LA style in London

I fell head over heels in love with with this London home by L.A. Designers Carole Katleman and Daniel Cuevas when I first saw it published in Belle magazine this time last year. Needless to say I was happily surprised to see it published again in Interiors, this time with photos of spaces not previously published. The bones of the house are grand and beautiful, but to me its the colour palette, the mix of furniture and the artwork that make this place truly breathtaking. Enjoy!

The stunning Drawing Room (maybe too much white for me, but I love the crispness of it) features custom furniture by the designers, the painting above the fireplace is by Ugo Rondinone, to the right is a piece by Christopher Wool.

A view of the Dining Room leading into theDrawing Room. The painting on the right hand side is also by Ugo Rondinone, the table is French Deco paired with neoclassical chairs.

The chaise at one end of the Drawing Room is by the designers, the painting is by Richard Prince.

A view of the opposite end of the Drawing Room. I love how fresh and crisp this room feels. The carpets are by Patterson, Flynn & Martin and the painting is by Bernard Frize.

Looking into the Library from the Entry. The chesterfield sofa is by Linley, the photographs above are by Marcelo Krasilcic. The chairs flanking the doorway are by Gio Ponti.

Looking into the Office from the Library (I am particularly in love with this room). The regency chair on the left is from JF Chen and the stool is 60's French. The painting over the fireplace in the office is by Maurizio Cattelan.

The Master Bedroom's Office has a Jacques Adnet desk and chair.

A view of the Master Bedroom looking towards the lady of the house's Dressing room. Seating on either side of the cabinet is custom by the designers.



And last, but definitely not least, this stunning room...which I can't find any specific information on. The walls appear to be leather-lined, which is paired beautifully with a gloss paint finish and metal fireplace. The colours are breathtaking and compliment the art perfectly.


Photographed by Richard Powers for Interiors magazine Aug/Sept 2010, and Belle Australia Aug/Sept 2009.

cool ceramics

I'm totally loving the work of London-based ceramicist Solomia Zoumaras. Her designs are inspired by 20th Century design and architecture and are not only mathematically precise - they fit together like lego blocks! I love the funky shapes and rich colour glazes on the insides...I might just have to track me down one of these when I'm in London...

Revisiting old favorites...

My impending trip to London has me revisiting some old favorites from my files...this one is a family home decorated by Paolo Moschino.

Pale neutral walls teamed with dark wood floors, great art and a mix of furniture is always a winner in my eyes. The dining room is a great mix of old and new, and the touches of pink are subtle but chic. To be honest though, any room with a Francis Bacon hanging is going to be good as far as I'm concerned. I love the colour palette in the living room, as well as the 4 Vipers series by Philip Taaffe. I fell in love with his work after seeing a piece from the same series hanging in another incredibly chic London home by Jacques Grange. That's not all these two home owners have in common...they're also both friends of Valentino - as if they'd be anything other than chic!

Images photographed by Simon Upton from the April 2009 edition of Elle Decor.

Spanish style

I love it when you see something done in a way that makes you rethink your original opinion. I don't (or should I say - didn't) like stone floors....but these? Beautiful. Who would've thought to put a border in the same stone but a textured finish? I have to be honest, I'm not sure I would have. And I love the narrow black border. Not to mention the bookshelves...

This image was originally posted by I Suwannee, and then by Habitually Chic, and I'm so glad the mystery was solved and we now know who is behind this room. The seriously talented Spaniard, Isabel López-Quesada, was already a fave, but this has cemented it. Go check out Nuevo Estilo for the rest of the images of this beautiful apartment.

an eye on Hong Kong

Monocle - one of my favorite magazines - finally opened their permanent store and Asian news bureau last week in the cool Star Street district of Wan Chai. Stocking back issues of the magazines as well as a curated range of product collaborations including books, posters and CDs, its just another excuse to spend some time in one of my favorite neighbourhoods. If you're in Hong Kong and want to check it out the address is Shop 1 Bo Fung Mansion, 1 - 4 St. Francis Yard, Wanchai. The shop is open from 11am to 7pm daily.

And while you're at it, check out my friends store directly across the road - "Blouse-ripped". A range of stylish creations for women by a local designer - its at 15 St Francis Yard. Shop til you drop!

Nika Zupanc

Happy Friday everyone! It's been a long week for me, but has been brightened somewhat with the discovery of Slovenian designer Nika Zupanc's work. She's had a bit of press coverage lately with features in Wallpaper and the Australian Belle magazine. It was the latter that brought my attention to her 'Phonique' sofa (below) which was shown at the Milan Fair this year. I'm also quite in love with the 'Tapisserie' sofa (bottom image). Her work is refreshingly new and yet familiar at the same time - making them instantly likable in my book. There are plenty more fun and quirky designs on her website, so if you like these head on over and check them out!

Fullerton Bay

I'm rather enamoured with the recently opened Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore designed by Hong Kong based Andre Fu of AFSO. Not that I've ever needed an excuse to visit Singapore, but this place (especially the stunning check-in counter!) is certainly good motivation to book a flight sooner rather than later...

Tony Chi

Taiwanese-born, US-based designer Tony Chi is one of my all time favorites. His team creates spaces that are world renowned for being elegant and refined, in particular some stunning restaurants (including the Oak Door at the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo where I shared an anniversary dinner with my husband several years ago) and some breathtaking hotels. His recently updated website will definitely be a port of call when I'm in need of some visual inspiration. Take a look at a few of these images and I'm sure you'll see why....

Great Southern Land

You could be mistaken for thinking the title of this post is a reference to Australia, and the famous song by Icehouse of the same title (the Aussies out there will know what I'm talking about). But no, I'm actually talking about South Africa. With the World Cup action coming to an end, and recently meeting another lovely couple from here, my feet are itching and the travel bug is back. Any excuse to travel to this amazing place would do, like a wedding for example (hint, hint!)...kidding. But seriously, if I do make it to South Africa this place will be on my list of places to visit. Delaire Graff, a a short drive from Cape Town, is a stunning estate which has recently been designed by David Collins Studio. The estate is home to not just a winery, but a restaurant and boutique hotel as well. As you can see from above the surrounding landscape is breathtaking, so if the food and wine are anywhere near as good as this (and the interiors - check out the website for more pics!) I'm sure its heavenly!

Style in spades...little teeny tiny ones!

Anyone out there who has not yet got a copy of the July/August House Beautiful (US) needs to run, not walk, to their closest news stand and buy one. Immediately. Why? Because the stunning apartment which graces the cover weighs in at a mere 390 square feet, or about 39 square metres. It's ridiculous how pretty this place is. Its amazing inspiration for everyone, but especially for those of us living like laboratory animals in sprawling cities around the world. It makes my place (which is marginally bigger) feel and look as bland as a cardboard box in comparison. The home-owner and decorator, David Kaihoi, is definitely one to watch. Currently working for Miles Redd, I have a feeling this will not be the last time a place by him makes it to the front cover of a magazine.




More photos online from Studiolo, and a bit more of a back story on the man behind all this gorgeousness from an ex-colleague, Mr Nick Olsen.

San Francisco Style

I'm so pleased to be able to share with you some images of the recent San Francisco Decorator Showcase...a beautiful tower attic created by Benjamin Dhong.

For Dhong's third year of participating in the showcase he created a cool, calm and serene space that was inspired by a chic Parisian garret. The tower attic has deep dormer windows, deep sloping eaves and a killer view of the Golden Gate bridge. Sounds (and looks) divine!

The room has been painted with a very subtle mural by decorative artist Linda Horning which gives the feeling of being surround by fog or clouds (a nice change from the feeling of being surrounded by smog, like I am here!)

In Dhong's own words, "the room is swathed in a cocoon of monochromatic taupes and greys. The pop of color comes from the most incredibly chic combination of silver and various shades of teal and blue". A very chic combination indeed.

The combination of furniture and objet d'art is also pretty chic I think, an egg chair covered in silk velvet, vintage Fortuny fabric cushions, the zebra rug, a bone marquetry side table, that Giacometti lamp (in silver!). AND those stunning gilt edge brackets (those are from Quatrain by the way). Yum.

The combination of colours and furniture is absolute perfection. I would kill to have an attic like this one day to go hide in and read - how heavenly!

The creator of this beautiful space, Benjamin Dhong, looking very dapper, and completely colour co-ordinated!