Category Archives: Home & Interior

Brighton residence | Spectacular home by Golden

12 October 2020

Brighton residence is a spectacular home designed to be experienced by all the senses and enriching family life wether at rest or play.

Brighton residence is an extraordinarily spectacular home designed to be experienced by all the senses and enriching family life wether at rest or play. The interior design by Melbourne based studio Golden was meticulous in its approach to giving the client not only the desired wow factor but family comforts in equal measure.

Since the clients love to entertain various seating areas are dotted around the home some intimate with dark walls and rich coloured upholstery and others larger and open to enjoy the view of the pool which has to be one of the most dramatic features. Its large viewing screen looking into the pool is accessed from the bar on the lower ground and I’m sure will be equally entertaining for adults as well as kids.

I wanted to share this home as it demonstrates that you can create opposing interiors within the same setting and enhance the overall harmony. The snug is naturally cosy with dark panelling, an open fire, tactile, shaggy seating and a large patterned rug. It is defined by its function to create closeness with the ceiling painted in a dark shade. On the same ground floor level there’s a large open plan kitchen / living / dining area with plenty of natural light that bounces off the mostly white walls.

I love that there are so many textures at play in this home from the gold pillar to smooth glass and shiny marble, deep pile shaggy seating, tactile leather, rough board and polished concrete to wood in various shades and finishes. Your eye bounces around the room and I can only imagine what fabulous parties will be held here once we’ve overcome the current pandemic.

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For more spectacular homes like Brighton Residence see studio YSG’s sophisticated materiality here and of course one of my favourites Athena Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse.

PHOTOGRAPHY | by Sharyn Cairns (with thanks)

INTERIOR DESIGN | by Golden

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Stylejuicer home renovations at no 57 – First few weeks

29 September 2020

So here we are the first few weeks of our home renovations are done and boy, what a transformation already! I love this first demolition phase. Finally, all the bits that have annoyed me, like the door handle that is loose, the badly laid laminate flooring, the brown kitchen tiles, the dripping water tap, the bifold doors that have squished more than one persons finger, walls that divided the house into a rabbit warren and so much more… it all goes in one big swoop taking just three days.

We’ve been lucky with the weather so far and though our ground floor is technically open it’s not been too cold or awkward to function as a family – though the Cowboy might disagree with me on this. However, the rain is on it’s way and because the large sliding doors at the rear take 4-5 weeks to make we will be suffering until the new underfloor heating is in and the place is water tight.

I’m genuinely fascinated by the building and renovation process and keep asking my builders how things are constructed to get a better understanding of what’s involved. They did point out that we needed a few more steels than the architect allowed for which was quite a downer as well as an extra expense. I’ve already been astonished and disappointed with how unprofessional our architect was and his lack of attention to detail. So, in my opinion if you have got a good eye and can visualise reasonably well what you want from your project, just go straight to a structural engineer to draw the plans for you and make the calculations. It seems a more efficient way of working.

Daily updates on my Instagram stories if you’re interested and check out my moodboard and before and after floorplan here.

Over and out for now.

PHOTOGRAPHY | Annie Kruse

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Sophisticated Materiality by YSG studio

21 September 2020

The sophisticated materiality in this immaculate Sydney home designed by YSG studio is just what my eye needs to counterbalance the chaos that’s currently surrounding me. In case you were wondering or don’t follow me on Instagram – we’re renovating the ground floor at the moment and dust, dirt and general failure to find anything (scissors? spatula? salt?) is getting to me.

So back to today’s feature cleverly called ‘Budge over Dover’ due to it’s location in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Dover Heights. Interior designer extraordinaire Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem of YSG studio has once again pushed boundaries and deservedly won the 2020 Australian Interior Design Award for Residential Design with this project. Often portrait as a rebel in the industry I marvel at the ease with which she pairs colours, juxtaposes materials and plays with scale.

Every room makes me want to touch and linger, there’s so much for the eye to explore and surprising details to discover. One of my favourite ones is the incredible black marble kitchen counter with cream and pale pink veins which are echoed in the terracotta flooring. The kitchen island is clad in aged brass with the most astonishing patina. Raw and polished contrasts run throughout the home creating a sophisticated materiality that takes a lot of attention to detail to get right.

It obviously helps that the homes’ dimensions are wonderfully generous giving enough space for oversized pendant lights or wall art to be adequately displayed leaving enough negative space to appreciate each object. Yasmine’s choice of colours is brave and though I would have drawn the line at the aubergine ceiling it does work well to give the living space definition and make it cozy.

I can’t get enough of this home and will definitely feature some more of Yasmine’s work in the future.

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If you’re in the mood for more stunning homes from Down Under see Madeleine Blanchfield’s stunning home here or check out one of my favourite cafes in Melbourne.

PHOTOGRAPHY | by Prue Ruscoe (with thanks)

INTERIOR DESIGN | YSG Studio

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Stylejuicer home renovations at no 57

14 September 2020

Finally, I can share with you that our home renovations are starting this week and I’m equal parts excited and scared. We had a date for early May but because of Covid and the schools having to close we had to push the date back to the beginning of September which then turned into mid September. So it’s been an anxious wait but we’re at the start line and I’ll be documenting the s*** out of it over on my Instagram account, builders bums et al. Just follow the hashtag #homerenovationsatno57.

But let me back up briefly to give you some context. When I came to the UK from Germany in 1997 I was amazed by how dated homes and home building technology was. From draughty sash windows to freezing cold or boiling hot water taps – there seemed to be no happy medium, you either scalded your hands or froze your fingers. And don’t get me started on the (lack of) heating and ‘cozy’ fireplaces that are only warm when you sit right in front of them. Or the solid brick walls with no insulation whatsoever, causing condensation and black mould which is so bad for your health.

At first I tried to see the charm in it all which worked for a good few years but every time I went back to Germany I appreciated the home my parents had built in 1981 more and more. We had underfloor heating, mixer taps to regulate the water temperature, double and triple glazed doors and windows. There may have been a blizzard outside but you wouldn’t have known sitting inside. And BTW those windows still look like new and are still as sealed as ever. Later on my parents installed solar panels meaning we produced our own electricity and even had surplus to sell to the grid. If I’ve learned anything from my parents it’s that there are essential items in your home you should not save on – windows, doors, insulation and heating are some of them. I’m eternally grateful to them for opening my eyes to these sustainable technologies which weren’t even as pressing in the late 1980s as they are now.

So, what’s the plan for your home renovations you may be wondering. Well, since we have a pretty nondescript 1930s house and period features like cornicing and fireplaces were stripped out a long time ago, we felt no pressure to restore any of it. We could finally go for the modern look and equally modern technology we so craved for our home. The renovation will involve most walls on the ground floor being demolished which in turn will mean some steelwork to support the structure. In addition we are installing a wet underfloor heating system and new double glazed windows and doors. Solar panels are another long standing wish for us but that will come in the future when we’ve recovered from hemorrhaging money.

Writing this blog for the best part of 8 years now has helped enormously to hone in on my own style, my true north and though I appreciate a lot of different styles and settings I’ve always been a fan of simple modern design – it’s my start line after all. You’ll see a mostly monochrome colour palette with restraint materials and interesting textures. Clean lines, statement pieces (in time) and one-off flea market finds will add accents. But natural light will become the key player and there will be a connection to the garden and outdoors throughout the seasons.

This just leaves me to ask you to join me in crossing all my fingers and toes that everything goes according to plan with our home renovations which – let’s face it – is an oxymoron in 2020. Que sera sera…

Some of the homes I’ve featured on Stylejuicer have become inspirations for our ground floor renovation and I’ve included some shots in my mood board above. If you’d like to see more of them just hit the links below:

Residence with Crittall style windows and doors

Converted warehouse by Lisa Koehler

New York loft in Tribeca by Soren Rose studio

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MOODBOARD | all photography via my Pinterest boards

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Obsessed with Athena Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse

7 September 2020

A glimpse into Athena Calderone's Brooklyn townhouse where the multi-hyphenate has been cooking up a storm with her new book Live Beautiful.

I’m currently obsessing about Athena Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse which I’m sure you’ve caught glimpses of everywhere if you’ve been anywhere near the internet.

But let me introduce the wonderful Athena before I move on to her immaculate home. On her podcast ‘more than one thing’ she describes herself a multi-hyphenate and laughs at her long list of talents and accomplishments. She’s an author, interior designer, cook, recipe developer, entertaining expert, creative director, stylist and storyteller. And from where I’m sitting she’s highly accomplished at all of the above.

However, what makes her so likeable are her open and honest admissions that she too has many insecurities and doubts and suffers from imposter syndrome like the rest of us. In her mid twenties when all her friends were forging a career for themselves in the city she had a baby and found herself quite isolated from city life in the then unfashionable Dumbo district in Brooklyn.

Her husband – a successful producer and DJ – travelled a lot during those days so Athena decided to follow one of her passions and learn about cooking. This neatly combined her passion for entertaining and on to throwing the most amazing dinner parties. Trying out her new skills on friends who still remember dreamy table settings, lighting, music and of course Athena’s outfits which would always be stunning! By her own admission she worked hard at making everything look effortless, saying she loves beauty and how transformative design can be.

This totally resonates with me as the pleasure I get out of creating beauty around me through design, be it in interiors, gardening, on screen or in print far outweighs the often hard work and months of research that went into it. I also completely agree with the premise of her podcast which reveals how each of her hand selected (admired!) guests got to where they are by following a non-linear path, allowing themselves to pivot and explore, question and scrutinise. All her guests are creative minds who share advice on ‘how to design your dream life’.

Now, the cynical Northern European in me thinks this sounds like a tall order (to be polite) but Athena conducts her interviews with so much charm and humility, always willing to share her own struggles and failings and I can’t help but find her simply wonderful.

So, on to her Brooklyn townhouse which has made waves throughout the world not least because rather fortuitously the stars aligned when she launched the podcast just before her design book ‘Live Beautiful’ came out, coinciding with the majority of the Western world going into COVID-19 lockdown. Willingly or not we all became homebodies overnight and the DIY and makeover projects started. Interest in our homes and immediate surroundings has spiked and even the biggest workaholic has realised that our home environment has a profound impact on our mental wellbeing.

Though only a tiny percentage of us can truly relate to marble worktops or vintage designer sofas with a price tag of a small car, Athena’s home has given many of us much needed inspiration and aspiration during this scary pandemic. Imagine, if I were to display a huge branch in a vintage terracotta vessel I can be a teeny tiny bit like her – and that makes me feel good.

Her passion, eye for detail and creative flair comes through in every eclectic object she has carefully curated and put on display in her Brooklyn townhouse. I love her vintage finds from antique shops, 1stdibs and etsy. The fact that repurposing and recycling are part of her style also means she values sustainability. Athena assures her audience that the picture perfect living room on the ‘parlour floor’ is actually super cosy and is where she and her family sit every morning. She does not comment on how she stops Tuco the gorgeous dog from crashing into her numerous vintage ceramic vessels, often placed on beautiful pedestals. However, she does comment on no caring too much about staining her stunning Calacatta Paonazzo work surfaces during her cooking demonstrations – instead embracing the imperfections and letting the materials develop a rustic patina.

Athena, if you’re reading this (or your intern whose been asked to search for hashtags on you) please don’t stop exploring, pivoting and surprising us with new ideas. You are a breath of fresh air and even though you’ve been dubbed ‘the modern girl’s Martha Stewart’ by T Magazine you’ll always be my beauty guru.

Now, scroll down and delve into these stunning photos of Athena’s home and if you’d like a ‘private’ tour by her head over here to Architectural Digest.

THE KITCHEN

THE ENTRANCE

THE LIVING ROOM

THE FIRST FLOOR LANDING

THE MASTER BEDROOM

THE MASTER BATHROOM

THE STUDIO

THE FAMILY ROOM

THE TEENAGER’S BEDROOM

You can see another stunning Brooklyn townhouse reno over here or head into the City and see a beautiful loft conversion here. _______________________________________________________________________________________

PHOTOGRAPHY | by Nicole Franzen (1st shot) all others by Sarah Elliott (with thanks)

PODCAST | more than one thing by Athena Calderone

BLOG | Eyeswoon

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