Sayonara!

Sorry for the extended absence, I've been a busy little bee lately and have been away from my little blog for longer than intended. It maybe a while before I post again as I am off to Tokyo tomorrow for a friend's wedding, and then have a friends arrival from London over easter to look forward to on my return. Reports are out that the first cherry blossoms are out, so fingers crossed for me they stay there til I get to Tokyo! Sayonara folks!

Bathroom bliss

Spotted this on Laura Kirar's website this afternoon...and think I might be in love. The perfect combination of timber, stone and bronze in a bathroom...and that chair. Love love love.

Hervé Van Der Straeton

I'm absolutely smitten with these new pieces from French designer Hervé van der Straeton's latest collection - Manipulations. Check out the entire collection and an interview with the man himself on Luxury Culture.



I love the iridescent quality of the glass this chandelier is made from.



An amazing mix of luxe materials on such an unusual design.




And last but not least, this is definitely my favorite piece. The "Soulages" writing desk shows Van Der Straeton's eye for detail. Parchment lined interior with lighting, and custom hardware that is actually part of the design. Just stunning. Is it too soon to be making a wish list for Christmas?

Jewellry as art?

Seems everywhere I go these days there are fabulous necklaces - draped around the necks of glamorous women, or installed as art in equally glamorous interiors.

I spotted these two beauties by Swiss artiste Mattia Bonetti in his new book...




These two fabulous pieces are by designer Jean-Marie Othoniel, who I think is responsible for the pearl necklace installations in the Chanel stores worldwide (please, correct me if I'm wrong). The second image is from a Parisienne apartment decorated by Jean-Louis Denoit...






I thought this necklace inspired light fitting by Dutch designer Rosalie de Kruyf was kinda fun...

And thought this piece by artist Penelope Batley was interesting...

So if a necklace becomes art, what's next? Earring inspired lighting?

KGB

Watch out for KGB! And no, I'm not referring to the national security agency of the former Soviet Union - I'm talking about the design collective Khouri Guzman Bunce! I spotted a few pieces via Wallpaper and now I can't wait to check out their website when its completed. Might just have to check out their new showroom in New York next time I'm on that side of the world...

Love, love, love the stitching detail on the back of this sofa. Its so nice to see something new every once in a while.

The Mancini cantilevered chair.

The Dempsey cocktail table.

and The De Marco solid marble table. Very Angelo Mangiarotti. This just might be my favorite.

Space Odyssey: 2010

We are now officially in the year of the Tiger according to the Chinese Lunar New Year, so Kung Hei Fat Choi everyone! I'm rather pleased with how the new year has started out, in addition to the long weekend a few of my tips about living stylishly in small spaces was published in local guide The List - available as of today and on local newstands for the next 2 weeks!

(Click on the images below to enlarge).

Belgian Style

I was quite excited to see these images of the home of Belgian designer Vincent Van Duysen as I think they show a softer and more elegant side to his minimal style. A little reminiscent of Andrée Putman's aesthetic if you ask me. The stairwell is amazing, and I love the bathtub that you get just a glimpse of through the bedroom. Divine!


I was also quite excited to see that someone is publishing a monograph of his work - "Vincent Van Duysen: Complete Works" is due to be released in May this year. With a foreword by Ilse Crawford, this looks like an instant classic. I already have a copy on pre-order!

Photos of Van Duysen's apartment by Martyn Thompson for French Architectural Digest Feb-Mar 2010.

André Arbus by Baker

A match made in Heaven! I just spotted the latest collection from Baker on their website whilst looking for something else. The new André Arbus collection is due out in Spring 2010. I'm particularly taken with the 'Architects Desk'. In my opinion, this is when it makes sense to reproduce a classic, when you are adding extra functionality. I certainly wouldn't mind one of these if I get a new office!

Lady Noire

Okay, so I know I'm in love with a lot of things this week, but I just had to share this. Seems like advertising alone is not enough for the Couture Fashion Houses anymore. Not that I mind, because it gives people like me who are more obsessed with furniture than fashion a glimpse at what an interior done by John Galliano or Karl Lagerfeld might look like. I'm not sure if the sets from Lady Noire (the first, it seems, in a trilogy of Lady Dior short films) are by Galliano, it doesn't matter to me, they are beautiful regardless. The room below, from the opening scene, is so glamorous. That pleated screen in the background is to die for!

Watch the entire Lady Noire short film here...

Fabulous Fabergé!

Totally loving these images I found of the new Fabergé store in Geneva, designed by Spanish superstar Jaime Hayón. Not quite what I would have guessed from a company that is well over 100 years old now, its quite contemporary. I love the colours and the mix of furniture though. In fact, I spy a few favorites, including sofas by Sé and chairs by Ceccotti.





What do you think? Does it inspire you to buy a jewel encrusted egg?

David Collins sneak peek!

I am way beyond excited to be able to share with you some pics of a recently completed David Collins Studio project - The Limewood Hotel in Hampshire, England.

Unveiled in August '09, the Limewood is a quintessential English Country House Hotel set in a National Park, a little under 2hrs southwest of London. The architecture is classic Georgian, and the interiors are just sublime.

Collins has used his signature blend of elegance to create a relaxed but luxe ambiance. The soft muted colour palettes blend in with the surrounding landscape. Local materials such as ash and stone are skillfully blended with silk wallcoverings and dip-dyed curtains and another of Collin's signature touches - a mix of antique and bespoke furniture and lighting.

Each of the sixteen guest rooms are a different configuration and have been decorated individually. There are four different drawing rooms to relax in, a bar, a courtyard garden, and if all this is not enough, there are two dining rooms to chose from, one with a Michelin star chef! And that's not even mentioning the stunning landscape...

Says Mr Collins himself of the project: "Rarely do designers meet clients who are prepared to create something of quality, integrity, and style. We were fortunate in being able to bring our aesthetic to the interior of Lime Wood working within a framework of a re-imagined 18 th Century home but updating it and reinventing the so-called English Country Style. We have taken a simple subtle palette of colours, materials and textures and integrated them into the building and importantly the landscape to create something special that will evolve with time and use".

But don't take our words for it...check out these lovely images - or treat yourself to a weekend away if you are in the area!

The Guestrooms

Two different bathrooms

One of the Drawing Rooms

Corridor

The Bar

The Courtyard

All photos taken by Michael Paul, courtesy of David Collins Studio.

Antiquités Chinoises

Seeing Anouska Hempel's new London home reminded me of another old favorite - the Paris apartment of US based furniture retailer, Holly Hunt. I first saw this in Elle Decor's Margaret Russel's book "Designing Women" published a few years back. I fell in love with this apartment and may well be what first introduced me to the work of Jean-Michel Frank and the other French moderne masters. And as I had never heard of Holly Hunt, it may well have also been my first introduction to the work of Christian Liaigre and Axel Vervoordt (there are pieces by both in the apartment). That's a lot to learn from one apartment! But this place certainly has style in spades.


I absolutely fell in love with this cabinet when I spotted it. I'm sure I'd never seen anything like it at the time and while I couldn't quite put the style into words I knew immediately I was onto something. Did you spot the books on top? I certainly did. Monographs on Jean-Michel Frank and Eugene Printz sparked my curiosity as did "Les décorateurs des années 40" . I was living in Tokyo at the time and tracking down copies of these books took me forever! In fact, I've only just got my hands on the Printz monograph recently.

The rosewood and parchment cabinet was designed by Hunt. Its obvious, as I came to learn later on, that the design is highly influenced by the work of Jean-Michel Frank. He was so ahead of his time...

I fell in love with the sense of relaxed glamour in this space. Everything looks so stylish and so comfortable at the same time.

And lest you wonder how all this loveliness reminded me of Anouska Hempel's home...these lovely Chinese antiques fit right into this space along with the over sized sofas and the french moderne pieces. It's no wonder Jean-Michel Frank was such a fan of Chinese antiques, they can be incredibly modern looking, depending on their surroundings.

All photos taken by John M Hall for "Designing Women: Interiors by leading style makers" by Margaret Russell.