Stalking the other half of a concrete block warehouse

As promised yesterday I'm stalking the other half of a warehouse in Melbourne's Collingwood. What a difference! Yesterday's conversion was modern industrial. Today's is a mix of traditional, eclectic, a touch of industrial meets country kitchen and a whole lot of designer loft. Not surprisingly it is the studio of interior designer Diane Bergeron. Part design studio, part client showroom, part inner city pad. And it has that ceiling high bookcase that is featured on thousand upon thousands of Pinterest boards. It sold last month for $1.8 million. Link here while it lasts.

Click to read more ...

In another life

In another life I live in this fabulous house in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. In another life that imposing living room with its Hans Wegner chaise and Serge Mouille lighting is mine. The chandeliers, the vintage finds, the deeply moody wood panelled den, the extravagant bathroom and that garden room, oh that garden room. In real life it belongs to Brigette Romanek who, along with Estee Stanley, is the creative force behind Hancock Design.

Click to read more ...

Ode to Color - Lori Weitzner

I was sent the newly launched book Ode to Color: The Ten Essential Palettes for Living and Design by textile designer Lori Weitzner before Christmas and didn't get a chance to peruse it, much less prepare this post until now. I am sorry it took me so long because this book is delicious - a perfect addition to the stack on your coffee table. This book is truly a journey into the world of colour, and takes an in-depth look at the ten essential "color worlds". Lori shares with us the connections to color on a psychological and spiritual level. "What connects them in a level of engagement: they speak to the senses on an emotional level, influencing our moods and jogging memory, and simply speaking to who we are, functioning as a form of self-expression." The photos that accompany her thoughts are beautiful examples that really demonstrate the impact color has on our lives. It is truly a lovely book, from HarperCollins Publishers. You can ger yourself a copy here. 

WATERSIDE (cool blues, grays)

SILVERLIGHT (pewter, silver)

GARDEN PARTY (pink, peach, lilac, lavendar)

Click to read more ...

Books from The Vendome Press

I got my grubby paws on a few new books from The Vendome Press recently and they are coffee table must-haves that are of the leave-on-top-of-the-pile variety so you can peruse them over and over again. 

First up is Signature Spaces: Well-Traveled Interiors by Paolo Moschino & Philip Vergeylen, photography by Simon Upton. This lavishly illustrated volume explores the interior world of Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen, the talented duo behind the award-winning design studio Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam Limited. The process by which their varied sources of inspiration translate into material form is explored in detail in Signature Spaces. The book takes you on a visual journey through Moschino and Vergeylen’s world. Illustrated with hundreds of stunning photographs and drawings, the book reveals projects from all over the world, together with pictures of people and places that continue to be a source of inspiration for them on their continuous search for beauty. I have been a fan of their design studio for many years so I was super excited about this one, and it did not disappoint. Glam, chic, elegant, luxurious...the spaces featured in this book are all of that and more. And as an added bonus, under the dust jacket is leopard print!

Click to read more ...

A labour of love

Originally two keepers cottages this West Sussex flint house was extended and remodelled but not into a modern McMansion. No. Something just a little more special was achieved. Newly constructed rooms were given character and warmth with the extensive use of reclaimed oak and elm timbers and old York stone slabs. A modern glass link almost disappears while allowing light to flood into this quintessentially English home. Even the "new" oak beams were hollowed out to hide modern services. Truly a labour of love. Eckensfield by Caroline Holdaway Design.