A look back at one of Ralph Lauren’s sumptuous iconic home collections… “Apartment No. One”
“Classic furniture shapes and timeless menswear references by colour and sheen, creating a world of smart sophisticated style for the modern Duke and duchess.”
A current project is nearing completion in Melbourne. We are thrilled with the detailing! Our clients sophisticated yet eclectic tastes have pushed the interior in a stunning direction… with bold use of colour!
The timeless architecture by Christopher Doyle Architects, is the perfect back drop for our interior input.
We can’t wait for the final outcome.
Spring has well and truly sprung in Melbourne!
The weather is warming and its the perfect time to experience all the exciting spring events happening in our beautiful city.
One event that I am personally looking forward to is 'Como by Design' an interior designer showhouse taking place in Melbourne's beloved Como House in South Yarra.
Following in the footsteps of renowned international showhouse projects, twenty-five Melbourne-based designers will transform and reimagine the historic Como House into a rich and sumptuous space...
...and I am honoured to be taking part!
A vision of things to come, using elements from the past. Our concept rendering for our Butlers Pantry at Como by Design... @comobydesign @nationaltrustvic #comobydesign #nationaltrustvic #interiordesign #interiordesignmelbourne #tuxedo #blacktie #blackvelvet #oak #antiquebrass #sisal #drinkstrolley #moetchandon
Recently, I spent ten days in the most amazing city in the world, New York.
It had been several years since my last visit, and big cities of course change. But New York was just as wonderfully vibrant and full of life as I remembered it.
Some shots below, from the first few days of the trip....
Flatiron District
Supreme Court, Madison Avenue.
Macy’s Department Store
Brownstones in the Upper East Side.
Inside the NYPL (New York Public Library)
New York Stock Echange and Wall Street
'Como by Design’ is an exciting interior design event to be held in Melbournes Historic Como House, in October this year. A selection of Melbournes best interior designers will each transform a room, within the walls of this superb property, showcasing their signature design style. Justin Bishop will be transforming the Butlers Pantry and Scullery into a sumptuous space, using influences gathered from his recent travels! Please follow @comobydesign to be kept in the loop about this very special event.
Como by Design - Crn Williams Rd & Lechlade Ave, South Yarra VIC - 19-21 October 2018.
www.comobydesign.com
Occasionally a lux product presents itself that we cannot unsee! This football game by Italian shoe company Berluti is seriously stunning; we covet it!
The “Gentlemans Journal” writes...
“Football is, after all, called the beautiful game. As such, it seems only right that an object paying homage to the sport should itself be a thing of beauty.
Made in celebration of UEFA Euro 2016, which will be held in France, Berluti have released a table football set as part of their ‘Game On’ capsule collection. Made entirely by hand and covered in their signature Venezia leather, it’s a sumptuous affair. With a graphite-grey playing surface, hand polished players and aluminium handles, the table has the look of a treasured antique. Yet it will play well too, having been designed in collaboration with Bonzini, a firm that has been making superior games tables for over 60 years.”.
Available at Harrods
We are beyond excited to announce the development of our signature rug collection.
We are currently selecting weaves, textures and colours to create a well rounded range of hand made rugs, which will be available soon. Natural fibres, nutral colors and handwoven production will be the key features of this collection, genuinely reminiscent of a bygone era.
Further information coming soon...
Australian film director Peter Weir made his iconic movie “Picnic at Hanging Rock” in 1975. Based on Joan Lindsays novel of the same name, he filmed part of her legendary story in South Australia, at historic Martindale Hall. The film - and the story behind it - have captivated me since I was a child... today I visited Martindale Hall for the first time.
"Martindale Hall was built for a wealthy bachelor pastoralist, Edmund Bowman Jr (1855–1921). The architect was Ebenezer Gregg of London. Due to the specialist nature of the work involved, 50 of the 60 tradesmen were brought from England, and they returned when it was completed. The hall has some 32 rooms and also a large seven-room cellar, and its environs at the time also included a polo ground, a racecourse, a boating lake and a cricket pitch.
A decade after its construction, debt and drought forced the Bowmans to sell all their holdings. William Tennant Mortlock bought Martindale Hall in 1891. His son, John Andrew Tennant Mortlock, developed Martindale Station and built up an impressive collection of artwork which was displayed at the Hall. Dying childless, his wife became the heir to the Mortlock fortune, and she bequeathed Martindale Hall and the estate to the University of Adelaide in 1979 upon her death.
Martindale Hall along with 19 hectares of grounds were later handed to the South Australian Government and is now managed by the national Trust of South Australia."
It's been over twenty years since I first set eyes on Uluru. Visiting it again this week, the sacred beauty and majesty of this natural wonder are more obvious to me than ever. It's enormous presence is truly awe inspiring.
In 1985 , as an 'Innocent' fifteen year old student, my fellow classmates and I climbed the rock as part of a school vacation to central Australia. Looking back, its hard to believe that we were encouraged to do this, from memory, it may even have been mandatory.
Standing at the rock today, with a greater understanding of its deep cultural significance, I couldn't dream of touching the rock face, let alone walk over it; it's hard to believe that some travelers still feel it's ok to do so.
In November 2017, Georgia Hitch and Nick Hose of the ABC wrote:
Climbing Uluru is set to be a thing of the past after the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park board decided unanimously to ban the activity, starting in 2019.
The board, made up of eight traditional owners and three representatives from National Parks, made the decision after consulting with the wider Anangu community, who it said was overwhelmingly in support of banning climbs.
Senior traditional owner and chairman of the park board Sammy Wilson was at Uluru for the announcement and in a written speech said the site had deep cultural significance and was not a "theme park".
"Some people in tourism and government for example might have been saying we need to keep it open but it's not their law that lies in this land," he said. "It is an extremely important place, not a playground or theme park like Disneyland.
"The Government needs to respect what we are saying about our culture in the same way it expects us to abide by its laws.
"After much discussion, we've decided it's time."
The ban will begin on October 26, 2019 to coincide with the 34th anniversary of the return of Uluru to traditional owners.
En route to central Australia this week, crossing the south Australian border, we passed by the now famous Coonalpyn Silos, and they literally stopped us in our tracks!
The Border Chronicle writes:
'The silo’s at Coonalpyn are the talk of the town as the 30 metre high painting on the Dukes Highway is now complete.
Tatiara residents taking a drive in the last few months would have seen the art in progress that has been going on since February 1, and as of today it is finished and ready for visitors to see.
The mural is of five children between the ages of 5-9 who attend school at Coonalpyn that has a total of 38 students.
The Coorong Council arranged to have their silos turned into a sky high work of art in July last year to stop travelers on the highway in the small town of around 200 people that now has a unique tourism opportunity and an established sense of civic pride in the community.
The Creating Coonalpyn project invested $85,000 in the creation of the mural, bringing in world renowned artist Guido van Helto to create the piece.'
