Pattern, Pattern, Chair

A fun part of my schedule this week was shooting remotely at home for Citytv’s Cityline. The subject was our principal bedroom, a space that had a forced renovation due to some major construction we endured over the summer.

Things have definitely changed in the space, and for the better for sure. I can’t wait to share the results with you, and it’s extra fun looking back at how the space looked when it was shot by Angus Fergusson for House & Home magazine more than 11 years ago.

Cheers, Arren

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Dots and squares, oh my! Just say yes to this rather fab collab between creative consultants and 3D designers Terzo Piano and Or.nami wallpaper, which playfully toys with trompe-l'œil to stunning visual effect. Think simple graphic shapes and drop shadows inspired by architectural design.

Available in either vinyl or rather covetable silk, there are 4 designs in different colourways to whet your whistle - I’m already dreaming and scheming of a space where I can use them.

Terzo Piano X Or.nami - Pattern 2

Terzo Piano X Or.nami - Pattern 3

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While one of my current projects includes a chic little bathroom in white and grey, this brand new collection by artist and designer Nathalie Du Pasquier for Mutina tiles definitely has me drooling.

More is definitely more here. Du Pasquier’s wonderfully barmy layering of pattern on pattern is key, with a perfect mix of fifties modernism and vintage designs all thrown together with gay abandon. And, if the 41 tiles in the Mattonelle Margherita collection aren’t enough, there’s also 11 coordinating paint colours for all you OCD design fans out there that want everything to match. Seriously.

Oh, and the art direction for the collection’s launch? It’s all feeling very cinematic and inspirational, and honestly I could happily post every single shot, but will show some restraint with the three faves below. Scope out the rest of the collection, here.

Wall: Star, Stripes, Marghe Black. Floor: Double Red, Stripes.

Wall: Marghe White, Frame Black, Marghe Half White, Marghe Half Black, Line. Floor: Petals, Line. Margherita Paint: Sand Matt.

Wall: Marghe Light Blue, Stripes, Star, Kite White, Square Black, Marghe Black. Floor: Marghe Light Blue, Double Red, Stripes.

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Am I the only person that dreams about chairs? This one in particular sent me down a bit of an internet rabbit hole, to be sure.

I first spotted the vintage originals in this stunning apartment in Florence, with masterfully edited interiors by Massimo Adario (click here to see more). Though they couldn’t look more at home in this space with views across the Arno, these spectacularly curvy seats were originally designed by Czech architect Jan Bočan for furnishing the Embassy of Czechoslovakia in Stockholm in 1972.

While the originals, made for Bočan by Thonet in lacquered bentwood and cane, deservedly fetch a pretty penny, I was fascinated to see that new versions of the chair are de rigueur in all sorts of chic interiors in Australia.

Available in both black and natural from the folks at Worn, and stunningly well priced I might add (I did the conversion), the sad news is that they won’t ship outside of Australia. But, kudos to Worn for their commitment to ethical sustainability, since their Cane Loungers are made of non-chemically treated materials harvested from sustainably managed plantations. Plus, for every chair sold a native tree is planted to help offset carbon emissions.

Brownie points to whoever can send me a source closer to home…

Photo: Laura Fantacuzzi and Maxime Galati-Fourcade

Worn’s Cane Lounger in Black

Hot seats and beachside villas

It feels hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, so thank heavens friends introduced us to Botica’s Spanish Valencian Orange Gin. Poured over lots of ice and served with good tonic (or, in our case Italian mandarin soda), it’s the perfect antidote to this July heat.

Cheers, Arren

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How incredible! Designed as an intensely creative endeavour between Thabisa Mjo of Mash.T Design Studio and South African furniture makers Houtlander, the Hlabisa Bench features a stunningly sinuous pink basketweave backrest woven by Zulu master weaver Beauty Nxongo.

Watch Nxongo at work on the bench here, working in locally harvested palm that is all dyed by hand. Oh, and if pink is not your thing? The Hlabisa Bench is also available in a slightly more sober, though no less graphic pattern - Take a gander here.

Image: Beauty Ngxongo, master weaver of Zulu baskets, and Stephen Wilson of Houtlander

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“A creative village by the ocean where music, art, design, food and wellness play together,” is an apt description of the ace new Potato Head hotel in Bali. Sustainability is the focus, with award winning architecture designed by OMA and collabs on furnishings with big name design talents like Faye Toogood and Max Lamb. There’s a lot to love, but - thanks to the current situation - we’ll have to wait to enjoy it as the project is in hibernation until later this year.

In the meantime, you can ogle some of the fab pieces included in the rooms, like Lamb’s Study Chair. The cool seat is made by local Balinese craftspeople from a confetti-patterned recycled plastic material from Smile Plastics (watch the video below).

Each chair comprises of 833 recycled plastic bottles - seriously stylish and sustainable or, as Potato Head would say, #GoodTimesDoGood.

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We’re dialling in more of those summer vibes with interior designer Alicia Ruach’s take on a laid-back beachside villa..

As Rauch explained to House & Home, “I love the contemporary beach house vibe! The warm wood tones and crisp whites juxtaposed with black accents add a punch of drama and interest. This style is a sophisticated coastal retreat that you would find on the picturesque coasts of South Africa.”

It’s good to dream, right?

Lilly, hot and hilarious

I spent the morning swimming in stunning fabrics down at Designer's Walk in Toronto, and I hafta say, there's a lot to be excited about (hello, I can't wait to see the Christian Lacroix collection for Designers Guild!). I was there working, scouting for Trendwatch for House & Home, and also dreaming about being somewhere hot and fabulous, since it's so stinking cold here right now. So, how about it? Florida? Palm Springs? The French Riviera?

In the meantime I'm keeping warm with the news that the Lilly Pulitzer collection of fabrics for Lee Jofa will be launching super soon (the snap below from the LP Madison Ave store shows a wall filled with the kind of fun, bright and summery styles we can expect to see). Not to mention imagining a blazingly sunny back yard with one of these hilariously over-the-top vintage Hollywood-esque style umbrellas from Santa Barbara Designs planted right in the centre (I'm currently jonesing slightly more for Flamenco over top of Lilypond). Pass the Ambre Solaire, I am so done with winter... [Image 1: Kravet's Inspired Talk]

{that one great thing} Meg's chair

I've known Meg Crossley, House & Home mag's senior editor for, well, ages. We've shot a gazillion things together over the years including a memorable out-of-town home shoot where the place actually turned out to be haunted. Fun times? Yep, especially with us both squeezed into a twin bed terrified about having another 'visit'. And so, with that kind of history I just had to ask her to contribute to that one great thing.

Meg Crossley: I love love love this chair my father made sometime in the early 60s. It was for the first little house he shared with my mom when they were newlyweds. As they got more established, their tastes changed and the chair ended up in our toy room -- where my brother and I kept Barbie's and GI Joes, games, the record player, the Meccano set, you get the picture. It became part of our "pretend" house or apartment furniture. Then the lovely thing was moved into the garage not to be seen again for years. My brother resurrected it in the 80s for his university pad (the cushions upholstered in something I would call School Boy stripe, very dark and masculine), then back to the garage. I rescued it just a couple of years ago, when I started to reno and furnish my basement. I needed low furniture because the ceiling was so low in the basement and I wanted to fool the eye into thinking it was higher. This did the trick. After a little lemon oil on the wood and a slipcover in white denim (it is a testament to how well it was made that it was so easy to resurrect), it mixed well with some of my quirky vintage things and my more traditional furnishings -- it is all about the mix after all. We shot my basement for a Makeover issue for House & Home and it landed front and centre, on the cover of that mag. Needless to say, my dad was thrilled.

{that one great thing} Susie's Bahamas photo

I'd gotten to know Fashion magazine's fashion director Susie Sheffman a little over the years, mostly by bumping into her around town (as well as catching her lovely home in the Sept '08 issue of H&H). But then, in a curious case of it's-a-very-small-world, Susie's smart as a whip daughter ended up on a work placement with my other half, David. So, with that great serendipitous small-worldness in mind I thought I'd get Susie to share something for my occasional series - that one great thing.

Susie Sheffman: This is one of my all time favorite photos from my all time favorite fashion shoot EVER in Eleuthera, Bahamas. I've been styling and directing fashion shoots for almost 30 years and by the time a shoot is printed and bound I'm somewhat over it and dreaming up the next one!

But not this time.

This photograph taken by my best friend, photographer Gabor Jurina was blown up life-size, framed in white (his suggestion) and is a visual magnet in my home. Everyone who sits on my couch is immediatley drawn to and transfixed by its hypnotic power. From the deep turquoise waves (I have a water obsession) to the haunting sky and the timeless, classic appeal of model Marie Eve Nadeau, we literally sit transported. fantasizing about being there (and being her!). It's hung beside my TV, and I often catch myself watching it instead of whatever show is on.

Here's the backstory:
We named the shoot Swept Away- and trust me we almost were! What? You thought this was all calm and serenity? Trust me it was anything but! Gabor was shooting from a teey weeny dinghy, tied a few feet from the boat. The sun was rapidly going down, the waves were enormous and pitching him every which way. Both of our asssitants were rendered completely useless- lying over the side of the boat seasick and vomiting... I stood (barely hanging on) just out of camera range trying to help him, running in every 2 seconds to adjust the jewellery while bobbing up and down like an apple. Gabor smacked his head on a wayward boom and to this day I have no clue how he held onto the camera much less captured such a moment. But here you have it- one of the most tranquil, serene looking photos and one of my favorite things!

No parking allowed

Yes, our media room used to be a drive-down garage, but that all changed back in the '80's sometime (way before we bought the house) when, in a rather hare-brained scheme, the old owners bricked up the garage door and filled in the driveway to create a v. dingy basement apartment. Oh, it was a delightful surprise when we discovered that that there was only one layer of bricks and some rotten chipboard holding back all the in-fill, take a look here, which meant we had to do a major bit of re-construction.

Fast-forward to now and things are all peachy - That's a Gus* Carter sectional sofa, silk velvet pillows and woven cane hassocks from Constantine, and a fab hand-knotted floor cushion from Bev Hisey. The striped velvet curtains have been discontinued at Ikea, but you can still get your hands on the Kvartal curved curtain rail, as well as the wall-mount Besta Burs DVD storage (topped with a few of my fave collectibles). On the other side of the room you'll catch a white leather tufted chair, an end table, and more of the shaggy rayon rug, all from Elte. Then there's more of that great Ikea Besta media storage, working both as a stand for the LCD TV, and mounted on the wall (we had fun tricking it out with Dioder LED lighting strips). The paint colour is Palais Royal by the no-longer-available Ralph Lauren Paint line from Home Depot. And, thanks again to Angus Fergusson for doing such an outstanding job in shooting the house for House & Home!

Jonesing over a table

I'm totally jonesing over smartypants Karen von Hahn's new outdoor coffee table upcycled from an old Simpson's-Sears department store sign (the lovely vintage script logo hails from 1953). Karen discovered the sign in a junk-filled emporium she dubbed 'the sheds' out in Bayfield, Ontario, and lugged it home. Her handy-with-tools other half then popped a piece of plywood beneath, and screwed on those fancy-schmancy metal legs she'd ordered from Hairpinlegs.com to create, if you ask me, the perfect spot for a tall and frosty glass of Pimm's. Love how the Kelly green of the sign picks up on the green in her outdoor furniture upholstery, and also how Karen so snappily whacks the nail on the head regarding al fresco style - "Everybody is so busy recreating either a Tuscan villa or a South Beach nightclub in their backyard that nothing has any real style." Check in on Karen's blog here, and be sure to check out her new Style Czar column for the Toronto Star's Weekend Living section. Oh, and you'll see inside Karen's home very shortly too, since she'll be gracing the August issue of House & Home along with little old me.

A bit more from Viv

My mate Stacey over at H&H blogged about Cole & Son's new collection created by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, and I thought it was too good not to check out further. Dame Vivienne is one prolific so-an-so and a total favourite of mine, though I've only ever owned one Westwood piece, a denim jacket I scored for cheap at Century 21 and wore for years 'till it fell apart. So, I went to town digging for more shots of the just-released collection, and this is what I came up with. Check the snaps of the wooden mannequins below to get a taste of the line and you'll see why Stacey, and I, both love it. It's nutty and interesting and has some great historical and fashion-y references going on. That Squiggle pattern first appeared in Westwood's Autumn/Winter '81 Pirate collection, Cut Out Lace showed up on the runway in '07 and Insects is apparently based on fabrics from Queen Elizabeth I's wardrobe.

For more Westwood you can also order a CD here of all her fave runway tracks, and the books below - quite the spurge I must say - are the Vivienne Westwood Opus. A limited edition tome available with 9 different covers that features large scale Polaroids of her fashion over the decades worn by friends and family. And of course there's her work with The Rug Company. I totally covet the pillows she designed and her rugs, well, how could you not love this one? Finally, that last snap is of a vibrant Dame Vivienne at the end of the runway of her Spring/Summer 2010 collection, and yes, that is a stuffed toad peeking out from under her jacket. [Images: 1-3. Cole & Son. 4. Opus. 5. Via Daylife]

    

No guts, no glory

Sheesh, this week is just running away with me! I've been working on deadlines for House & Home, coming up with some very cool projects for the next few months and working with a client on her lovely Arts & Crafts home. And, on top of all of that, I've been working on getting the house closer and closer to being finished.

One of the exciting things to come home to was the fact that - thanks to the always fab crew at Mieda Design - a fair chunk of our re-upholstery is nearly complete. That onetime grungy 70's gold cord sofa (take a look at the before here) has had the guts ripped out of it and the frame partially re-built (Dan from Mieda explained how sinuous springs can do a real number on a wood frame over the years). I also had the frame built up to increase the seat height and you'll spot the first of the semi-attached waterfall back cushions making an appearance. And yep, that rather vibrant plum fabric you see on the cushion will be covering the whole sofa...

 

No sneaky sharing (but do go!)

Last night I ended up checking out the Junior League of Toronto's 2009 Showhouse at McLean House, and all I can say is WOW! More than 50 design teams put their best foot forward creating incredibly inspiring spaces, and with the ticket price of $25 I hafta say you'll definitely be getting your money's worth. Sadly I can't share any of the spaces on the blog (no matter how sneaky I might be) since they're destined for the Oct /09 issue of Canadian House & Home, so you'll just have to head and check the Showhouse in person. For more info click here, and to buy tickets click here, and to check out some behind the scenes action courtesy of House & Home click here. I have my faves (Katherine Newman, Kimberley Seldon, Jeanette Hlinka, Anne Hepfer, and Wiklem Design to name a few), but if you do go, please let me know which were your standouts! [Image: Canadian House & Home]