A couple of weeks ago I had the great pleasure of working with the very lovely chick & super excellent photographer Martina Gemmola. We shot a project that I have previously shared with you here & then a little more here. And because I’m a caring sharing lass (sometimes with an over-sharing tendency -truth be told!) Im going to share even more of it!
So checks it out!
Thank you Martina! You were such a pleasure & great fun to work with!!
Almost a year ago I posted here about a hot pink velvet chair I really really really wanted to do for a project I was working on as it was just perfect for the project – perfect I tells you! It didn’t look like it was going to happen due to boring things in life like budgets (yawn!), but then…the clouds parted, the sun shone through & here tis! A very lucky little little lass (as in a 4 year old little lass!) has a very pretty chair in her beautiful room! Its as good as I knew it would be & it makes me happy!
Just to clarify, it also makes the baby mamma happy and the little lass whose room it is also was quite excited by it…perhaps not as much as a new kitten or battery operated something would’ve – she is only 4, & 4 year olds generally dont get as antz pantz excited as someone like me does about furniture!
In the same room the bedhead was also something I was eagerly waiting on! So in the spirit of sharing, have a looksee: beautiful chocolatey linen with feature buttons in pink & white stripe for just a lil bit of sumpin sumpin! & the cushions are bit of eye candy too!
So thats todays deliveries for your perusal! I will be back soon to share lots of other exciting things that have been happening over in my part of the world!
But thats enough about me – whats been happening with you?!
Wow. What a week I have had… I was invited to work along side a Chinese design firm on some display apartments in Shenzhen China. A great opportunity that came my way at the perfect time, I couldn’t not go. So last week to China I went!
It was incredibly inspiring, satisfying,amazing and very exhausting. A LOT to get accomplished in only 3 days.
Here is some of what I got up to:
This is the design office where the firm I was working with are based. Its a large loft with a centre section that is open to the air that has a huge 2 storey antique Chinese gate and a long antique table (stupidly I didn’t take a better picture off, so what I’m talking about is seen through the glass) The staff have their meals here togther each day. Including their 2.5 hour daily lunch breaks which involve a hearty meal followed by a snooze at their desks! With all that rice at lunch I really needed a snooze too!
The purpose of my trip was to put together 5 display apartments that will be in these apartment buildings. The Chinese design team had put together the concepts for each apartment, my job was to pull all of that together and go over what they have done & make sure it all flowed.
I was taken to the design district. These buildings are filled with all sorts of design furnishings. They are HUGE. I saw 6 of these buildings (there would be more) and each one is 8 floors high and all filled with every kind of interior products that you could imagine. Some good, some awesome & a whole lotta crap!
Inside one of the design centre buildings.
I spent 2 solid days in this store selecting all of the furnishing fabrics for 5 apartments. (may explain the blurry picture!) It was very full on!
I had a team assisting me, but only one of which spoke English. I would describe what I was looking for ie “a cream coloured upholstery with a bit of texture” that would be translated and about 10 people who would then go searching for that amongst the piles of fabric sample books & present it back to me. The Chinese taste is far more ‘shiny’ than mine, so I constantly had to keep that in check so that the whole scheme wouldn’t be so shiny shiny!
Oh & always, ALWAYS someone had a camera on me. its a very weird feeling being constantly focussed upon. I so feel in tune with Brad & Ange now….!
Some of the selections made (hmm…looking very shiny!)
And then done.
Here I am ( the blonde one!) with some of the design team when we had just finished. I was exhausted as is very clear in this picture! (just to be clear, I am sitting down! if standing my head would maybe be out of frame!!)
In the next few days I will post about the hotel I stayed at which had a life size pirate ship, a Ferrari grand piano & the staff dressed as matadors. All true!
Hi. It’s been a while. How you lot doing?
I have a story of an ugly duckling to beautiful swan (or what ever!) to share.
I’ve been working on an apartment project where the budget was getting a bit tight. Rather than miss out on loveliness and ruin the overall look, it just needed some clever thinking. Rather than compromising on not the right thing! It would have been such a shame to use chairs from one of those chain stores where the it breaks on the 15th sitting (fact. or, um not. but they are crap ok! and yes, I am very much a snob about those things) so I knew I had to step in and get my hands dirty – literally!
So to the trusty store in the sky I turned – eBay and snatched up a great set of balloon back dining chairs for $300. Bargain! (Reproduction naturally for that price!) They were sturdy in construction and just with ugly upholstery and the frame colour not being right for this project. But I was confident they would look fabulous after a bit of love.
Before shot
Once they were stripped of the baby poo velvet seat upholstery, they needed to be painted. This is where I get my hands dirty, very dirty and painted myself. I have a reputation amongst my loved ones to paint anything I can get my hands on. I also have a tendency to paint when the mood strikes, leaving little time for preparation or pesky things like drop sheets. (Leaving to little paint droplets in um, some places inside the house and out. ssshh) Though as these chairs were for a client and not for me, I did really have to take the time to do all that stuff, even wait for the weather to be the optimum condition so I could paint in my back garden and use the right products to help the transformation!
As I have no patience or inclination to sand furniture, I needed a kick ass primer to paint directly onto the surface. I was told about a product called Zinsser. This stuff is the goods! You can paint that baby onto virtually any surface and its holds like a dog to a bone.
Once that was dry I painted the colour of choice – black with a lovely satin finish.
(I do hope you appreciate the beauty of my tiny back gardens drain pipe in this picture, and my garden chairs – painted turquoise by moi -naturally!)
Once painted and already looking pretty, I handed them over to my trusty upholsterer to do his clever bit.
This picture of them lined up in my hallway waiting to go to the upholsterer makes me happy!
I chose one of my all time favourite fabrics for the upholstery: a stunning Florence Broadhurst fabric.
I cant tell you how pleased I am with the transformation. I think they look stunning! but I admit, I couldn’t help but be a bit sad to send them off to their new home.
But at least they went to home where they are appreciated and will live happily ever after!
(psst, the wall clearly needs a little sumpin sumpin, its a coming – all in good time!)
This is a sneak peak of the apartment where they live. Finishing details and proper pictures coming of that soon!
The end!
Whoops. Its again been a while! ….. I’m sick of apologising for delayed absences and it makes a very boring blog – so, lets just move on shall we?
I do promise that my next post wont be all about me! (also makes for a boring blog!) But for now, please indulge me as I just had to sneak this picture (yes, blurry picture!) in of a project I have in the works:
I am really pleased with how its coming together and even more pleased that its now out of the confines of my head and in the real world!
The turquoise velvet chair really had my heart a flutter as do the blinds that look so beautiful (um…if I do say so myself!) Still to come is a cabinet that I have designed, made from reclaimed timber in an ebonised finish using all natural finishes including bees wax.
My client and I are also investigating different heating options, and looking at using this groovy number which burns ethanol, a clean heating alternative which doesnt require a bulky flue and doesnt dry the air out. Very cool, but requires some further investigating…
As I am self imposing a ban on my self promotion here for a while…. I will just sneak this link in…… the lovely and clever Tess McCabe of Creative Women’s circle has included me in a profile series she is doing for the CWC blog. here if you want to read a wee bit more about me!
And for the creative women of Melbourne out there (little red… I’m talking to you!) you might be interested in checking out the next CWC meeting, its always inspiring to here the triumphs and the woes of other creative women face in their own businesses.
Just saying!
The subject of todays’ post is anything but a unique and groundbreaking subject matter to the regulars of the blogosphere.
But as well as the place of random eye candy and occasional life happenings updates, Designalogue is also a place where clients drop on in and see what I have been up to and see examples of the things that I have been prattling on to them about!
So today’s post is just that! For the lovely Mrs R – this is what I’ve been going on and on and on about!…
The rest of you are ofcourse more than welcome. so strap yourselves in – there is a whole lotta coming…
So then… banquet seating…
Strike the vinyl number found at the local pizza joint image from your mind. As the following eye candy will prove – banquet seating is suitable for all kinds of interiors.
Psst – I also want to point out with this picture just how well a banquet can be used with classic furniture pieces. Nothing screaming kitcheney in this lil number!
Phoebe Howard
This is just a closer image of the same – just to get that point well & truly fixed in your mind! (though in the reality of this pic, I doubt the lamp could really be that close…elbows & animated conversation & all that!)
Phoebe Howard
This next little lot give good examples of how custom made upholstered furniture pieces can be used as banquet seating. I say custom made due to table heights and table lengths.
Phoebe Howard
Kishani Perera
Kenneth Brown Design
Wilson & Assoc - via Desire to Inspire
These next lot of eye candy are examples of custom built in banquets: (side note -can be a good use for extra storage underneath!)
via House of Turquoise
Via Desire to Inspire
Steven Gambrel
Markham Roberts
Steven Gambrel
Tim Clarke
Christopher Maya
Tori Golub Interiors
Robyn Karp Interiors via Desire to Inspire
Steven Gambrel
Kenneth Brown Design
Wilson & assoc via Desire to Inspire
Tim Clarke
Peter Dunham
not sure where I found this!
Always a padded bench option… may look great in a picture, but personally just makes me think of sore backs!
Homes & Gardens
Diamond Baratta Design
These next are an example of purpose built installations:
Todd Romano
Shelton Mindel via Desire to Inspire
Kinney Chan & Assoc
OK, so yeah, this is the same room as above…a different angle…but the chairs are quite fabulous & deserve another look in!
Kinney Chan & Assoc
Andrew Suvlasky Designs
Kinney Chan & Assoc
And so that’s that subject done for now!! What do you say Mrs R – shall we do it?!!
Thoughts to share anyone?
SNAP! I spy with my little eye….
Drake Design Associates - Via Desire to Inspire
Did you catch it? - Same chair!
Though the chair looks much better in the Drake Design room than in my lounge room! … must be something to do with the photography!!! yeah, that’ll be it!!!!?!!
(Update – have since swapped my chair for a slightly better than the old one -so some comments made MAY be out of context now!!)
Hmm..I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something…my intention for this post was just to find some inspiration eye candy to give me a shot of yummy!
BUT… then I realised the images that I was collecting were all of desky work spaces. Hmm…what could this mean?
I wonder if its got anything to do with the current state of my desk which is currently sky high with crap and rendering me kinda unworkable? Ya think?
Anyway, here are some worky area eye candy so I can ponder them and perhaps plan for the overhaul that’s long overdue…
Oh, and I’m completely ignoring the impracticalities of some of these and just looking at the cool…
Burnham Design
Tori Glub Interiors
Frank Roop
Angela Free Design
Anthony Cochrane Design
Tori Glub Interiors
Jeff Andrews Design
Robert Hirsh Architects -via Desire to Inspire
Psst – I think this desk by Robert Hirsh architects is just genius! It would be perfect for my little desk set up and could help in saving my sanity by being able to close up after a looong day! (as I work from home – this can sometimes be a sanity issue!)
Here at Designalogue Blog, we ponder life’s BIG questions. You know the important stuff.
Today’s post is no exception. Today we will explore bedside tables.
“Huh?” I hear you say. “THATS a Big question?!” to which I retort, “Have you thought about the endless choices available? ALL the options, Have you?!”
Its a BIG impact of what seems to be a simple decision.
I have spent a lot of time of late thinking about bedside tables. A LOT of time (-um, Yeah. I’m a deep thinker!)
But I’m going to be looking for some new bedside tables for the fella and I soon. So I’m thinking about what actually I want in a bedside table: Decorative? Functional? Spacious? Compact?
Its a BIG decision you know! I mean, it will effect a lot of future decisions: Such as what kind of bedside lamp – big, little, desky. Do I have room for a book, water and a pencil? you see, there IS a lot to consider!!
So I’m asking myself:
Do I want to go with this kind of table – a little Rococo type number? I COULD easily re paint to my colour whims!
Or do I want a compact little decorative number like this pretty table?
Do I want to go dark & moody with uber storage like this one?:
I’m pretty sure this one isn’t going to suit my lifestyle, but should I discount it so easily JUST because its a wee one?
Do I want a little colour in my table?
Do I need to be thinking about a bit of sassy bedside storage?
Perhaps I should go the sensible kinda non committal, could go either way kinda number?
Or the simple space keeper?
Or, do I rethink the entire bed head and go for built in storage simplicity?
Or, COULD be a good excuse to use some gorgeous fabrics – I DO have quite the stash hidden away!
Or, this type of ‘sensible’ table?
Or, what about an interesting twist! and OVER height! it certainly would fit a book and a glass of water!
Or, maybe I want to go antique?
And ALL this and I haven’t even started thinking about drawers or cupboards!!!
So you see, this really IS a big question!
Stay tuned, (but don’t hold your breath!) I will let you know which way I go!
Images all via Living Etc.
We stare for hours on end at pixels on the computer and TV, now add the sofa!
“Pixel Sofa” by Royal College of Art graduate (UK) Cristian Zuzunaga
I dig it!
Must be said: Written with love for the computer nerds amongst us – Especially my ‘fella’! After all, -the rest of us would be lost without your guiding nerd ways!
Pixel Sofa via The Cool Hunter
