occasional chair — Arren Williams

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

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.

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.

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

As I write this, Kate Bush is on the record player, her Lionheart album to be exact. While I collect bits and bobs - more on that later - my husband David collects records. Currently his collection stands at more than 600, housed alphabetically in glossy white Besta cabinets from Ikea.

Music is always so perfect in setting a mood. In fact, I think a touch of Kate Bush would fit perfectly in the Venice Beach home included today.

Cheers, Arren

Call me a heathen, but I don’t usually think of Northern Ireland as a hotbed of modern design. Well, Orior has definitely changed that, especially when AD has proclaimed them ‘The chicest furniture company you’ve never heard of’.

Based in Newry, 40 miles outside of Belfast, the company was founded with a Scandi point of view in the late 70’s by Brian and Rose McGuigan . Now with their son Ciaran as Creative Director that mod tradition continues, with a seriously sizzling collection of upholstery and more.

The Bianca chair is a hot pick. Built for lounging, the seat is a total sensual delight in leather and velvet (just say yes to the Brick colour). Supported by a frame in either oak or walnut, the chair’s wingspan hits wide at 46” - This baby needs room to breathe.

Photo: Bianca in Brick (left) and Flamingo (right)

Try as I might to curtail my habits, I am an inveterate collector of, well, stuff. Early days was Art Deco objects, that gave way to an obsession with scientific glassware, which waned when I slid into white midcentury vases.

So, there is always something that needs a home, a moment to shine as it were, which is why I’m taken by Amsterdam-based designer Mickey Philips ceramic wall-mounted Shelf. Each is handmade, meaning each is slightly different - ‘wobbly’ explains Philips. But, to my mind at least, that makes them even more perfect.

Currently, I’m veering between that sunny yellow or the murky green to display a favourite Rosenthal vase. What colour would you pick?

Photo: Shelf in yellow, mint green and dark green

A good designer feels the soul of a space, and that’s what I love about this Venice Beach project by Electric Bowery, where they preserved the charm of a 1927 Spanish Revival, while layering in special moments that makes it feel very now.

That custom channelled leather sofa, designed for the project by Tess Bethune, is the total cat’s pyjamas. And, I love seeing something that feels so contemporary played against the trad wood millwork and funky vintage finds. Boho, but in the best sense of the word. Scope out the rest of the interior here.

Pattern, Pattern, Chair

Chairs, Shelves, Channels

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