Style, served with tea

Well, hello! Even though we’ve packed up and decamped to the basement while undergoing a renovation at home, I’m still on the hunt for a few stylish bits and bobs that have caught my eye.

Cheers, Arren


Fashion designer turned ceramicist Harvey Bouterse knows how to turn a look. His enigmatic Insta catalogues his latest creations, with a Tumblr that expands on that point of view, letting you tumble down a very stylish rabbit hole with a look into both his work and other design inspirations.

The hand-built ceramic pieces, each with their individually applied decoration and patterns, play into Bouterse’s love of primitive forms and Brutalism. The result is sculpturally biomorphic shapes finished in hefty textural mid-century glazes that add even more character to his vases, lamps, candleholders and creatures. Quite the menagerie indeed, which - under the Wouter Harvey umbrella - is currently on show in the historic Perignem ceramic workshop in Beernem, Belgium, alongside the work of Wouter Hoste and Katleen Vinck.

Spring 2020 vase

Spring 2020 vase

Sketches of the Spring 2020 collection

Sketches of the Spring 2020 collection

Bouterse in his atelier in Antwerp

Bouterse in his atelier in Antwerp


The home of stylist Erena Te Paa is a stunner, filled with earthy organic pieces that manage to feel both stylishly on-trend and effortlessly collected. The angular open space is a mix of naturals and neutrals, making it easy on the eye, though she’s always on the lookout for something new to add. The latest is a vintage stool turned side table that fits perfectly into the tone-on-tone space - See is sliding around the room in a fun stop-go-animation here.

And, once we’re all travelling again, you might want to check out Te Paa’s cool little holiday rental - Akito Studio - kitted out in her inimitable style. Yet another reason to add New Zealand to your must-see list…

The living room of Erena Te Paa

The living room of Erena Te Paa


I’m loving London-based artist and photographer Max Siedentopf’s kooky and fun #accidentalinfluencer campaign for Gucci, where everyday people accidentally match their interiors. While the shots are ostensibly all about the updated Gucci Tennis 1977 sneaker, my fave is the stripe action happening in this shot, where the t-shirt matches the mugs. Though, if you’re a weirdo design geek like me, you’ll recognize that those aren’t just any old striped mug, they’re classic British Cornishware mugs from T.G. Green.

Cornishware started its striped life in 1924 in a simple blue and white combo, but have expanded over the years into 11 different hand-painted colour options, including this zingy Adder Green shade. In sizes up to a whopping 15oz, the mugs can handle an ocean of tea (or coffee, if you’re so inclined), and can even be personalized. Check out the full collection here.

Max Siedentopf for Gucci

Max Siedentopf for Gucci

10oz Cornishware mug, Adder Green

10oz Cornishware mug, Adder Green

Makeunders and Patterns

Of course I love design, but I have to admit I am a total geek when it comes to science fiction.

So, I was rather pleased to discover that starting back in 1981 NPR had recorded a 14-hour radio drama of the Star Wars trilogy, and you can still listen to it today! Check all the info here.

I plan on popping on the headphones and taking a trip to a galaxy far, far away.

Cheers, Arren


While I might appear to constantly be blatting about coming through with colour, I still appreciate interiors that take a more subtle approach. This living room by designer Dylan Farrell hits that mark, but each piece in this space is a PIECE and, to make that work definitely takes a deft hand.

Curves are key. Look for languidly fluid lines in the of-the-moment Pierre Augustin Rose sofa, and hello, who’d say no to shearling ball toss cushions? And then things stay softly swirly yet sculptural in the handsome Arp table in brass and marble and in the Lady Leveller chair, both designed by Farrell.

This interior is justifiably up for a Belle Magazine and Coco Republic ‘Reader’s Choice’ interior design award. Scope the rest of it out here.

Photo: Felix Forest

Photo: Felix Forest


Let’s get multicultural. Italian designer Elisa Passino was born in Venice, is based in Brussels, and designs stunning tiles made in a small town in Portugal.

I don’t know about you, but tiles definitely speak to me, and in designing an interior, there’s nothing more fun than sourcing and scheming patterns in tile for kitchens and baths. Of course, I’m totally jonesing to use some of Passino’s tiles in a project. Her work is right on trend, mixing Art Deco forms and architectural shapes with a modern eye for colour (think perfectly sun-bleached pastels). Not to mention the fact that each and every tile is screen printed by hand. Love.

The full collection of nine designs is called Geometrie Componibili and comes in an infinite range of fab colour combos. Plus, for a total lewk, Passino has also designed encaustic concrete tiles in solid complementary colours. Clock them here. Love indeed.

Photo: Abaco and Capitello tiles

Photo: Abaco and Capitello tiles

Photo: Screen printing the Obelsico tile

Photo: Screen printing the Obelsico tile


I do enjoy a good makeover, but how about a makeunder?

Timothy Godbold’s latest is deffo in that category - a Palm Beach villa where the ‘before’ might’ve looked more at home on Mob Wives. But, Godbold’s remit was to work with what was there as much as possible (no demolition!), so instead he carefully subtracted, playing up the space and light, and carefully adding in modern touches. Oh, and did I mention the 4 month window he had to get the entire job done?

While the whole house is now stunning (check it here on Introspective, 1stdibs online mag), I love the changes he wrought in the rather OTT kitchen. Scroll down to see what it looked like before Godbold got his hands on it.

Curlicued corbels were removed, and the faux antiqued cabinetry was freshened up with a coat of Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. Speckled peach granite counters were nixed and replaced with high-contrast white Dolomite marble and black granite trim (the granite also does double-duty as the backsplash). Finally, those tired chandeliers were switched out for a kicky pendant from The Urban Electric Co.

Fab from top to bottom, the interior was shot by Alec Hemer and styled by Michael Walters.

Photo: Alec Hemer

Photo: Alec Hemer

Photo: Palm Beach villa kitchen ‘before’

Photo: Palm Beach villa kitchen ‘before’

Bringing The Looks

I’ve been having a bit of a design moral dilemma on Instagram with the number of fabulous interiors which, once you check in on the details, do not actually exist. Yep, 3D visualizations are the deepfakes of the interior world, and they’re kind of bumming me out.

You see, to me at least, part of the art of interior design is dealing with the reality of clients, budgets, contractors and trades - plus the sourcing of fabulous furnishings - to end up with something that’s real and tangible. That’s where the real beauty is.

Thoughts? Should I just get with the program, double tap and be done with it?

Cheers, Arren


While my accidental fascination with green continues, this particular room is so much more than the wall colour. Truthfully, it has also been given a generous helping hand by those mile high baseboards and that deep panelled window, but I have to tell you, this time I’m going gaga for the furnishings.

The shot is from that design mag marvel, House & Garden UK, which always brings serious LOOKS to the fore. I wish I could tell you the creative minds behind it, but alas the Google machine is no help - Any ideas?

Okay, back to the bits and bobs that make it special. Let’s start with the fab Hepplewhite sofa from Ensembliers London, shall we? The blue and white fabric is TO DIE FOR, but it’s the eye for detail and the fully upholstered legs that are really delivering the goods. This crew is not messing around. That sofa, plus the weird tramp art style table and kooky yellow wrapped frame chair, oh, and the art! It all adds up to perfection.

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While many of you - well, maybe it’s just me - constantly scream, not another Jeanneret chair, when trawling through interior images, help is at hand. This week, I’ve been spotting chairs by designer Mario Milana instead. And I couldn’t be happier.

If the first shot below looks familiar, that’s because Milana’s rather stunning Brooklyn abode was featured in AD, and has just made a reappearance in the pages of Living - Corriere de la Serra. That’s his Rulla Lotto rocker in the foreground, and his Masand lounge in behind, but it’s his fun, fun, fun dePostura dining chairs that seem to be having a bit of a moment. Literally. Chair. Heaven.

Photo: Max Burhalter. Styling: Colin King

Photo: Max Burhalter. Styling: Colin King

dePostura dining chair. Photo: @PalermoUno

dePostura dining chair. Photo: @PalermoUno


Australian designer Chelsea Hing’s latest project is a stunner. Orchard House is the name, and Hing describes it best - “Avant-garde furniture, art & objects were layered to create a deliberate tension in an otherwise monochromatic palette.”

That tension definitely comes to play in the kitchen, with the scene stealing Verde Rameggiato marble slab counter set against the murky blue-green painted cabinetry and that boffo Shogun lamp from Artemide. And hello, that lamp! Designed in 1986 by Mario Botta it has deservedly attained design icon status.

Moving onto the living room, I had a complete, have I died and gone to heaven, moment over the Edra On The Rocks modular sofa and Indian green marble Salute tables from La Chance. Lordy!

You really must check out the complete Orchard House interior on Hing’s website. Styled by Beck Simon, it’s a winner baby.

Photo: Rhiannon Taylor

Photo: Rhiannon Taylor

Photo: Rhiannon Taylor

Photo: Rhiannon Taylor

Way Down South

Australia is amazing. And stylish. And cool. And I have never been.

A visit is definitely on my ever growing bucket list. Until that happens, I thought I’d share some brand new faves from that part of the world.

Cheers, Arren


I’ll never not say no to art with a strong, graphic point of view, so the work of artist Emma Lipscombe is right up my alley.

I love how restrained each piece is, yet bright and playful at the same time. Each is painted in oil on timber board, and sized a diminutive 31cm square, they’re a snap to sneak into a gallery wall.

The shot below, styled by Natalie Johnson and Lisa Burden for Real Living mag, shows how fab Lipscombe’s work looks layered into a contemporary space. Not your thing, perhaps? Well, they can also look equally at home somewhere more relaxed, rumpled and deshabille. Get the vibe here.

Photo: Dave Wheeler

Photo: Dave Wheeler

Photo: You Can’t Take It With You #14

Photo: You Can’t Take It With You #14


While the redoubtable Patsy Stone believes you can never have enough hats, shoes and gloves, I’m of the same mind when it comes to occasional tables. In our living room, we currently have 3 that get dragged hither and yon, just so a cocktail can perch within arm’s reach.

Here’s a perfect little number from architect and interior designer Daniel Boddam. His M-Side Table - part of a series inspired by architectural forms - is both stylish and sturdy, set just-so in this interior he designed in Hunter’s Hill.

I love this look, and how well the table works with Jaime Hayon’s rice paper pendant light for &Tradition. It’s so simple and chic against all of the room’s trad details.

Photo: Pablo Veiga

Photo: Pablo Veiga


I am a longtime fan of Popham Design’s contemporary concrete tiles, made the old fashioned way in Marrakech. The patterns are always spot on, giving a designer just enough leeway to mix it up and create something special.

So, it’s their Squarish On Four tile that drew me to this swish guest bathroom designed by Studio Parker. That off-kilter mod pattern, paired with brushed brass fixtures and a chunky built-in vanity is making it all happen. Yes, to all of it!

Photo: Jacqui Turk

Photo: Jacqui Turk

Madrid - Bridgehampton - Muskoka

Sometimes, while on the hunt for something to watch, you can end up finding an odd little gem. So, when my husband David stumbled on Danger: Diabolik on the Kanopy streaming platform, I knew we were in for a treat. Filmed in Italy in 1968 it’s definitely camp, with its fair share of sexy costumes, overdubbed actors, dodgy special effects and some major eye candy from the sets. While it was trounced by critics on its initial release, it somehow ended up on Empire mag’s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time back in ‘08. Take a look at the preview here.

Cheers, Arren


So, we’re in the loft of my latest design crush, photographer Manolo Yllera who, along with shooting fab interiors, definitely has an eye for design himself. Hidden in an old Madrid neighbourhood, between a printer’s and an auto repair shop, it boasts 5 metre high ceilings and is crammed with a wild selection of major design pieces. Lordy.

I’m GAGGED, I tell you. Just look at that chair on the left, it’s a Tre Pezzi by Franco Albini for Cassina. Designed back in 1959, this particular one is a limited edition in Mongolian goat. Could you even?

Styled by Amaya De Toledo, this shoot just popped up in AD China, but you’ll also find more pics on Yllera’s Insta feed.

Photo: Manolo Yllera

Photo: Manolo Yllera

Photo: Manolo Yllera

Photo: Manolo Yllera

Photo: Manolo Yllera

Photo: Manolo Yllera


From Madrid to Bridgehampton, and a veritable design one-two punch, with an interior by Timothy Godbold, styled by Michael Walters.

Godbold’s look is right up my street, always making space for the crazy cool. Ergo, that eye watering Martin & Brockett console moment in the front hall. Pop into the library and you’ll spot a pair of Maralunga chairs by Vico Magistretti upholstered in shearling (it’s deffo a Cassina day). Creep the rest of the interior on Domaine.

Walters’ Instagram (check it out here) is a must follow for interior inspo seekers and midcentury lovers alike. Catch a peek of his projects, plus a slew of fab Palm Springs pics that obvs got me wanting to get back to PS, one of these days.

Photo: Alec Hemer

Photo: Alec Hemer

Photo: Alec Hemer

Photo: Alec Hemer


Having shopped flea markets in Paris with designer Montana Burnett, I know what a good eye she has. Monty just posted this snap; a throwback back to last year’s Muskoka pop-up for her online design shop SALT by The Caza Project. Think textured, natural and handmade, all in a pared-back palette of neutrals, black and white. Love. And I have to say, if this is her take on a lakeside cottage, then I’m there with flip-flops on. Roll on summer.

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Guest blog / Jenn Hannotte: Things are piling up

Jenn Hannotte: I've been noticing the floor getting a lot of attention by stylists recently. From piling magazines and books straight off the ground to create side tables, to using the surface to display art and objects. 

It's a fast and dirty way to update a corner or a whole room, and likely won't cost you a penny. Now, I'm not a designer in any professional capacity; I'm a mother of two who usually writes these wearing a house coat and drinking coffee while the baby naps! But I do love design and I think there are a lot of you out there like me, so take a look at my inspiration shots below and how I styled it up in my own home in that last shot. I have a soon-to-be mobile baby, Beatrix, and an off-the- wall 5 year-old, Willa, so it wasn't practical to have things directly on the floor for safety reasons. Instead, I've taken a vintage low coffee table, stuck it in an awkward corner and used books and mags to give the lamp and other objects some practical height, but it also conveys that sort of super-relaxed, eclectic aesthetic that we see in those delicious inspiration shots. [Image 1: Dos Family. Image 2: Andrea Ferrari. Image 3: Manolo Yllera]

For more of Jenn's take on style click here.

Inky and pretty

In my line of work I get to see gorgeous stuff, well, almost on a daily basis, but every now and then I get completely gobsmacked by something that's just so jarringly lovely that I'm rendered speechless. Hello, did you take a look at the shots below? Are they not completely fantabulous? All that colour against that inky black wall is just so inspiring - let alone the vintage pottery and all the other collectibles - it just makes me want to grab a paintbrush and a gallon of Farrow & Ball's darkly glam Railing and paint over all our white walls. Let's give a big gold star to both the brilliant photographer Janne Peters and stylist Maria Grossman, who collaborated on this project, and thanks too to both of them for letting me share the images with you!

Colour correction

Okay, I'm all for good taste, but every now and then I think I might just barf if I have to look at another classic white linen drum shade. Jeez Louise people, let's break out of the beige box and have some fun! Anyhoo, along the lines of that mini rant I want to share the work of Rie Elise Larsen. This Danish stylist stepped out in the Spring of '08 to create her own line of completely gorgeous housewares, paper goods and fashion accessories, all with a light, bright and intensely colourful sensibility. Me likey, especially the be-ribboned paper lampshades and colourful lamp cords shown below. Click here to check out the rest of her beautifully photographed and v. charming collection.

Meeting strangers

The other day I discovered Natalie Walton's blog, Daily Imprint, while I was digging deeper into the background of Lonny Magazine (btw, Michelle Adams sent me a v. kind note about my post!). Natalie is the deputy editor of Real Living; a fab Australian interiors mag which, if you ever get your sticky mitts on a copy, I'm sure you'll realize why everyone always oohs and ahhs over it.

Anyhoo, Natalie interviews creative types for her blog on a regular basis and includes shots like the ones below, which were too de-lovely not to share. They're the work of talented stylist Ruth Welsby, a Brit who now makes her home in sunny Melbourne. I love Ruth's colour palettes and the random - yet carefully thought out - mix of objects, art and furniture. That first shot is so calm and cool I could happily move in without changing a thing. To read Natalie's interview with Ruth click here, and be sure to check in on Daily Imprint often!

  

Black and white and orange and yellow and sweet

I have obviously missed my calling - I should be a Sweet Stylist, just like brilliant NYC event planner (and dessert table designer extraordinaire) Amy Atlas. Though, if you know me, you know I have such a rotten sweet tooth for baked goods. One week doing stuff like this and I'd be have to enroll in my local chapter of Cake Eaters Anonymous.

Anyhoo, Atlas's work is chic and beautifully styled, with a controlled use of colour and a lovely sense of wit. Click here to check out her whole portfolio, and here for her blog. I'll be checking out that Jan issue of Town & Country that she just posted about and, oh, I stumbled across the work of Atlas on another blog that's totally worth a boo - Liberty Post. So play nice and make sure you check that site out too. And, if anyone is inspired enough to throw a dessert party, I'll expect an invite.