, had stories of being hired to inject the style and artistry that they developed in Europe into American cinema, and then had their plans shot down or cut down to a shadow of their creative vision. Even Stiller, who tragically died before he had the opportunity to establish himself in the US, faced this on his first American film, The Temptress (1926, extant), on which he was replaced. Essentially, the studio heads’ actions were all hot air and spite for the filmmakers who’d gone independent.

Finally I would like to highlight Ferdinand Earle’s statement to the industry, which he penned for from Camera in 14 January 1922, when his financial backers kidnapped his film to re-edit it on their terms:

MAGNA CHARTA

Until screen authors and producers obtain a charter specifying and guaranteeing their privileges and rights, the great slaughter of unprotected motion picture dramas will go merrily on.

Some of us who are half artists and half fighters and who are ready to expend ninety per cent of our energy in order to win the freedom to devote the remaining ten per cent to creative work on the screen, manage to bring to birth a piteous, half-starved art progeny.

The creative artist today labors without the stimulus of a public eager for his product, labors without the artistic momentum that fires the artist’s imagination and spurs his efforts as in any great art era.

Nowadays the taint of commercialism infects the seven arts, and the art pioneer meets with constant petty worries and handicaps.

Only once in a blue moon, in this matter-of-fact, dollar-wise age can the believer in better pictures hope to participate in a truely [sic] artistic treat.

In the seven years I have devoted to the screen, I have witnessed many splendid photodramas ruined by intruding upstarts and stubborn imbeciles. And I determined not to launch the production of my Opus No. 1 until I had adequately protected myself against all the usual evils of the way, especially as I was to make an entirely new type of picture.

In order that my film verison [sic] of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam might be produced under ideal conditions and safeguarded from intolerable interferences and outside worries, I entered into a contract with the Rubaiyat, Inc., that made me not only president of the corporation and on the board of directors, but which set forth that I was to be author, production manager, director, cutter and film editor as well as art director, and that no charge could be made against the production without my written consent, and that my word was to be final on all matters of production. The late George Loane Tucker helped my attorney word the contract, which read like a splendid document.

Alas, I am now told that only by keeping title to a production until it is declared by yourself to be completed is it safe for a scenario writer, an actor or a director, who is supposedly making his own productions, to contract with a corporation; otherwise he is merely the servant of that corporation, subject at any moment to discharge, with the dubious redress of a suit for damages that can with difficulty be estimated and proven.

Can there be any hope of better pictures as long as contracts and copyrights are no protection against financial brigands and bullies?

We have scarcely emerged from barbarism, for contracts, solemnly drawn up between human beings, in which the purposes are set forth in the King’s plainest English, serve only as hurdles over which justice-mocking financiers and their nimble attorneys travel with impunity, riding rough shod over the author or artist who cannot support a legal army to defend his rights. The phrase is passed about that no contract is invioliable [sic]—and yet we think we have reached a state of civilization!

The suit begun by my attorneys in the federal courts to prevent the present hashed and incomplete version of my story from being released and exhibited, may be of interest to screen writers. For the whole struggle revolves not in the slightest degree around the sanctity of the contract, but centers around the federal copyright of my story which I never transferred in writing otherwise, and which is being brazenly ignored.

Imagine my production without pictorial titles: and imagine “The Rubaiyat” with a spoken title as follows, “That bird is getting to talk too much!”—beside some of the immortal quatrains of Fitzgerald!

One weapon, fortunately, remains for the militant art creator, when all is gone save his dignity and his sense of humor; and that is the rapier blade of ridicule, that can send lumbering to his retreat the most brutal and elephant-hided lord of finance.

How edifying—the tableau of the man of millions playing legal pranks upon men such as Charles Wakefield Cadman, Edward S. Curtis and myself and others who were associated in the bloody venture of picturizing the Rubaiyat! It has been gratifying to find the press of the whole country ready to champion the artist’s cause.

When the artist forges his plowshare into a sword, so to speak, he does not always put up a mean fight. 

What publisher would dare to rewrite a sonnet of John Keats or alter one chord of a Chopin ballade?

Creative art of a high order will become possible on the screen only when the rights of established, independent screen producers, such as Rex Ingram and Maurice Tourneur, are no longer interferred with and their work no longer mutilated or changed or added to by vandal hands. And art dramas, conceived and executed by masters of screen craft, cannot be turned out like sausages made by factory hands. A flavor of individuality and distinction of style cannot be preserved in machine-made melodramas—a drama that is passed from hand to hand and concocted by patchworkers and tinkerers.

A thousand times no! For it will always be cousin to the sausage, and be like all other—sausages.

The scenes of a master’s drama may have a subtle pictorial continuity and a power of suggestion quite like a melody that is lost when just one note is changed. And the public is the only test of what is eternally true or false. What right have two or three people to deprive millions of art lovers of enjoying an artist’s creation as it emerged from his workshop?

“The Rubaiyat” was my first picture and produced in spite of continual and infernal interferences. It has taught me several sad lessons, which I have endeavored in the above paragraphs to pass on to some of my fellow sufferers. It is the hope that I am fighting, to a certain extent, their battle that has given me the courage to continue, and that has prompted me to write this article. May such hubbubs eventually teach or inforce a decent regard for the rights of authors and directors and tend to make the existence of screen artisans more secure and soothing to the nerves.

FERDINAND EARLE.

---

☕Appreciate my work? Buy me a coffee! ☕

Transcribed Sources & Annotations over on the WMM Blog!

See the Timeline for Ferdinand P. Earle's Rubaiyat Adaptation

[uncriticalbunny]

this fandom is full of racist and idiotic asshats and the only people i see who call this shit out are sydcarmy shippers.

@currymanganese made a post about the fandom wiki entry on sydney and carmy's relationship, which you can only guess how accurate it is. here's a link to sydney's 'the bear' wiki page as it currently appears.

this is a snippet of sydney's wonderful personality and characterization.

However, she is bad at accepting 'no' or being told not right now. Her perfectionist nature does not allow her to let go of things, either. This often causes her to push for too much, too far, too fast, and then suffer the negative consequences because she did not understand why she was being told not to do something and would not let it go or wait. In times of stress, or rebounding from being treated poorly herself, she forgets her dream of making the kitchen environment safe and can abusively lash out with the worst of them. She resents that her business and administrative skills are often more highly valued at "The Bear" than her chef and cooking skills, though she excels in those areas. She tends to come across to others as young, anxious, and very insecure, wanting a lot of reassurance, until she finds her comfortable regiment and standardized process for completing a task, which allows her talent to come through. She often feels like a fish out of water with the rest of the staff, who are older, poorer, lack formal training, and have long-established ties, but is determined to make it work if it means learning under Carmy and having some control over the kitchen she works in.

this is a snippet of sydney's season 1 section.

Sydney becomes fixated on perfecting the risotto and becomes more aggrieved with every rejection. After being told her latest version is "tremendous", yet still cannot be offered on the dinner menu, Sydney, in a minor act of petty rebellion, serves the dish to a customer. With this act, Sydney is responsible for shoving The Beef down the road to its destruction. The customer, it turns out, is a famous food critic. He writes a glowing review of The Beef, and raves about risotto. The restaurant goes viral. Carmy is peeved, because the reason he wouldn't put the dish on the menu, besides it not being ready, is because risotto is very labor intensive. They do not have the staff to make it during dinner service. Additionally, the high brow dish does not fit the fast casual nature of a sandwich shop's menu. Richie rags on Sydney with suspicion, believing she knew the customer was a critic and gave him her dish to force them to put it on the menu, and to gain herself fame. The restaurant going viral coincides with Sydney's latest innovation push to use ordering tablets and accept online to go orders. Once again going too much, too fast, they begin using the new system before they're ready. Sydney makes a fatal error with the new technology by failing to set up website parameters. As a result, the second the system is turned on, the tiny restaurant is flooded with hundreds upon hundreds of to-go orders, all due for pick up shortly and even more coming in every second. In person, customers are asking for the famous risotto…which is not on the menu. Carmy explodes at Sydney and demands she get out of the way before she keeps making the catastrophe worse, Sydney, who doesn't handle feelings of rejection or inadequacy well, spirals. She lashes out at the staff, and engages in a vicious fight with Richie, who never wanted the tablet system. After saying some truly cruel things about him as a father, Sydney stabs him, whether on purpose or on accident is uncertain, and then immediately resigns amidst the chaos.

"With this act, Sydney is responsible for shoving The Beef down the road to its destruction." IJBOL

and oh look, in season 2, sydney reconnects with claire and goes to al-anon with carmy.

Throughout the process, Sydney reconnects with Claire, who is now a resident in emergency medicine. Sydney attends Al-Anon meetings along with Carmy, discussing her search for fun.

awww sydney faces a setback when ebra stops attending culinary school and sees claire as a threat. sounds about right.

As the opening of The Bear approaches, Sydney continues to work on the menu with Tina's help. She faces a setback when Ebra stops attending culinary school. Sydney also begins to see Claire as a threat to Carmy's focus. Despite these challenges, Sydney remains committed to her role in the restaurant and prepares for the soft opening.

even better, richie alone successfully handles the situation at the soft open. she and carmy even reconcile!

During the soft opening, Sydney feels the pressure to impress her father. She runs the kitchen while Richie takes charge of the front of house. Issues arise, such as running out of forks and Carmy getting trapped in the walk-in fridge. However, Richie successfully handles the situation and takes over expediting. Sydney feels fulfilled after impressing her father, and she and Carmy reconcile.

this page is full of misogynoir and shitty, incorrect OPINIONS about sydney adamu. are these things not supposed to be objective? and yet they make sydney out to be an incompetent, jealous, hysterical, aggressive overstepper. we see this frequently on social media sites when sydney is discussed. and no one ever wants to draw attention to this for some reason. where's the news and media? the hit tweets? the constant posts complaining about this issue?

all people ever want to talk about is how sydcarmy is terrible and how shippers have terrible comprehension of the show. yet this garbage slips by all the time. maybe it's because the same people focusing all their energy on shippers hold those very same opinions, but i think a lot of people simply have tunnel vision and simply do not gaf about sydney.

it's fucking exhausting watching the general fandom treat syd as less than human and have zero understanding of her character. it's like yelling into the void. and i would very much like to know how this garbage wiki can be corrected.

[neptune-knows]

Mason - Not sure if Mason would like fish. Definitely hates underwear as a gift. Daryl - Maybe the person who upgrades tools? Likes flowers and stews. River - Likes vegetables from your farm, uses them in the soup kitchen. (but peas are for feeding ducks.) Winter - See Carter from Harvest Moon DS except much older. Likes artifacts. Sirris - Shopkeeper. Likes foragibles.

we could stretch it and make mason a sort of fisherman, or maybe he's just another young person who recently moved to the town and trying to figure out what he's doing? there would definitely be a heart event where you catch him naked swimming lol

darryl, I think he could fit as a shop keeper if not a strip club owner, though I also think that sirris might fill that role better as a general store type of thing? I do like the idea of him being a blacksmith too though. along with flowers I think he'd ljke wine gifts too

100% with river, as you raise heart levels with them you also get different recipes for soup, bread etc

and winter being the museum/artifacts etc guy I also like a lot, I'd love for him to give tips and stuff about finding artifacts and ores to some extent too? likes artifacts gifts, I think he'd also like minerals too (stuff not necessarily expensive but rare)

and yeah sirris is a shopkeeper, it would be cool if by getting closer to him you would also learn more abt sydney and all of that

I love this ask, but now I'm thinking abt whether or not the teachers should be love interests in this hypothetical game too... sydney better get ready to call me stepdad bc I'd be diving into that sirrussy

[seniouesbabes]

Lily Maymac 🌸💋🍒🌸 Maison Valentino Sydney 🤩

[cmlscommercialinteriors]

https://www.cmlsinteriors.com.au/services/office-make-good

CMLS Interior strip-out & office make good service takes your property back to its pre-lease condition, perfect for when your lease ends. For office make good, visit: https://www.cmlsinteriors.com.au/services/office-make-good

[himalia-aesthetics]

Downtown Girl Aesthetic

The downtown girl aesthetic is effortlessly cool and comfortable. This aesthetic is based on fashion trends found in downtown New York City, espcially during autumn. This aesthetic is most notably similar to that of Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls. If you enjoy autumn weather, listeing to music, reading books, and staying cozy this may be the aesthetic for you!

Visuals -

Rainy City Streets

Vintage Book / Record Stores

Subways 

Headphones

Cozy Knit Blankets

Well Worn Doc Martens 

Thrift Store

Cats

Autumn Leaves 

Travel Cups of Coffee / Tea

Canvas Tote Bags

City Lights Against the Night Sky 

Balconies

Record Players

Guitars

Colors -

Black

Brown

White

Green

Orange

Blue 

Cream

Burgundy

Beige

Clothing -

Tops -

Vintage Band Tees 

Graphic Tees

Sweaters

Long Sleeve Tees

Tank Tops (Under Outerwear)

Crew Neck Sweatshirt

Hooded Sweatshirt

Bottoms - 

Denim Jeans

Mini Skirts 

Overalls 

Baggy Pants 

Tight Pants ( With Baggy Top)

One Pieces -

Bodysuits

Short Dresses

Outerwear -

Leather Jackets

Cardigans

Corduroy Jackets

Zipper Hoodie Jackets

Baggy Flannel Shirts

Shoes - 

Converse

Doc Martens 

Combat Boots

Chelsea Boots

Platform Shoes

Loafers

Accessories -

Hair Claw Clips

Big Scrunchies

Tote Bags

Glasses

Pony Tail Holders

Headphones / Earbuds

Books

Vintage Necklaces

Tall Socks

Black Sheer Tights

Vintage Rings

Beauty -

Nail Polish 

Mascara

Light Makeup 

Chapstick 

Media / Music -

Movies -

Mean Girls 

Coraline 

10 Things I Hate About You

Paranorman 

The Corpse Bride

Heathers

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Clueless

Monsterhouse 

The Goonies

Television Shows -

Gilmore Girls 

Gossip Girl 

Anne with an E 

Derry Girls 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Gravity Falls 

Over the Garden Wall

Authors - 

J.R.R Tolkien 

H.P. Lovecraft

Oscar Wilde 

Charles Dickens 

Edgar Allan Poe 

Emily Dickinson

J.K. Rowling

Jules Verne

Playlists -

Downtown Girl by maisey !

Downtown Girl (Main Character) by rosie

An Autumn Playlist for Downtown Girls by emilie (taylor’s version)

YouTube -

downtown girl aesthetic: fashion history, inspo + styling looks by Hali’s Room

trying out the downtown girl aesthetic ✭ by sydney lee

How To Rock The Downtown Girl Aesthetic ★🎸 A Fashion Guide by THE SOPHIA JONES

a guide to Downtown Girl ♥ by Lilumultipas

Hobbies / Activities -

Listening to Music 

Thrift Shopping 

Reading 

Writing 

Researching Conspiracy Theories

Making Playlists 

Coloring / Drawing / Painting

Playing an Instrument

Baking 

Reading Fanfiction 

 Going to the Cinema 

Walks at Night with Friends

Binge Watching Television Shows 

Eating at Cafe

Related Aesthetics -

Grunge 

Academia 

Autumn 

Preppy 

Coquette

Goblincore

Uptown Girl

Sources -

Downtown Girl 

Build A Fit: How To Look Like A Downtown Girl

Pinterest

* Feel free to add additional suggestions, idea, links, ect. in the comments or tags *

[shopfittersydney]

Visit Established Fit Out Companies in Sydney Offering Design & Construction Services

For starters, business owners usually proffer consulting reputed fit out companies in Sydney offering design and construction services. Skilled designers offer their services to varying sectors that include office, retail, hospitality, educational institutes, healthcare, hotels, government and other industries. Further, they also provide refurbishment assistance for existing commercial properties to avoid major financial blow and reduce unnecessary expenditures.

Advantages of Choosing Trusted Shop Fitout Services:

Renowned companies offer shop fitouts in Sydney that includes visually pleasing structure, proper insulation, furniture, fixtures, structural foundations, and create enough space for customers to wait. They also provide assistance with installing steel beams, support, cabinets, shelves and other units to store goods. Skilled contractors also create attractive structures to showcase goods so customers could buy easily. This will also help to create best possible first impression regarding the brand.

Professional designers assist with storage requirement, brand identity, display fitting shelves along with insulation and temperature control needs. They will also create enough space for increasing customer flow so they can check out the products or wait for their turn comfortably. Skilled designers also offer aesthetically pleasing logos and colour schemes that will promote the brand in proper light through physical retail store.

Importance of Consulting Expert Designers for Fit-Out Constructions:

Well-established companies usually conduct one-to-one with their clients for understanding their vision and provide customise designs that will uplift overall aesthetics. Further, the construction management will assist with managing overheads, preliminary expenses and negotiations. Reliable designers are capable of handling small and large scale fitout projects without any hassle.

One should enquire with the best company if they are seeking for fit-out services at budget friendly packages.

Source

[lumosinlove]

Day Seven:

On the seventh day of Winterfic, Hazel gave to you, a Leo/Logan/Finn Bridgerton AU. Part One.

In short, Logan didn’t want to be the diamond of the season. He had no interest in the balls, or the white tuxedos and gowns that those eligible wore, or the deep bow he’d been trained in (and perfected, he couldn’t resist adding) since the age of seven. He didn’t need attention from the royal family, and he didn’t need a husband. He was perfectly capable of having affairs of his own—even if those so-called affairs, a red-headed one in particular—were scandalously below his rank. He could hear his mother’s voice in his head. Do you understand what you’re going to inherit one day, Logan? You’ll need a partner who can assist you, not one who is only too happy to be sleeping in a feather bed for once in their life.

“Arms out, please, my Lord.”

Logan sighed and did as he was told from where he was standing on the tailor’s pedestal. He studied the new, white set of tails in the triptych, full-length mirror. The three panels made him feel surrounded, and by himself, no less—the worst sort of being stared down.

“Look at that,” came his sister’s voice suddenly. “No wonder any self-respecting family would simply die to have those green eyes of yours appear in their heir one day. Oh, I’m sorry, did I say family? I meant any long-sheltered, child-wanting youth.”

“Do shut up,” Logan said, and looked at the tailor. “Are we almost finished, Mr. Bell?”

Mr. Bell, who had been fitting Logan since he was small, smiled at him in the mirror. “Yes, sir, almost.”

“Aw,” Noelle sighed, falling into one of the plush couches. Logan looked at her in the mirror. She was wearing a simple dress, as usual. None of the frill that seemed so in fashion these days. It was green though, like most things that the Tremblay siblings owned tended to be. “My little diamond. I remember my year. I won the season, you know.”

“I’m not the diamond. No one is, yet.”

“Yes, but Lady Whistledown predicted it might be you, so…”

“And last week she reprimanded me for my rakish habits. So…”

Noelle laughed. “God, you’re so difficult. I wonder how anyone puts up with you.”

Logan didn’t reply, just studied his own eyes in the mirror. It was something that worried him too much to have anything to say about.

“Finished, my Lord,” Mr. Bell said, and Logan shrugged out of the white jacket with relief. If he had to stare at himself for another second…

“Thank you,” Logan said, especially gentle. God, you’re so difficult. Noelle rose too as Logan retrieved his jacket and hat. He glanced back at her as they left the shop, bell tinkling above the door. “What, are you following me?”

“No,” Noelle said, stepping out into the summer air beside him. “But that’s not to say mother didn’t tell me over breakfast this morning that she’s worried you’ll bolt before the ball tonight.”

Logan tipped his hat to a few passing girls, shopping for ribbons, who giggled and stared at him as they passed—just to make Noelle roll her eyes. Which she did.

“I’m still deciding where to run away to,” Logan replied, then offered his sister his arm.

“Well, don’t.” Noelle took it and squeezed. “Don’t tell Sydney or Audrey, but you’re my favorite brother.”

“I’m your only brother.”

“Just my favorite, then.”

The Tremblay’s town house was one of the grandest on the street, though Logan missed the manor. The countryside offered more places to secret one’s self away. And for how flamboyant Lady Whistledown made Logan out to be, there was really very little he enjoyed more than privacy. Privacy that included select…acquaintances.

“Welcome back, Lord and Lady Tremblay,” said one of the butlers upon their arrival, and Logan and Noelle nodded their thanks.

“It always makes us sound—” Noelle began.

“As though we’re married?” Logan offered, and they laughed as they relieved themselves of their coats.

“Well,” Noelle said as they walked further into the house. “I’m going to see if anyone’s up for a game of cards. Care for it?”

“Uh, no.” Logan was already looking in the direction of the door that lead to the servant’s staircase. “No, I’m—hungry. I’m going to see if the kitchen has anything they’d be willing to part with before tea.”

“Logan.”

At the tone of her voice, Logan looked at her. “Noelle.”

“Don’t,” Noelle said quietly. Standing there, she looked just as he remembered her looking, always. Even when he had been a little boy. Brown hair pinned loosely at the back of her neck. The green eyes that they shared, soft, always soft with him. “Don’t. Not today.”

“What?” Logan replied, more harshly. “I’m not doing anything.”

“That’s not true.”

“It’s none of your business. None of your business at all, what I do.”

“I’m not saying it for you, I’m saying it for him.” She nodded towards the stairs. “It isn’t fair of you. Especially today. Everyone knows what the ceremony is like at the ball, and everyone knows what it means. Even the servants.”

“Oh? And what exactly does it mean?”

“Marriage,” Noelle said. “Eventually, to some Lord or Lady. Not a kitchen boy. You know this. So don’t. Don’t go see him. It’s cruel.”

Logan took a step forward. “And what if I want to marry him?”

“That’s ridiculous.” Noelle sighed. “I wish it wasn’t, but it is. He works in the kitchen, Lo. You really expect—”

She cut off as a maid came through. Logan didn’t know why. They heard everything anyway. But Logan used the silence to escape. He didn’t look at her as he held the door to the servant’s stairs open for the maid (Oh, goodness, thank you, my Lord) and then went through himself.

He could hear the kitchens before he saw them. The clank of pots, the cooks shouting instructions to each other. Chopping and sizzling and laughter. He was greeted with curtsies and bows by the few servants he passed as he walked down the corridor, and he stopped just beyond those within the kitchen’s view, just outside the doorway. He liked, at first, to be able to peer in and see what they all were up to.

He liked to see what Finn was up to.

They were preparing sandwiches for tea, and Finn was making the others laughed as they passed the ingredients around to be assembled. Logan smiled to himself as he watched, taking Finn in. His red hair was fluffed up from the heat of the stoves and ovens, and he had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows, apron tied neatly around his waist.

Logan looked forward to this moment every day. He loved how, if he stood there for long enough, eyes on Finn, Finn would eventually look up and meet his gaze. As if he could feel Logan standing there. Now, while holding butter and and a piece of bread, his eyes flicked up and found Logan’s instantly. Logan grinned and strode in.

“Oh, well,” said the head chef, Mrs. Hawkaway, with a warm smile. “Stars, I swore I just fed you breakfast, my Lord.”

Logan had been mockingly scolded by that Scottish accent for his entire life. He liked that they were all used to him visiting the kitchen and talking with them. He’d been doing it long before Finn had arrived. It made it easier to see him and avoided the suspicious looks as to why exactly he fancied the downstairs so much, so suddenly.

“And it was lovely, Mrs. Hawk,” Logan said, going over to kiss her cheek. “But don’t you know how hungry town makes a man?”

“Well, I’m sure,” Mrs. Hawk patted his cheek fondly. “But, as you can see, tea will be served in hardly a half hour.”

“Oh, yes, I see now,” Logan said. He didn’t look at Finn as he made his way over to the work table that he and the others were gathered around. He did, however, come to a stop at Finn’s shoulder. He could all but feel him fighting a smile as he set aside another perfectly made sandwich.

“Might I steal one?” Logan asked no one in particular.

“My Lord,” Finn said, and gestured to what he knew was Logan’s favorite. Ham and mustard. “Please.”

“And are you pleased by the ball tonight, my Lord?” Mrs. Hawk asked. “We’re all very thrilled for you downstairs. What a chance, to be presented before the Queen.”

“Ah,” Logan shrugged as he chewed, still walking around, still catching Finn’s eye every once in a while. “It all feels like lots of fuss, and you know me. I’d rather be…” Logan trailed off.

This was another problem he had with himself. He wasn’t the eldest, so he didn’t have the same…purpose, he supposed. Not like Noelle did. And his other sisters had found what they wanted from life. They had passions. They filled their days. They did so much more than just stand to inherit. So far, all he’d figured out was that he was very good at walking away the days. He looked at Finn who, like the others, was waiting patiently for him to finish.

And apparently very good and wanting things he couldn’t have.

“Well,” Logan tried to smile. “I’d rather be doing something else. Who knows what.”

There were a few sniggers, which Mrs. Hawk hushed. But Logan was used to that. Of course they found it ridiculous, these people who worked hard for their lives, that he had so much and yet—not much of anything.

“I’m sure,” Finn spoke suddenly. “That my Lord is fit for a great many things.”

There was no humor in Finn’s eyes. Only kindness, and maybe some sympathy. Finn had, after all, heard Logan talk about this many times. An aimless arrow.

“Thank you, Finn,” Logan said softly. He let himself look at him for another moment, then took a breath and gave his brightest smile to the room. “Well. Thank you for the pre-tea tea. I’ll be…” He looked at Finn again as he gazed around the room. “Off now.”

It was a well-worn routine of theirs by now. They had five different directions Logan might walk—many different gardens, many different corridors, that one library that no one seemed to remember anything about. Today was the library—Finn’s favorite.

And yet, as Logan arrived among the books, walked lap after lap without seeing any of the shelves, Finn wasn’t there yet. Logan had learned very quickly that Finn adored reading—it had really been the first thing Logan had learned. He’d ordered tea to this library, and of course no one really knew about it and so Finn, sent up to bring the tea to him, had gotten confused, and then lost, before finally arriving with cold tea and soggy sandwiches. He’d proceeded to just stand there in the doorway, gazing around—and giving Logan quite the look at him, too.

And Logan had made some snobbish comment suggesting Finn couldn’t read, and Finn had corrected him by reciting a bit of Shakespeare calling him a great deal of colorful insults and, well…Logan had fallen just a little bit in love.

Finally, footsteps, fast, nearly running. The door opening, Finn blowing through, out of breath.

“Sorry,” he whisper-shouted. “Sorry, sorry.” He shut the door, turned the lock.

Logan made a show of drawing his time piece out of his waistcoat.

Finn just laughed. “Thought we were on the Rose gallery. Lost track, they’ve got us running around the clock with the start of the season and everything. And we haven’t seen each other for a few days, have we? So looks like you’re running around, too.”

“I don’t run,” Logan said with a smirk.

“Oh, of course, God forbid a Lord runs,” Finn said, then grinned. “Anyway…Hello, diamond.”

Logan rolled his eyes. He made to turn away, mockingly of course, and only so Finn would take his hand and reel him back in—no one ever touched him like that. And Finn’s hands were rough from work, calloused and firm against his own skin. It made Logan want to…God, what to name first?

“I’m only joking,” Finn said. “How are you?”

Logan just hummed and leaned up to kiss him. “Better now.”

“Hm?” Finn kissed him again, then his cheek. “And what have you been up to, lover?”

“Fittings. Ugh.” Logan closed his eyes, pressing his face into Finn’s neck.

“Poor baby.”

Logan smacked at his lower back but just held tighter. Finn did the same.

“You have tea,” Finn said. “Your family is waiting, it’s all been sent up.”

“Well, you were late, so now I’ll be late, too.” Logan leaned back to press another hard kiss to his mouth. “Fuck tea.”

“Hey,” Finn laughed. “I worked hard on those sandwiches. Made the cake, too.”

“I’d prefer your cake, if you don’t mind.” Logan enjoyed Finn’s laugh, filling the space between them. “No, really, though,” Logan said, and kissed him again. “Come for walk with me?”

Finn’s smile dimmed. He sucked a breath in and cupped Logan’s cheek in his hand, then shook his head. “We shouldn’t, Lo. I want to, but we shouldn’t.”

Logan leaned into his palm. “Why not? We always go for walks.”

“I know,” Finn said softly. “I just meant not today.”

Logan straightened, heart sinking. He thought about what Noelle had said. “Finn…”

“It’s all right,” Finn said. “Really—”

“What did my sister say to you?” Logan asked. “What did she say?”

“What?” Finn asked, eyes going confused. “Nothing.”

“Fuck the ball,” Logan said more fiercely. “I won’t go.”

“You have to go,” Finn raised his eyebrows. “It’s the Queen’s ball. You’re being presented, Lo.”

Logan just rolled his eyes. “It’s feathers and—and champagne and—it’s nothing, Finn, come on. Some people care about these things, sure, but—”

“Logan,” Finn said. “Lo.” He took Logan’s hands in his own, keeping him in place. Logan could only stare at the way Finn’s thumbs rubbed gently over his knuckles. He looked so conflicted, brown eyes sad. “You…you have to care.”

Logan had been dreading this, even though they both had known it was coming. They both knew the realities but somehow, away from it all, they had managed to ignore it for a long while. Taking walks through the woods as though they were exactly the same, equal to each other. Kissing by streams as if nothing could touch them, staying up late beneath the stars to learn each other, through and through.

Finn seemed to be having similar thoughts. He brought up one of Logan’s knuckles to his lips. “Look, I…I don’t have it in me to tell you we can’t see each other anymore. I know that’s how this is supposed to go.”

Logan shook his head, almost frantically, but Finn just squeezed his hands.

“I know that—one of us is suppose to tell the other that we can’t give each other the kind of life we deserve. But I can’t do that. I can’t get those words out, I’ll never be able to. Because I’m selfish and because I—”

“I won’t go tonight,” Logan said. “I won’t.”

“It’s not about the ball,” Finn said, almost pleadingly. “Lo, you’re…” His smile was sad, resigned. “You’re going to marry. You are, that’s the life you were born into, and this, this is the life I was born into, and so it’s not going to be to me.” Finn’s words stuttered out at the end, as if he had to force them. “The ball is just tonight. I’m talking about a lot longer than that.”

Logan didn’t want to hear it. He wasn’t ready to hear it. He surged forward and wrapped his arms around Finn’s neck. “Just come for a walk with me.” He pressed their cheeks together. “Just—please, we’ll figure something out.”

“Where will we go?” Finn asked. “This isn’t the country, there’s no woods to hide ourselves away in, and we can’t just walk down the street.”

“Then I’ll sneak you upstairs.”

“Logan, no. You know that’s not a good idea.”

Logan made a frustrated sound, turned his nose into Finn’s neck again. He didn’t care what was at stake anymore. He didn’t care, he wanted this. He wanted Finn’s smiles, and the way he had taught Logan how to scramble an egg, how to make tea—laughing at him all the while for knowing so little. Tea? You don’t know how to make tea?

“Lo, you know you have to go tonight.”

Logan just squeezed his eyes shut. “I know. I know but why—why couldn’t we be…if everything was different…”

“I know,” Finn said softly. “If we could just live in here with books, and soggy sandwiches…and each other.”

“Yeah,” Logan whispered. “Yeah, I would.”

“Go the ball tonight.” Finn kissed his cheek and pulled back. “Then come home and tell me everything. I can see when carriages arrive from my room, and I’ll wait for you at the back entrance. All right? I won’t be late this time.”

Logan nodded slowly, and let Finn cup his chin gently in his hand and kiss him.

“All right?” Finn murmured against his lips, and then began to pepper his cheeks and chin with more kisses until Logan couldn’t help but smile. “Okay.” Finn smiled back, though neither of theirs quite reached their eyes. “Okay.”

Finn began to turn away, and he made it four steps towards the door before he turned back, just as Logan pushed forward and said wait.

Just one more kiss. It wasn’t nearly as playful. It was hard and Finn’s arms around him were tight and needy.

“Make sure you’re wearing that white suit,” Finn said against his mouth.

“It’s ugly,” Logan said, and took Finn’s bottom lip between his teeth.

“Not on the floor, I’d guess.” Finn took Logan’s face between his hands and kissed him hard, once more. “Gotta get back to work. And you have to get back to, you know.” Finn reached down and tapped Logan’s arse through his trousers. “Whatever it is you do all day.”

Logan just laughed, sounding love-struck even to his own ears, and gave him a push. “Go on. Don’t be late.”

Finn made a cross over his heart, pressed a kiss to his fingers and held them out towards Logan, then disappeared through the door.

[draftmare]

Quick and dirty review time!

My boot problem has been solved thanks to the wonders of Facebook groups. I found a seller with not one, but TWO pairs of Ariat boots in my size, BRAND NEW that they were selling for half of retail. So, I grabbed them both. I've only had them for a week, so here is my quick first impressions, because despite them being the exact same size, they fit very differently.

The first pair are the Ariat Kinsley dress boots. These are very much a typical "sock leather" type boot. I broke the zipper pull on one of the boots the first time I went to try them on, oops, but $30 later it has a new, much heavier duty zipper pull on it.

They are a little baggy around the back of my calf, but this is a problem I tend to have with a lot of boots. I don't so much need an XW calf in most boots for my calf itself, I need it for the area directly behind my knees. Because they are a thinner leather, they will likely be my showing, clinicing, and lessoning boots. The second pair are the Ariat V Sport boots. I have wanted a pair of these for a few years but could never seem to get my act together on buying them. I LOVE these. They fit my leg like a glove. None of the baggy behind the calf issue. If it weren't for the textured leather on the outer shaft, I might even show in them. They also have a thick, but soft leather on the inside panel that makes me hope that they will hold up to a lot of hours schooling in the saddle.

My only complaint with these is the footbed is very narrow. I am hoping that will break-in and loosen up with time and use, but the Kinsley boots had a much wider footbed right out of the box that was much more comfortable.

During the Black Friday sales I picked up the Collegiate ComfiTech Vogue bridle. A tack shop I stumbled across had it on clearance, and then let me stack their 20% off code on top of the clearance price. I have been low-key-no-key looking for a non-crank bridle for Sydney, so I decided to give this one a try.

For the price point I am pleasantly surprised with the leather quality. It's very supple out of the box, and with some leather conditioner I think it could be quite lovely. Unfortunately, I ran into a few issues with this bridle for Sydney specifically. First off, the buckle for the flash wanted to lay directly on her lips. You can see it does the same thing on the model horse as well.

This is really poor design, and I did not notice this when I was buying the bridle, or I would have passed on it entirely. The flash is fixed, so I can't slide the buckle into a better position. The other issue is that these bridles seem to run absolutely massive. I was basically on the last hole with the noseband, and I still couldn't get it to sit quite right on her face. She does have a very short face for a draft cross though. So, this was a fail for me, but hopefully somebody else will be able to use it.

Finally, I have to talk about my new favorite brand of gloves, Kunkle. I was first introduced to them 2-ish years ago when I showed up at a show without my gloves. At that time they were only offering black, mesh backed gloves, but those gloves almost immediately became my new favorite gloves. At the end of the show I went back to the tack trailer and bought another pair for schooling. During my last trip to the tack shop I discovered that they have vastly expanded their offering to include non-mesh gloves and winter gloves, of which I picked up a pair of each. Their gloves run $40 - $50, and honestly have a lot of the same good feel and quality of Roeckl, which I believe start at $60 and go on up from there. I own a LOT of pairs of Roeckl gloves, and most of them are on their last legs, so I am slowly going to be replacing them with these Kunkle gloves instead.