I have just started work on a great project in a penthouse apartment in a 1930’s building in Elizabeth Bay. The client needed to update a study/ TV room, as well as re-doing the furniture in the sitting, dining and master bedrooms. We are considering a dramatic, masculine scheme that will provide contrast and texture: Pierre Frey velvets, woven sheers & leathers,Schumacher embroideries and chunky Mokum linens…
These are some furniture and lighting options…a very unstructured mood board!

Just at the beginning of a great project in Rose Bay. Fabulous house but the interiors need warmth and some character. Just ordered everything and are waiting for pre- Christmas arrivals…
The scheme for the sitting room, sofas loose covered in a washed white linen, Bianca chairs by Tacchini from Stylecraft in blue velvet, Fold rug from Armadillo, scatters in Mokum multi coloured painterly fabric and finally an ottoman in animal print from Clarence House! can’t wait to see it all installed.

The foyer will have a collection of these gorgeous ikat fabrics from Schumacher, teamed with a Zuster stella table in dune finish and topped with a fabulous orchid, ready to go in it’s Orient House basket! The master bedroom curtains are on the right in this shot – a pair of Jonathan Adler Canning End tables in white polyurethane with perspex knobs will complete the fresh scheme.

.

So thrilled and excited that the Rose Bay house was included in Belle’s first book: Beautiful Australian Homes. Thank you again to Molnar Freeman Architects and a wonderful client!

Well, home is chugging along. Since I last posted (a little while ago!) we have finished the downstairs level and the pool (nearly). The next big things are the balconies, the front of the house and then the top floor interior. There is still so much to do – progress is slow but steady… The aim is to really focus on our own home next year and just get it done!
I wanted the stone cladding to look natural and not like the standardised strips of most stone veneers. We were lucky enough to work with a great stonemason, Ian, who completely understood what we wanted. He spent 4 weeks cutting the stones individually to create a wonderful organic randomness of the final finish.
The garden around the pool has been planted. The fence is so ugly, we have planted white camellia’s down the side fence and then lilli pilli along the back. Eventually they will grow and block the view of the fence and the underside of the pool opposite us. The intention is that it will feel enclosed and private inside a green walled garden.




The bottom floor of the house has been transformed. I’m so happy with the finishes, just love the feeling of calm and peace generated by using stone flagging and quiet greys on the walls. The ceiling is lined in antique gold wallpaper – my bit of bling! just love how it subtly adds a textural dimension to the space.

The bench tops are made of bronze, I am embracing the inevitable “patina” that will occur in the spirit of brave experimentation! I loved the warmth of the bronze echoed by the ceiling colour. The handles are from Pierre and Charlotte and make the kitchen look so elegant, like opening the cupboards with wooden ribbons…

The table has temporary residence in this area, it will be moved outside once the balconies are finished. We will have sofas, rugs etc in this space. The original door will be replaced with a steel one to match the new ones on this floor. The laundry and additional storage are concealed behind natural oak bi- fold doors.

My husband and I went to London in February to visit his daughter and her family. Popped into Soane, Conran, Chelsea Design Centre and the Guy Bourdin exhibition. Loved spending time at the V&A, such an incredible institution and cultural resource. We stayed in the Cotswolds – went into Tetbury and rummaged through fabulous antique shops, although purchases tended to be concentrated on items of clothing that had insulating properties!

The brilliant and influential Guy Bourdin. Exhibition at Somerset House.

Nicholas Haslam shop – loved the coffee table…that’s me in 3000 layers in the mirror

Soane

Conran

Adored these pots/ urns from an Antique shop in Tetbury – Richard flatly refused to consider as hand luggage…

Flowers in Tetbury – I adore how the English use planters for Spring bulbs to display inside, just beautiful.

I was approached to help resolve the problems posed by a dining room in Kingsford. The house had undergone a significant renovation but the dining room had become a thoroughfare between the entrance of the house and the kitchen. The client’s aim was to re-create a sophisticated and glamorous private dining room feel in her house. She has an extensive wine collection that she wanted to display, and wanted more storage for all the paraphernalia associated with young children as well (not that the two are linked…)
She loved the idea of mid-century cabinetry and in response I designed joinery that incorporated the open and closed elements that characterise that style
The kitchen is visible from the dining room and the new cabinets share the same colour to give continuity to the design. I clad the alcove in wood to create a warm and organic backdrop for the highly textural Judith White art work from BMG Art. The lights are the Orient,from Cult and the joinery was made by the wonderful Hoffman Interiors.

.

Well the Masseria is open! I visited again this year in February: struggling with the cold, the flu and the lack of progress…Rob was amazing. His courage and determination are an inspiration and without his dogged and relentless determination his dream would not have been realised. I will go back early next year to tweak and get some shots for my website. In the meantime here are some shots of work in progress/ nearing completion…
Me looking like Raiders of the Lost Decorator – so cold….

the slate lined pool being tiled



The dining room looking towards the courtyard

the kitchen

The little bonsai olive trees – looking wonderful! The tiles on the top of the table are salvaged from the original floors and are hundreds of years old…