REFERENCING BRICK COLOUR FOR MELBOURNE CAFE

30 October 2018

I’m currently swooning over this brick colour for Melbourne cafe Bentwood Fitzroy set in the old Thonet showroom. In case this doesn’t mean anything to you, German heritage furniture brand Thonet were the designers of what became known as the ‘bentwood chair’, a design classic and icon that has been imitated all over the world, and now referenced in the cafe’s name.

Ritz and Ghougassian who designed the interior of the cafe paid homage to the Thonet company’s former showroom by including their iconic bentwood chairs as seating and I love how the fine joinery and light timber contrasts with the roughly painted brick walls and massive concrete pillars. Though my favourite has to be the russet red brick colour used throughout on solid and perforated metal sheeting. Interestingly it’s also used on the deep pocketed ceiling which I imagine helps with the acoustics and creates interesting shapes of light and shadow throughout the day.

Owner and local coffee connoisseur Julien Moussi, gave Ritz and Ghougassian a wonderful brief asking them to create “a unique space that pushed what a cafe should look and feel like”. In my opinion they’ve delivered exactly that and if you live in the Fitzroy neighbourhood I urge you to pop in and report back to me – I know this would definitely be one of my favourite places to hang out.

You may also fall in love with another Ritz and Ghougassian project, a courtyard extension I featured a few weeks ago here. Get ready to swoon – again!

MORE INFORMATION | Ritz & Ghougassian Studio
PHOTOGRAPHY | Tom Blachford with thanks

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OUR CONTEMPORARY LUXURY BEDROOM MAKEOVER

23 October 2018

[AD] It’s been a loooong time coming but I can finally show you our bedroom makeover today – all contemporary luxury but kept very minimal. Looks easy, right!? But looks can be deceiving and it definitely wasn’t as straight forward as we had hoped.

One thing I was very sure about from the outset was the colour scheme I wanted for the bedroom, calm and relaxing but also moody and cosy. Sort of European city break boutique hotel. The challenge was of course that unlike a boutique hotel room it also had to accommodate all our clothes and a few spare duvets, sports gear and general bits ‘n bobs that you don’t need every day but need to keep at close hand. So storage was the key but we were lucky that the bedroom came with lots of inbuilt storage so all good, right!? Well… not quite.

The inbuilt storage looked… ok – not completely my taste but good enough with a fresh lick of paint. However we started noticing that our clothes were slightly damp when we took them out of the drawers in the morning and after much deliberation we decided to investigate.

To our shock we found that the whole wall behind the cupboards was wet and partially covered with black mould. Yuk! We got a damp expert in as we feared that water was coming in from the outside but he reassured us that the reason was a lack of ventilation behind the inbuilt cupboards and condensation rather than damp was our problem.

As we’re talking about a 1930ies solid brick wall with no cavity wall insulation we had to somehow insulate the wall from the inside and after some late night research we found wallrock, a thermal liner for the wall that regulates the temperature and prevents any condensation and therefore mould forming. So out came the cupboards and in came wallrock and some new free standing units that leave enough ventilation behind them and can also easily be moved. Fingers crossed so far we’ve not had any more problems but the real test is coming over the next 6 months when the cold is setting in.

Our mould problem was the impulse that caused the ‘renovation snowball effect’ and we had to get rid of the rest of the inbuilt cupboards in the bedroom until it everything was stripped back. We replaced the old horizontal radiator with a sleek vertical one that freed up the wall opposite the bed and we put up some huge IKEA Pax wardrobes in – a bit of a DIY challenge with more than a few swear words uttered but in the end we managed.

Choosing colours was easy in comparison as I had done my research at the lovely Farrow & Ball shop in Bath a few months earlier. I decided to paint the main feature wall in Railings, which is more blue than black and a softer alternative giving the room sophistication and drama. Our bed which was on order from made.com was going to be upholstered in a dark grey felt so it would blend in nicely with the dark wall. For the rest of the walls I chose Ammonite, a beautiful neutral light grey, neither too warm nor cool, just a perfectly calm and subtle choice for the bedroom. The ceiling, skirting and doors were to be brilliant white to blend in with the white furniture.

Until the very end I wasn’t totally convinced it would all work together but having lived and slept in the room for a good few months now I can’t tell you how happy I am with the result.

Selecting the soft furnishings and bedside lights were the icing on the cake but strangely it took me a really long time to settle on a complementary colour scheme. In the end I went for lots of texture with velvet, linen, knit and cotton adding a splash of autumnal burnt ochre with the linen bedspread and tassel cushion all from H&M Home who are fast becoming my favourite homewares shop. The Anglepoise original 1227 mini wall lights are a nod to my love of all things industrial and make the room look so cosy and comfortable as well as giving the best bedside reading light.

It’s become a real sanctuary and the cowboy and I make sure it’s a kids free zone. A rule that is sometimes hard to police but since the kids have got their own fantastic bedroom makeover I can’t see why they would want to take over ours. Watch this space for their bedroom makeover which is coming up in a few weeks.

PHOTOGRAPHY | Annie Kruse

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PLACES TO GO | LOUVRE ABU DHABI BY JEAN NOUVEL

11 October 2018

I was seriously excited when I came across photos by Luc Boegly and Sergio Grazia of the new Louvre Abu Dhabi and the more I read up on it the more it becomes transparent just how extraordinary Jean Nouvel’s design is.

His vision of a Souk inspired cluster of buildings floating out in the Persian Gulf on a man-made island took no less than 8 years to complete and is nothing like any gallery you’ve seen before. There is a great time lapse video below which will give you a sense of the proverbial and real mountains that were moved to bring this piece of architecture to life. It’s the French Musee de Louvre’s first outpost and the defining feature of a floating dome spans 180 meters covering semi-outdoor spaces.

I’m absolutely fascinated by the dome which is made from multiple layers of iconic geometric stars made of steel that offer protection from the hot Middle Eastern sunshine yet let just enough light through to create ever changing patterns when walking along the plazas and galleries underneath. This incredible feat of engineering was brought to life by Bruno Happold and Andy Pottinger who had to computer simulate 23 models for the dome before the pattern and the harnessing of light had just the right porosity and was true to Nouvel’s original vision.

I’ve not really had any urges to visit the United Arab Emirates but after seeing these photos I’m fascinated and I suddenly find Abu Dhabi top of my travel list, especially since there will also be a Guggenheim designed by Frank Gehry and the Foster + Partner-designed Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat Island. Watch this space!

MORE INFORMATION | Louvre Abu Dhabi
PHOTOGRAPHY | Luc Boegly and Sergio Grazia

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PLACES TO GO | FARMER J, LONDON

9 October 2018

I love it when I come across new places to go, especially when they’re on my doorstep, like eaterie / bar / coffee shop Farmer J in the City of London where you can spend happily all day starting with a healthy breakfast, followed by an Israeli inspired lunch and cocktails and dinner in the evening.

A versatile brand and offering that needed an equally versatile space which is designed with a pale wooden clad counter on one side and a herringbone tiled cocktail bar on the opposite. In between you can find a mix of booths and stools as well as communal tables for eating alone, a deux or in larger groups. Melbourne based multidisciplinary studio Biasol was tasked to design the interior and they’ve given it a fresh natural feel with their choice of sage green tiles, pale wooden furniture and use of plants throughout.

Talking about their inspiration for the project Biasol say: “We were inspired by the founder’s Israeli background and the food and architecture of Tel Aviv. With materials, colours and textures evocative of Israeli food and architecture, the space is casual, unpretentious and authentic, balancing functionality and atmosphere.”

I can’t wait to go!

INTERIOR DESIGN & BRANDING | Biasol
PHOTOGRAPHY | Focal Interior Photography

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COURTYARD EXTENSION BY RITZ AND GHOUGASSIAN

4 October 2018

I seem to be drawn to Australian architecture and interior design at the moment especially this amazing contemporary courtyard extension to a traditional federation-style cottage in the leafy suburb of Prahran in Melbourne.

Maybe it’s the incredible light that brightens up even the darkest interior down under or maybe it’s the holiday vibe that comes with lush greenery and inside outside living spaces that have me captivated!? Actually, I think the Australians have a real ease mixing materials, textures and colours. They take the best from the rest of the world and give it their own twist.

Today’s home by Ritz and Ghougassian is no exception with industrial block work unplastered and raw inside and outside in stark contrast to the calm and serene white washed courtyards at both ends of the extension. The space is contemporary and minimal with dark wooden cabinets and a large plump sofa from which you’d struggle to get me up. Good job the sofa is likely to be out of my price range.

If you like this courtyard house you’d enjoy this one and drool over this one too. Hope this has cheered you up.