Gresham's

If proof were needed that Hong Kong is well and truly on the art, antique and design map, then Gresham's would be it. Gresham's is Hong Kong's only mid-market auction house - a welcome addition, or alternative, to Sotheby's and Christie's.

Gresham's was founded by long-time Hong Kong resident, Steve Freeman, (you may recognise his name from his profile as co-founder of the HK magazine that we all know and love) and opened its doors on June 22 this year.

“In recent years, Hong Kong has become the world's third centre of arts and antiques—after New York and London—attracting thousands of collectors every year. As a part of that scene, Gresham's aims to offer the best quality arts and antiques at prices that are affordable to a wider audience,” says founder Steve Freeman.

Categories sold at Gresham’s include contemporary art, western and Asian furniture, ceramics, Asian art, Chinese painting, mid-century and modern design, fine silver, watches and jewellery, carpets, maps, prints, posters and much more. Gresham’s is scheduled to hold Saturday afternoon auctions at least three times a month. Each auction aims to showcase 200+ lots with pre-auction website listings and public viewings available. With two successful auctions already under their belt, the third - scheduled for tomorrow - will focus on Arts of China and Asia.

Doors will open this Saturday 12 noon, with the auction commencing at 3pm at Gresham’s lovely 6,000 ft2 saleroom in Ap Lei Chau.

I have my eye on these lovely silver Chinese miniature teapots. Super cute.

Gresham’s is open for consignments and bidders, and provides free and confidential valuations.

RIP David Collins

This may well be the hardest blog post for me to write.

I was sitting on the sofa browsing twitter on my phone last night while my husband washed our after dinner dishes...only to find news of the tragic death of my favorite designer, David Collins. At first I thought I had the name wrong, then that maybe it was a hoax. But no. Unfortunately a link to Vogue with an obituary & tribute confirmed the news. I am devastated.

How does this affect me personally? No, we were not family, or friends. We never met. We did exchange emails however. And I can tell you the day I saw an email in my inbox from David Collins I almost had a heart attack from the palpatations. In a way that having some direct communication from one of your idols can only do. "You know I am your biggest fan" he said about the blog. Those words will stay with me forever.

I think the first time I became aware of his work was when his own apartment was published. I fell quickly and totally in love, and had to know more, and see more. I fet like I'd found a simpatico soul, a kindred spirit, on the other side of the world. I love his aesthetic, and I feel we were inspired by many of the same things. On a personal and very selfish level, I'm so sad that we will not get to see any more of his beautiful work.

My heart goes out to his family, friends, staff, clients and anyone in his life. If nothing else, the tragic circumstances surrounding his death should serve as a reminder to all of us to live each day as if it were your last.

May you rest in peace, Mr Collins.

Duddell's

The latest name on the tip of everyone's tongue in this city is Duddell's, located in the floors above Shanghai Tang in their new Duddell street manse, was brought to us by the F&B wunderkind team who are also responsible for favorites such as The Press Room group, Jia Boutique Hotels, Duecento Otto & 22 Ships.

Duddell's 10,000 square foot interior, which is spread over two floors, was designed by the one and only Isle Crawford, who seems to be another favorite around here.

I finally stuck my head in yesterday and can say that the space is rather lovely, and surprisingly quite minimal. The lower level is a Cantonese-cuisine restaurant, while the upstairs bar / lounge area facing the lush looking 2,000 sq ft terrace has more of a private-club-like ambiance. In typical Crawford style all of the spaces are decorated with a mix of classic 20th C designs and apparently custom designed furniture.

In addition to the food and drinks on offer, the space doubles as a space to showcase local art.  They apparently have plans to launch a continuous programme of talks, performances, film screenings and other events and there’s also talk of a rotating, guest-curated exhibition programme, and rumours Ai Weiwei may be a possibility to take on that task.

I think this might become the new regular haunt for dim sum and drinks with out of town guests!

get happy

Getting excited for the release of this in just a few months. Love these guys.

Toogood

Studio Toogood, that is.

I don't know why I haven't posted this lovely London Townhouse sooner...but my subscription to Est magazine reminded me.

Faye Toogood, previously a marvellous stylist for World of Interiors magazine, has founded her own studio and is producing some wonderful work. And not just interiors. Under her creative direction they also work on projects for branding, art installations and more.

I love this townhouse in London, particularly the Living room and Master bedroom...the colours are slightly ethereal, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record...I love the mix of furnishings.  The bespoke carpet runner down the stairs is a touch of genius, and other elements - like the wardrobe doors - help to make the space feel more youthful and less serious. Its English, but not stuffy. I love it.

Heavenly

Love this room by James Boyd Niven featured in the latest AD España. The mix of two of my favorite colours, the lovely chaise, interesting side table and artwork makes for a serene spot. I certainly wouldn't mind curling up here with a book.

Tabourets de verre

Today I'm totally in love with these hand blown glass (with cork bottom) wave stools by Dan Yeffet & Lucie Koldova. I love how they look almost metallic. They'd make cute side tables too I think.

Dan Yeffet & Lucie Koldova's collection is distributed worldwide by Haymann Editions.

WANG The Rare Collection

Who would have thought that marble and meat had so much in common? Well according to local interior designer Joyce Wang, "Marble is the flesh of the earth". Inspired by the remarkable similarity of marble and meat, Wang presents thirty three cuts, taken from two blocks of Turkish marble like slices and dices of raw red meat.

Each unique piece has been designed to showcase this marbled flesh in a way that highlights the material’s natural physical qualities, slicing through layers of vein patterns, fatty content and pinky, blood red hues. Every cut was then carefully hand-crafted and moulded by artisanal masonry workers in South West China, into individual gems. Much like a precious stone, each item has been set within Corten steel ‘claws’, celebrating the marbles value and rarity. At the base of each pedestal a mirrored rose-gold base reflects the elegant, minimal geometry of the designs allowing the viewer to appreciate the form from every angle.

I was lucky enough to attend the inaugural presentation of this limited edition table collection during the week of Art Basel Hong Kong 2013. What I loved about the pieces was the contrast and tension created by the solidity of each block, and the delicate base it is set in.

The collection will remain in Wang's studio until the middle of this month (about now!, so if you're interested and in HK I'd get on it quickly), after which time it will be placed in and sold through galleries in the USA.  Contact WANG studio for further details.

Melbourne town

I had a great trip back home. Melbourne is a fantastic city, visually beautiful (except some of the fugly looking new developments) and lots going on. In lieu of a more lengthy post (I have so much work to catch up on,  you know how it goes)...I will leave you with a few recommendations for places I visited on this last trip. Mostly food this time...no time or funds for shopping unfortunately.

Firstly, Melbourne is known for its foodies and coffee afficionados. If you're a fan of Anthony Bourdain, like I am, you will already know this, as he has referred to the fact that all Melbournians are food critics (or at least we think we are!) so the quality is good and competition fierce.

I had time in the CBD on my own for an afternoon and asked a friend to recommend a great coffee place and these were his recommendations - Patricia and Little Wish. I only made it to Patricia...and was not disappointed. In a city where Starbucks is failing miserably, good coffee is fairly abundant. There are obviously a few that stand out from the crowd and I dare say this is one of them.  With an almost hidden entrance at the back, and probably always packed with uber cool young things, Patricia certainly serves up a mighty fine coffee. And the interior isn't too bad either ;)

I had breakfast at The St Kilda Dispensary one morning with friends and loved it. I am a bit of a sucker for nice decor and have been known to sacrifice quality of food and service for a nice interior...but you needn't do that with this place. Set in an historical building (actually the first medical dispendary in the British empire, hence the name) with a fun but not too kitsch interior, and a menu to die for. Great coffee and a selection of interesting and not-so-usual breakfast items. I would definitely go back.

Finally, I enjoyed a wonderful meal with a large group of friends at Otsumami, a Japanese resto on the ever changing and newly hip High Street in Northcote. It must have been good...it managed to get a bunch of strict south-of-the-river Melbournites north of the river for the night! I loved their slightly fusion version of Japanese, and the fact that they managed to please a vegetarian and a pescatarian.  Pretty well priced too.

That's it for now. Thanks to all the lovely people who made the trip a memorable one. You know who you are...

Squarefoot

I'm back in Hong Kong after a fab trip back to Melbourne, and have lots to update you on. In the meantime I wanted to share an article with you that was published in a local magazine, Square Foot, while I was away. Click on the images, or this link for the full article.

Manks sale!

Folks, I'm not in town, but if you are in Hong Kong over the weekend, make sure you check out the huge warehouse clearance sale Manks is having!

Wrightson Stewart

So I'm actually back in Melbourne at the moment...I snuck away without telling you!  I attended the designEX show on Friday for the first time in a long time...but I'll let you know all about that in a separate post, probably when I'm back in HK.  In the meantime I wanted to share with you a fab warehouse conversion in Teneriffe, Queensland by the design firm Wrightson Stewart.  Love it...especially the timber detailing in the bedroom and the kitchen.

If you like these pics, go check out their website for more...I love the look of their office space too!