Carrara

We have recently specified a porcelain Carrara tile for a clients five bathrooms.

Authentic Carrara marble is quarried in the Italian province of Carrara. It is a gorgeous stone used to make tiles, tabletops and countertops in homes around the world. 

Carrara marble, like other marbles is porous. Because of its light color it is more likely to show stains than other marbles and stones. It also needs regular care in order to maintain its beautiful surface. In addition, cleaning Carrara and other types of marble must be done properly with a pH-balanced stone cleaner. 

We love the look, but is the maintenance worth it? The obvious solution is to opt for a faux Carrara porcelain tile. The options here are endless and the quality is supurb thanks to recent advancements in technical manufacturing.

A faux marble is an intelligent choice. 

The look is stunning. Carrara is timeless and elegant. It transcends period style and can work effortlessly in a modern or traditional scheme. 

Airstream

In 1931, Airstream began with Wally Byam’s dream: to build a travel trailer that would move like a stream of air, be light enough to be towed by a car and create first-class accommodations anywhere.

When it comes to Airstream trailers, I am totally smitten. I dream of the day that I own one myself. It could be a second home, an office or vehicle for luxury travel. It would be custom designed, new or old with a classic, refurbished interior and a gleaming, metallic shell. The shinier, the better. 

Dreaming of your own polished aluminum quarters? Here are some classic midcentury examples that have been inventively restored and put to use as hotel rooms, guest houses, home offices, and in a few cases travel vehicles.

Above: A 1952 model renovated by a yacht interior designer functions as a hotel room at The Hotel Daniel in Vienna.

Above: One of many restored Airstreams seen on Vintage Seekers via Design Sponge.

Above: Landscape architect Andreas Stavropoulos transformed a 1959 Airstream trailer into a fully functioning office.

Above: The accommodations at Atlantic Byron Bay resort include this fully equipped Airstream imported from America.

Above: In Albany, California, just north of Berkeley, is Flowerland nursery with a trailer coffee shop featured on Gardenista.

Above: Vancouver's Le Marché St. George café and grocery crew often picnic and camp out of their 1969 Airstream Land Yacht.

Above: A 1965 Airstream Safari recast by Area 63 Productions and interior designer Caroline Brandesfor rent on her property in Big Sur, California.

The Sir John Soane Museum

When he wasn’t designing notable buildings (among them the original Bank of England), Sir John Soane (1753-1837) obsessively collected art, furniture and architectural ornamentation. In the 19th century, he turned his house into a museum to which, he said, ‘amateurs and students’ should have access. The result is this perfectly amazing place.

Much of the museum’s appeal derives from the domestic setting. The modest rooms were modified by Soane with ingenious devices to channel and direct daylight, and to expand space, including walls that open out like cabinets to display some of his many paintings (Canaletto, Turner, Hogarth). The Breakfast Room has a beautiful domed ceiling, inset with convex mirrors. The extraordinary Monument Court contains a sarcophagus of alabaster, so fine that it’s almost translucent, that was carved for the pharaoh Seti I (1291-78 BC) and discovered in his tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. There are also numerous examples of Soane’s eccentricity, not least the cell for his imaginary monk ‘Padre Giovanni’.

I was lucky enough to visit the museum on one of my trips to London. Situated just out side of the city at number 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The museum itself is a succession of remodelled town houses, purchased and adapted by Soan over a period of 50 years. One particular room, my favorite, is devoted to his historic architectural model collection. Breathtaking but fragile in its original state, the room was closed for several years. It has been recently restored and will soon be reopened to the public.

Sydney favourites The Country Trader

Many years ago, I lived in Paddington, in Sydney's inner east. One of my favourite memories while there, was walking along Glenmore road, past grand sandstone terrace houses, through Fiveways and out to Oxford Street. On the corner of Glenmore and Oxford was The Country Trader.  

It was a store like no other. Long before vintage French provincial antiques became overly fashionable and garishly reproduced, this store was the real deal. I visited it often. It was at this store that I first remember feeling a wonderful sense of creative inspiration.

With the philosophy 'Anything is Possible', The Country Trader specialises in new and antique furniture and furnishings from the provincial to the opulent, as well as custom, architectural and interior design, restyling and restoration.

In recent years, The Country Trader has found a new home in the pyd building in Surrey Hills in Sydney's inner south (an area that has rapidly become the hub of interiors 'fashion forward' enthusiasts).

Whenever I am in Sydney I am compelled to drop in. The Country Trader continues to be one of my favourite stores. The stores owner, Geoff Clark, travels the world in search of antiques and one-of-a-kind finds, allowing Sydneysiders to the chance to take a treasure home for themselves.  This applies to breathtaking furniture and woodwork, stunning pieces of art, collectors' items, and much, much more.  

Walking around the store is overwhelming, yet thoroughly inspiring. The large space is filled to the brim with fabulous items and wonderfully theatrical visual merchandising - yet is it not cluttered or claustrophobic. You'll find items of various styles, from eclectic to traditional.  Along with beautiful furniture and lighting, you'll find the unexpected, collections upon collections of breathtaking object d'art.  

To seal the deal the store also houses a selection of the Ralph Lauren furniture range, costly but totally desirable in all it's magnificence. 

The Country Trader

pyd Building, 197 Young Street, Waterloo, New South Wales

Sydney favourites Victor Churchill Butcher

I am not surprised that Victor Churchill Butchers won the International Interior design award for retail stores (held in New York a few years ago) It is one of the most breathtaking stores I have ever seen!

It's hard to believe that you are standing in the middle of a bustling butcher shop. It oozes beauty, character and soul. It is a truly unique store, which has successfully blended a traditional European butcher in look and feel, with modern, cutting-edge design elements. This amazing atmosphere is nurtured by the stores owners, the wonderfully warm and inviting Puharich family.

"As a boy, Anthony Puharich feasted on lamb cooked whole in the garden by his Croatian-born butcher father Victor Puharich, sharing a taste and respect for meat they've never lost. His glamorous meat boutique in Sydney's Woollahra has been dubbed ''the Bulgari of butcheries''. The floor might be Italian marble rather than sawdust, but fifth-generation butcher Puharich still has his feet firmly on the ground. Together with his father, he runs the shop and Vic's Meats, the nation's biggest meat wholesaler, supplying many of Australia's top restaurants, including Vue de Monde, Movida, Sepia and Quay."

Well worth a visit, it is an absolute visual feast.... Oh, and the meat isn't bad either! 

Victor Churchill  Butchers

132 Queen Street Woollahra, New South Wales

 …and Oprah signed her approval!

STYLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN # 2

TRADITIONAL INTERIOR DESIGN

Traditional interior design is typically evocative of classic European decor. Hallmarks of this style generally include deep wood tones, architectural details, and elegant furnishings. This style is quite versatile and can be combined with other interior elements to create a unique look in a room.

One of the most important facets of traditional interior design is the silhouette, also called the line, of the furnishings. Wing-backed chairs, claw footed tables, and curved furniture pieces that hearken back to the 18th and 19th centuries are examples of this. Common models for such traditional furniture are pieces attributed to the Queen Anne or Chippendale styles. Antiques are also often integrated into this design style, but many companies sell new pieces that mimic the lines of the old.

Architectural embellishments are widely used in traditional interior design. These can include elaborate moldings, beveled wood paneling, and intricate tile and wood floor patterns. Arches, columns, and built-in cabinetry are also frequent features of this type of design.

Rich wood tones are another key element in traditional interior design. Dark woods like cherry, maple, and mahogany are typically used in furniture pieces of this style. These are often carved and lacquered to give them a luxurious, elegant feel. Wood floors are also considered a standard for this decor, although tile and carpet are often used as well.

The Blackwood Sassafras

As many of you may know, I have opened a 'retreat' on my property in Sassafras.

The Blackwood Sassafras - www.theblackwoodsassafras.com.au - is an exclusive hideaway, carefully set in a private location with the Sassafras village at its doorstep.

I have thoroughly enjoyed designing the one bedroom studio with my partner. It mirrors the original house, with whitewashed timber lining boards and dark stained flooring. It is filled with a collection of beautiful furniture and accessories. The luxury bathroom and kitchenette is styled with my signature white on white tiles with classic architectural detailing.

It is a showcase for my classic interior style.

For inquiries and reservations please visit contact us through the website... http://theblackwoodsassafras.com.au/contacttheblackwoodsassafras/

"COUNTRY STYLE & design" around the world.

Today, as I begin writing my second book, I discover that my first book, "Country Style & Design" is being spotted around the world. Here we see it at the stunning "Round Barn Potting Company" in Andover, Minnesota, U.S.A.

Styling for Christmas

A little early, yes, but it was necessary timing for an editorial due out in December. Christmas at home came early for me this year, if only temporarily, in the form of a photo shoot for a Christmas decorating story. The editorial will be out in early December and will feature five designers at home with their Christmas 'style'. As usual, mine has a traditional monochromatic scheme mixed up with a fair dollop of eclectic flair. What do you think?

Work progressing in Hawthorn

It's always exciting seeing a project taking shape. My clients home in Hawthorn is doing just that. We are finally seeing the rooms of the house in a defined state, as plaster is working its way through the entire house...