Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i Belle

We are feeling refreshed and revitalised to be back in circulation – at events, at press showings, at design installations and incredible arts initiatives. Fun is back! And people are far more amusing and witty in real time. Technology is a flimsy replacement for pressing the flesh – forget virtual, give me analogue any day. Over the years, the Belle team has hosted and attended lots of soirees – it is a privilege and a pleasure to bring our readers, industry partners and team together to explore the incredible well of creativity in Australia and abroad. So many ideas and so much energy comes from being with other people and discussing what is driving them. Orchestrating a memorable party is tricky enough when it’s business as usual, but the pandemic…

IF YOU HAVE NOT YET heard of Those Architects you are to be forgiven. When Ben Mitchell and Simon Addinall set up the practice in 2013 (they had studied architecture together some years prior) they chose the name to conjure up notions of anonymity (who are those architects?) and a certain modesty. Sadly, perhaps, this attribute is about to be lost as a series of increasingly high-profile commissions have come their way and clients, in both the residential and commercial spaces, are seeking out their refined, thoughtful aesthetic. With their finger firmly on the global pulse of architecture and design, in 2016 they won the prestigious American Architecture Prize (Gold Medal) for their Ansarada Offices project in Chicago and in 2019 Wallpaper* magazine included them in its Architects Directory for…

A PASSION FOR DESIGN AND TALENTED MAKERS AND INNOVATORS DRIVES THE FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DECUS, ALEXANDRA DONOHOE CHURCH, WHOSE OWN FLAWLESS INTERIORS PROJECTS HAVE GRACED THE PAGES OF BELLE MANY TIMES. SHE HAS ALSO REGULARLY FEATURED AS A FINALIST IN THE BELLE FANULI INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS AND WAS WINNER OF BEST BATHROOM DESIGN IN 2018. WHILE ALEXANDRA’S VISION IS GLOBAL IN ITS REACH – WHETHER SHE IS IN A STATE OF DELIGHT AND AWE IN A COPENHAGEN CATHEDRAL OR OVERCOME WITH THE MAJESTY OF THE GRAND VILLA SETTING FOR A TILDA SWINTON MOVIE – SHE ALSO LOVES TO HERO LOCAL ARTISANS IN HER INTERIORS. DECUS.COM.AU 01 BOUTIQUES [In step] SAN FRANCISCO METAL ALCHEMY In my humble opinion, Eric Schmitt is the god of bronze in collectable design – his…

Explore your alter ego and let imagination fly with an esoteric play of shapes, patterns and offbeat compositions that feel bold and extravagant and light up any scenario. Lounging in style amid mind-blowing pops of colour and shimmering brilliance that conjure a high-octane concert vibe.…

Located in Prickly Rocks, Blairgowrie, in Victoria, the brief for this vacation home was specific: nothing jarring, raw materials and a deep connection to the landscape. Backing on to the Mornington Peninsula National Park, the property is at the mercy of extreme weather conditions and sits within a bushfire zone, motivating the use of heavily insulated concrete and double glazing for thermal efficiency. Home owners and boutique property developers Uschi and Danny Schwartz worked alongside architects O’Connor and Houle to create a vacation getaway that ultimately became a permanent home base during the pandemic. What initially appealed to you about the property? Uschi Schwartz: You open up the back gate and you’re in the national park. The land was originally an old bush block that had never been built on…

LIGHT WORK In the study of this Sydney home by Bruce Stafford, a Thonet ‘S 285’ desk by Marcel Breuer and ClassiCon ‘Non Conformist’ chair by Eileen Gray, both from Anibou, sit on a handspun pure silk Jaipuri rug from Cadrys. Serge Mouille table lamp from Cult. What to Remember When Waking artwork by Morgan Stokes and ‘Onishi #21.040’ vase by Kerryn Levy, both from Curatorial+Co. See Double Vision, p120.…

In a world where everything is expected to happen instantaneously it is gratifying to see a project such as this home in Sydney’s north shore that has been lovingly planned and curated for more than two and a half years – and is still not finished. Interior architect Phoebe Nicol who has been guiding the project describes her client as “a true collector who has a passion for beautiful fabrics and furnishings”. As a customer of Phoebe’s antiques business, The Vault Sydney, the owner was well versed in the designer’s aesthetic before approaching her to revamp her family home. Having lived there for eight years the owner was keen to finally put her personal signature on the expansive two-storey property. “The house felt dark and dated, and the shutters blocked…

When relaxing in this rooftop garden, the owners of this two-level penthouse in Sydney’s inner east are on top of the world – in more ways than one. The lofty retreat luxuriates in panoramic harbour views as well as all-day sun. But it is also blissfully outside the box – their wire fox terrier, Tui, can wallow in a flowering rooftop ‘meadow’. The charmed results, however, presented some tricky challenges for its designer, Michael Cooke. He became involved in 2019, having worked for the owners on two previous projects. Architects BVN had totally refurbished the top two floors of a mid-century brick apartment building, presenting him with the hardscaping, a blank canvas defined by limestone pavers on terraces front and back and handsome bronze perforated cladding as a background. His…

01_ESTATE OF GRACE At the top of my travel wishlist for the past three years has been a trip to Mexico, specifically to visit the Hotel Esencia. It’s a majestic 20-hectare resort on the Mayan Riviera’s most beautiful stretch of beach (between Tulum and Playa del Carmen). Initially built for an Italian duchess and her guests, it’s now open to travellers. Sea turtles also visit – just once a year, to lay their eggs in the dazzling white sands of Xpu-há bay. hotelesencia.com 02_BRIGHTEST CHOICES Haze is one of three new pieces from Riloh, which is among my favourite lighting brands. This striking pendant is the work of South Carolina-based creative director Melissa Sutton and second-generation blacksmith Peyton Avrett. riloh.com 03_HOME AND DRY Truly distinctive bathroom accessories can be hard…

WHEN KE RSTIN THOMPSON of Melbourne-based architecture practice KTA says that they “have placed the site’s ecology at the centre of the design” at Bundanon, she is not wrong. Evidence of this sensory experience is everywhere – in the visual, the aural, the tactile and the olfactory. This new Art Museum and Bridge for Creative Learning is utterly of its geography, its climatic conditions and its cultural heritage. Gifted to the Australian people in 1993 by artist Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne, the Bundanon property is located on 1000 hectares of bush and parkland overlooking the Shoalhaven River near Nowra on the NSW south coast. “The design is driven by Bundanon’s main imperative, as established by the Boyd family, to foster an appreciation for and understanding of landscape and art,”…

WHAT APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT YOUR HOME AND WHAT CHANGES DID YOU MAKE? Geordie, my husband, and I moved to Marnanie with our young family in November 2017. I grew up in country Ireland and he in country Tasmania. We both felt that Mount Macedon was very similar to these places through its old trees, whimsical gardens and abundance of space and fresh air. We wanted to give this to our children. The house was built in 1890 for the first Australian-born governor Sir Isaac Isaacs, his wife Lady Deborah Isaacs and their daughters Marjorie and Nancy (after whom Marnanie was named). We loved the history and charm of the old house and its significant garden. We wanted to restore it and make it our own. It had plenty of…

What were the requirements for your new Chadstone boutique? Longines has a long history at Chadstone and this is an ideal location to showcase the brand in its entirety. Chadstone appeals to a broad range of consumers, as does Longines. How did you develop the concept? Longines Chadstone Boutique is in the newest Longines concept – one of the first in the world after the Geneva opening in 2021. What are some of your favourite aspects? I love the new elements that make the space feel more lifestyle driven. The brand was conscious of making it feel aspirational and luxurious but warm and inviting. I love the increased use of blue, the wall niches to display specific collections, the blue lozenge padded panels in the signature wall and the ribbed blue…

Dreaming of creating a slower, more meaningful pace of life in her own environmentally aware home in a beautiful rural setting, Justine Hugh-Jones, founding principal of interior design firm Hugh-Jones Mackintosh, unearthed this property in the hinterland after a three-year search. She dubbed it Hidden Byron for its tranquil hinterland Northern Rivers location, small acreage with beautiful green borrowed views, and proximity to the ocean and neighbouring towns of Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads and Mullumbimby. “Hidden Byron was created with a vision that our family would spend more peaceful time immersed in nature and live responsibly in a way that was more aligned with our values,” says Justine. What were the requirements for your home and what initially appealed to you about the property? Having holidayed frequently in the Northern…

Intriguingly, this smart home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs is two houses in one. From the street, it makes a bold statement, with a striking curved facade that soaks up views of Sydney Harbour. But behind its public persona, it reveals itself as a private and serene sanctuary focused on a rear garden that’s bliss for a young family. When Bruce Stafford of Stafford Architecture first visited the site in 2018, he was offered a once-in-a-career opportunity. Two generations of one family had bought two prime properties side by side, intent on building two startlingly different houses with one overriding common element – that is, to optimise the mouthwatering views of Sydney Harbour and the Bridge. The results testify to the practice’s flexibility and versatility. The house of the older generation…

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORKSPACE? Eva-Marie Prineas, principal of Studio Prineas: Our office space is designed around clarity, collaboration and wellness, which reflects our ambition to design for a life well lived. It is comfortable, accessible, spirited and refined. My goal is for the team to feel happy when they come to work, to feel like they’re occupying a beautiful and creative place where all ideas are heard and staff feel nurtured. WHAT INITIALLY APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT THE SPACE? I wanted to create an open, atelier-style layout to support the collaborative nature of Studio Prineas. The crisp building shell invites light to move around the interior, and the anodised frames and white surfaces of the shelves and desk units create an understated yet high-quality finish in contrast to…

WATER WORLD For her installation at the 23rd Biennale of Sydney, Clare Milledge cast back to the old Irish tale of the forming of the river Sinnan. “Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea draws upon connections between ecology, poetry and waterways,” says the artist. “I have woven sound, glass paintings, textiles and sculpture to invoke a potent watery well of poetic inspiration, surrounded by the nine magical musical trees from the story. The voices of the well are truth-tellers, ecologists, poets and artists. It’s said if the voices of the well are heard, the land will be healthy.” The work’s aquatic essence echoes this year’s Biennale theme – titled rvus after the Latin for ‘stream’ – as well as its setting, jutting out over the Harbour in…

MELBOURNE SELF EXPOSURE Highlighting the constructed qualities of portraiture and the studio as a site of performance, Paul Mpagi Sepuya entwines the mechanics of photography with acts of self-creation. Made with friends, lovers and members of the queer community, his images (left) explore the relationship between photographer and subject. The artist uses mirrors and curtains to play with reflection, exposure and concealment. April 29-June 12. photo.org.au; ccp.org.au SYDNEY FANTASTIC FIBRES ‘Pliable Planes’ pools work by 12 Australian artists who expand the possibilities of textiles. Curated by Karen Hall and Catherine Woolley, the show takes its title from a 1957 essay by Bauhaus artist Anni Albers, who espoused the endless mutability of material. Made from sailcloth and parachute silk, Kate Scardifield’s Canis Major (right) is activated by the body and wind…

Gliding down the street in a black 1961 Jaguar convertible with leading man Piero Gesualdi behind the wheel is like being in a film directed by Italian great Federico Fellini. In true Felliniesque style, Piero adds an air of sophistication and surrealism, flamboyance and fantasy to all he does and designs. With his shock of thick white hair, designer sunglasses and signature monochromatic attire, Piero and his classic car receive a rapturous response from bystanders on Fitzroy’s Gertrude Street. It’s a far cry from the little boy of Italian migrant parents who, decades earlier, hid in the suburb’s back alleys in fear of being teased for wearing tailored knickerbockers. When it comes to style, Piero has the last laugh. The architecture student, designer and fashion pioneer founded Masons stores in…

Whatever the season, this home in the Adelaide Hills never fails to impress. Set in a vineyard, it handles winter cold and blistering summer heat with ease, all the while soaking up the amazing views that are offered by expansive windows in every room. “Vigneron House had to be robust internally as well as externally,” says interior designer Alexandra Moeck of Enoki. How did you become involved with this project and what was the client’s brief? We were contacted by the client on referral from another client back in 2016. The concept for this new build was underway with Proske Architects and we were engaged to bring the interiors to life. Throughout the conception of this home, our client wanted to avoid having a “white house”. This steered the brief…

While downsizing has become a popular trend in recent years, the reverse move of upsizing is not a regular occurrence for a couple with grown children. But for interior designer Amy Spargo’s parents having a home that could comfortably welcome their seven children and 15 grandchildren was a given. The couple had purchased this townhouse in an inner Melbourne suburb six years previously. It was a 30-year-old property that had been expertly constructed and appointed at the time but was starting to show its age. While the initial discussion with Amy was for a decorative makeover, her father suddenly decided that a fullscale refurbishment was in order so the builders were called in to essentially gut the property. Amy’s carefully considered palette of wallpapers, paint swatches, fabrics, trims, rugs and…

In 2016, Australian designer Lisa Buxton packed and prepped a container full of art and furniture that she had accumulated over seven years spent in New York. After studying at the Parsons School of Design, Lisa had gone on to work for fellow New York-based Australian Antony Todd in event design, helping to style parties for the likes of Elton John and Anna Wintour. Then, just as she was heading back to Melbourne, Lisa met Ari (on the day he arrived in New York) and her plans changed. Together, they ended up in the city for another three years before moving back to Australia and getting married. In 2020, during the pandemic and a pregnancy, Lisa and Ari began renovations on their newly purchased 1930s home in Armadale – timing…