Oct 23

A before and after e-project

Posted in fabrics, mix it up, projects/ my work

One of my interstate clients sent me some photos today of the progress we have made in her bedroom redecoration, and I thought you might enjoy a look at the changes. I used to do quite a bit of work for e-clients, where all the work was done via email and photos sent back and forth. It was a great way to pick up work when I first started my own business and most of my clients found me via this blog.

 

These days my Melbourne and in-person work keeps me very busy, and I don’t really do email work anymore, but this bedroom shows that it is possible to make cosmetic changes solely via email- without ever meeting the client!

 

When this client contacted me she had a bland bedroom that she didn’t love. Baby number 2′s arrival was imminent and she wanted the bedroom to be more colourful, more cosy and more welcoming. She wanted colour and pattern against a base of black and white, with some Asian and ethnic influences. Here are the ‘before’ shots:

There was a lot of pine, in the floor, the bed and the bedside lamps. The client had already recently painted the room, and wanted to keep the black Louis chair, the Chinese screen above the bed and the Indian gown, but was happy for everything else to go!

We opted to keep costs down by retaining the existing white bedside tables, but added some colour with accessories and lamps. Here is how it looks now:

It made sense to stick with the original layout with the bed against the old fireplace. We covered a lot of the pine floorboards with a bright green Madeline Weinrib rug, and switched the old pine bed for a custom-made black upholstered headboard, behind a white bed from Ikea that also provides some under-bed storage.

 

We got rid of the old mannequin and instead hung the Indian gown on a white Chinese ladder. The wooden lamps were replaced with yellow ginger jar bases and shades made with a Florence Broadhurst fabric. We added a bone inlay stool and suzani, ikat and trellis fabrics for the cushions to bring in an ‘ethnic’ influence.

 

The chevron yellow and green storage baskets for the shelves in the bedsides are still on the way, and we need some more artwork for the wall, but overall much more cheerful!

Naomi xx

 

 

 

comments: 5 » tags: , , , , , ,
Oct 20

Saturday House of Inspiration

Posted in art walls, classic style, Saturday House of Inspiration

It’s been awhile since I’ve shown a Saturday House of Inspiration, but I’ve seen a few lately that are worth sharing. One of my favourite new blogs - new in that I have only recently discovered it but I think it’s a fairly new blog also - is Bumble at Home, a blog about a Shi Tzu’s life at his stunning Southern Highlands property. But he also visits many stylish homes in Sydney, and one of these belongs to Robyn Holt.

You might remember Robyn from the tv show The Renovators last year, but she is also an ex-Editor of Vogue Living among numerous other achievements in the worlds of publishing, fashion and interiors. So as you can imagine her home is very stylish, and filled with fantastic photography and artefacts from her time working overseas.

I was interested in seeing Robyn’s home because I have clippings in my ‘inspiration files’ of her home - it must have been her previous one - that was featured a few years ago in Vogue Living. It had been decorated by Marco Meneguzzi, and was absolutely stunning, though a lot more pared-back than this current home. I’ll have to dig out those clippings and show you. I do recognise the pair of timber-framed armchairs in her living room from that spread.

 

I love the little desk nook above between the french doors and the bookcase. It just goes to show you that you don’t need a separate room to have a potential work space. Again ( I commented on similar doors in a post a few days ago), I love the arched top to the french doors- imagine how different it would be without it!

The colour scheme is pretty monochromatic and is mainly a sophisticated combination of greys, whites and neutrals, with a hint of aubergine and pink in the ikat pillows.

Look at all the great black and white photography! What a fantastic collection.

Another great shot of this interesting ‘bookshelf corner’. Notice how it’s the natural elements that bring the room to life- here it’s the white orchid and the red coral branch. And is any really stylish home ever without a fiddle-leaf fig tree? They can be a little hard to source here in Australia, and I am told quite a temperamental plant, but they are very elegant and light-looking as an indoor bit of live greenery.

This is one of the my favourite displays in Robyn’s home; I love the opaque glass lantern, the symmetrical pairs of antique chairs, wall sconces and tall green ginger jars. And I love that huge grey abstract painting paired with all the more classic elements.

The dining area is small but stylish, and looks larger because of the mirrored inserts beside the fireplace. Love those autumn leaves!

Robyn’s husband Jim in their library, with it’s floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and lovely leather wing chair.

The courtyard’s water feature and wall of Chinese star jasmine (I’m guessing here?).

The hallway seems to be a few steps up from the entry area, where a lacquered black Chinese console table sits under a stunning big black and white fashion photo. You can see throughout the home little hints of Robyn’s time spend working around the world.

I hope you found this home as inspiring as I did! Have a great weekend.

Naomi xx

comments: 3 » tags: , , , , , ,
Oct 19

Magazine shoot at a recent project

Posted in Hamptons style, projects/ my work, Uncategorized

I got the opportunity to do some styling this week for a magazine shoot at one of my clients’ homes. It was so much fun! Working on the stage 1 renovation of this house was one of my favourite jobs of the year, mainly because the clients are such great people, but also because we agreed on everything and from the beginning saw the same vision of how the house could ultimately look. The full spread will be published early next year, and I’ll give you a heads up closer to the time.

 

Have a great weekend and see you next week!

Naomi xx

comments: 4 » tags: , , , , ,
Oct 18

Shopping for Windsors

Posted in Hamptons style, Shopping

I’ve been looking around at Windsor chairs for a current Hamptons-inspired redecoration project. There are a lot of beautiful antique Windsors around if you know where to look, and nothing beats the aged patina and authenticity of these beautiful old pieces. But there are also quite a few reproductions to be seen, some of which are beautifully handmade and some of which give you the general ‘Hamptons’ look, but which are perhaps missing the love and care in their production.

 

Not everybody cares about having pieces in their home with a history, but on this particular project the client and I agree we don’t want everything to be brand new. I love antiques and the idea of living with pieces that families before yours have also lived with and used. There is real magic in history if you ask me. The beauties in the top 4 photos above, a cabriole-leg Windsor and the wheelback dining chairs, are from all-press antiques here in Melbourne.

Have a great day,

Naomi xx

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
comments: 6 » tags: , , , , ,
« Previous