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


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 2

Terzo Piano X Or.nami - Pattern 3

Terzo Piano X Or.nami - Pattern 3


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: 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 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.

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

Photo: Laura Fantacuzzi and Maxime Galati-Fourcade

Worn’s Cane Lounger in Black

Worn’s Cane Lounger in Black

Going out Est for Eames

I recently got the chance to speak to students at Humber College all about what I do, as well as my thoughts on design, and, other than the fact that they must've thought I was bonkers, I did find time to beg them to please try their best to not buy knock-offs. I'd much rather see a vintage piece, or great affordable design (hello, Ikea, Habitat and West Elm!) in an interior, rather than a sad looking fake Barcelona Chair.

So this week I was super-duper happy to check out a brill new online mag from Australia called Est Magazine, which had a great feature comparing a fake to a real Eames DAW (that's Dining height Armchair Wooden base to you and me). Click here to look at the mag, and to read all about design integrity vs. a ripped-off copy, and have a boo below at the 4 looks Est stylist Amey Rosenthal put together, photographed by Toby Scott, of the real thing. Traditional, Family, Old & New, Corporate - Do you have a fave? And thanks too to Natalie Walton's great blog Daily Imprint for the intro to Est!

 

Under the covers with Tracie

Last night I was whipping through The Bay, scouting for quelque chose for a shoot, and was stopped in my tracks by a delovely set of linen. This little wonder is called Sienna and hails from an Aussie firm, Aura by Tracie Ellis. The collection, smashing in black and yellow, was inspired by Victorian wallpaper and IMHO would be quite the bedroom statement maker. Loves it. Oh, and I included a close-up of the bedside table, since it has a fab nutty vibe with its mix of a Moooi Rabbit Lamp and a Patricia Urquiola designed T Table for Kartell (not to mention the great matte black wall). Here's hoping the nice peeps at The Bay bring in more of Tracie's line.

Melbourne beckons

I'm thinking about Australia again today, and it's not just because we somehow ended up with yet another dump of snow yesterday (ugh). Nope, snow besides, it was because an e-mail popped up from Andrew Maynard Architects, whose Tattoo House I'd researched for Canadian House & Home's Trendwatch page. The firm's latest project, the Vader House, is an extension on a Victorain terraced home in Fitzroy; a boho neighbourhood in Melbourne - and - it's pretty darned fabulous.

Take a look below of the space and let me know what you think (I know I could move right in). There's obviously a good reason why Dwell called him "One of Australia's most exciting young architects." For more background on the Vader House read the Architect's Statement here, and click here to check out other projects. [Images: Peter Bennetts]