Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i Belle

TAMI CHRISTIANSEN Tami wrote stories on the Seminyak villa, p178, and the Bali home among the rice paddies, p114. What was your impression of the two projects? Were there any aspects that particularly appealed to your design sensibility? The scale of the Seminyak villa was impressive and I thought the cement dining area was especially beautiful. In Lisa and Birgitte’s home the pendant light installations, metal-framed windows, and rice field views particularly appealed to me. Where do you call home, and what do you love about it? At the moment I travel between Asia and Europe. For years, Copenhagen has been my home base. Asia and Scandinavia couldn’t be more different, but I love the differences – Denmark for all things design, Asia for lifestyle. Favourite local haunts? Copenhagen is…

[Polish it off ] ALONG METALLIC LINES The ‘Pudica’ brass chair was inspired by the simplicity of the ogival arches and curves as seen in the architectural tradition of Portugal. pedrovenzon.com [ Unscrambled ] OUT OF THE SHELL New York-based Egg Collective’s ‘Pete & Nora’ floor lamp combines polished stainless steel and handblown glass in a 70s-style silhouette. eggcollective.com WORKSHOPPED 16 Design Dai ly blog ge r and Bel le contributor David Har r ison at tended the opening. “Workshopped brings togethe r an inspir ing mix of young Australian design.” Workshopped is an annual design event held in Sydney in early August that has been promoting the work of young Australian designers since 2001. While the exhibition started out in a small studio in Redfern, it has in subsequent years concentrated on being a highly…

MELBOURNE ANGRY BOYS Adam Stone probes the destructive impulses of young males and the risk-taking behaviour entwined with machismo. ‘On Hubris, Schadenfreude and Irony’ pivots on the titular trio of human foibles, exhibiting Adam’s work (left) alongside contemporaries Dan Peterson, Simon Zoric, Nicole Breedon and Kez Hughes. October 19-November 12. longallery.com MELBOURNE A TANGLED WEB Lauded for her lyrical work The Key in the Hand (above) at the 2015 Venice Biennale, now permanently installed at DETACHED in Hobart, Chiharu Shiota has returned to Australia for her first solo show at Anna Schwartz Gallery, for which the artist has woven a gallery-sized sculptural field threaded with existential meditations. Until November 5. annaschwartzgallery.com SYDNEY GRAVITY & GRACE A spectacular constellation of Australian and international artists whose work explores the concept of gravity…

A CONTEMPORARY MAESTRO in the classical mould, architect and creative director Piero Lissoni belongs to that great tradition of Milanese designers for whom life itself is a fount of inspiration. “I’m curious about life,” says Piero, whose practice Lissoni Associati recently celebrated its 30th year. “For me, inspiration is the light at a certain time of day, the noise and the smells on the street. It’s a painting or a movie; it’s music, food and faces. It’s Mies van der Rohe, Faulkner, Dior’s ‘New Look’ and the Rolling Stones. It’s a strange crossover of many combinations that becomes culture.” Melding this humanistic disposition with an instinct for spatial nuance and an acute awareness of the technical rigour underwriting simplicity and visual quietude, Piero’s distinctly Italian brand of sensual minimalism has…

SCANDINAVIA DREAMING To the rest of the world Nordic design is synonymous with white paint, blond timbers and a cool attitude, yet the reality is so much more. Nature is never far away in the Northern countries and informs the creative spirit, whether in an Icelandic cabin, a Stockholm apartment by Claesson Koivisto Rune, homewares by Oyoy or furniture by Gubi. The simplicity, quality and craftsmanship that is the hallmark of all Scandinavian design is the hero in this book. Angel Trinidad, Gestalten, $95 IN THE MOOD FOR COLOUR An evocative exploration of colour that will have you reaching for the paint pot and brush. Who wants to live with bland neutrals when there are so many other desirable shades that can lift your spirits, soothe, stimulate or excite. From…

S et among picturesque green rice fields in Bali is a stunning holiday home shared between good friends, Danish designer Birgitte Raben and Australian interior designer Lisa Taffin. Friends for more than a decade with a common aesthetic and love of design, they decided to build a house together that they could each use as a part-time base when in Indonesia creating and manufacturing their independent fashion and interiors collections, Rabens Saloner and Smoke 48. Birgitte and Lisa wanted to create a home that was not only tranquil and immersed in nature but also had the feel of an urban loft, being both functional and suitable for family living. Even though the triangular parcel of land was not large, the designers wanted the 210-square-metre home to have an openness and…

THE EHGLISH TAPWARE COMPANY For details: AU 1300 016181, NSW (02) 9362 4736, VIC (03) 9818 1403, NZ (09) 309 3023. englishtapware.com.au…

NEWYORK SIMPLY SPECIAL SoHo welcomes Studio Oliver Gustav – the first international outpost of the Danish interior designer featuring simple, honest pieces by Faye Toogood, Michael Verheyden, Rick Owens and more. olivergustav.com LONDON ROAD SHOW Available for short and long stays, New Road (left) in Whitechapel seamlessly interweaves the intimacy of an historic Georgian home with the finest linens, art, furniture, books and objects available to purchase. 33newroad.com  SYDNEY OLD + NEW Art, found objects and accessories, such as the ‘No.9’ leather pouch (right), line the walls of Paul Smith’s new Westfield, Sydney, store, echoing the brand’s aesthetic, combining modernity and tradition. paulsmith.co.uk HIP HOOD A 1960s used-car dealership is the site of LA’s coolest new urban precinct. Uniting hipsters and the health-conscious, Platform is a curated mix of boutique…

For many years, Whitney Casey and her tech entrepreneur husband Nav Sooch would rent a summer house in The Hamptons that belonged to an interior designer. “It had everything you could possibly need,” she recalls. “Everyone would leave and say, ‘What a charming little gem!’” When the couple decided to buy their own property, their aim was clear – to create something every bit as special. The house they found is a new build in a quiet street close to the heart of Southampton. “It’s not my type of exterior because it’s so traditional,” says Whitney, a former CNN anchor, who is currently developing an app to help women coordinate their wardrobes. She was more attracted by the location. “You can access everything,” she enthuses. “You can walk to the…

This Brisbane landmark was originally designed in 1876 for the Stewart family. With an impressive checklist of period features, including high ceilings, woodwork panelling, and character interior moulding, it would have been a standout in its heyday. Fast forward 140 years after a number of ‘interventions’, and the new residents were looking to restore the home to its former glory. They also wanted to create a comfortable home for their young family. This was the key driver in the brief to interior designer Louise Walsh. “Buildings of this age often have a format which does not naturally suit more contemporary preferences,” she says. “So we considered factors such as external viewpoints, privacy, positioning of the informal and formal wings and the way our clients live day-to-day.” All of these were…

Elegant Finnish style was on the table when Iittala recently relaunched its brand in Australia. With an impressive rollcall of iconic designers including Alvar Aalto who designed the famous ‘Savoy’ vase and Oiva Toikka whose ‘Birds by Toikka’ glass collection has been made since 1962, Iittala boasts an impressive back catalogue of design pieces which were forged on an ethos of utility and elegance. Throughout the decades Iittala’s stable of designers has acheived a singular beauty aligning with the company philosophy that everyone should have access to fine design. A timeless classicism is evident even in pieces designed more recently such as Heikki Orvola’s ‘Kivi’ candleholders from 1988, and Alfredo Häberli’s ‘Essence’ glasses from 2001. To celebrate the relaunch of the marque in Australia, the team at Fiskars hosted a…

ALBERTO ALESSI “In my opinion design is a creative discipline based on poetry and art,” says Alberto Alessi, managing director of the iconic house that has been in his family since 1921. “What I am looking for is a poet.” Having pioneered the brand’s famed collaborations with the postmodernists in the 1980s, Mr Alessi continues to champion design talent worldwide, including an impressive pool of Australian artists, architects and designers. ANITA DINEEN Launceston jewellery and object designer Anita Dineen joined the Alessi family in 2014 when her svelte reimagining of a cheese knife was named winner of the inaugural Alessi Design Award. Inspired by the antechinus, a mouse-like marsupial native to Tasmania, Anita’s curvilinear blade cleverly balances on itself, evoking Alessi’s playful elegance. ADAM GOODRUM Adam Goodrum’s winning entry from…

How great would it to be to have a luxe country retreat? As long as you could visit it often it would be marvellous. It would need to be low maintenance and looked after by a fabulous housekeeper who ordered in your favourite food and tipples and made sure the linen was plumped! I am intrigued by those who are able to maintain two or more addresses – I spend so little time at home that when I am there it feels like a weekender anyway. In this issue we visit seven very different rural retreats from Montauk to the NSW south coast (p85) that share a common theme of providing sanctuary for their busy owners. I recently had lunch with the owner of one of our featured abodes, Ljiljana…

IT IS ENTIRELY FITTING that a conversation with architect Hannah Tribe begins with small details and expands outwards conceptually and geographically. She has recently launched a range of architectural hardware that skilfully combines aesthetics with durability and sensory experience. “Touching is how you engage with architecture after looking at it,” she says. Working on a range of heritage houses Hannah came to realise that she wanted to mimic the gravitas, the weight and solidity of what was once there in terms of handles, hooks and door pulls, while retaining a contemporary spirit. Created in close collaboration with Adam Corry, whose wealth of experience in metalwork and engineering ensured Bit Part was born. “The small things play a cameo role in the house but are also a signifier of the larger…

With an aim to unearth Australia’s brightest unrepresented art stars, the inaugural program sponsored by Belle Property drew an outstanding talent pool in 2015 and is looking to top its success this year with a new crop of creatives. ArtStart is a prize with a difference as entrants must be willing to sell their work at the ArtStart event – the artist keeps the proceeds – and all submissions must be painted on the same size canvas (36”x24”). Entries close November 11, 2016, and the judging, sale and winners’ announcement will take place at the ArtStart event on Tuesday, November 22, 2016. So if you have a major work bubbling away in your mind just waiting to be unleashed, now is the time to get painting!…

A quintessential New Yorker with international style cred, George Freedman changed the design landscape in Australia forever. “Spatial invention” – as opposed to applied surface decoration – is the way high-end furniture retailer De De Ce, Knoll’s representative in Australia, describes his special skill. At his funeral service after his death at 80 in July, George’s indelible mark on our design history inspired a rollcall of praise from colleagues and clients for his groundbreaking residential, corporate and cultural commissions. Working globally in the employ of furniture maker Knoll International, George already had an impressive CV when, in 1969, he was sent to Sydney to design the executive levels of the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac). This exciting project saw him introduce a level of sophistication not seen before…

Visiting Melbourne to launch his design for this year’s MPavilion for the Naomi Milgrom Foundation (see Belle October 2016) architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai stayed in the iconic Robin Boyd house in South Yarra – sleeping in the children’s quarters at the back of the property. I had long admired his work but found him a difficult interviewee. Not because he didn’t listen or answer well, in fact it was the opposite. He thinks so deeply about the questions there are often long pauses and his answers are wide ranging, philosophical, mythical and historical. There are no sound bites and it forces an edge-of-seat attentiveness, a keenness to follow the line of thinking and understand the genesis and process of his extraordinary architectural output. Bijoy launched his practice Studio…

With its shiplap style, shaker panel joinery, pitched ceilings and white shutters, this house is classic Hamptons. Except it’s not. Located on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, this double-storey weatherboard weekender by architect Robert Robertson and interior designer Adelaide Bragg, rests on a hilltop overlooking the national park and golf course and Port Phillip Bay, and features a stonewalled pool, and tennis court with gardens by Paul Bangay. Contemporary classic with a shot of colour, it’s the perfect outcome for a client seeking “modern classic” but also “something fresh that would suit a relaxed environment”. “The house is very much an Australian design which takes some cues from the seaside homes of North America. The detail on the chimneypiece, the architraves, cupboards and painted wood panelling is something you might find in…

“THE CLIENT’S DESIRE WAS FOR A SOFTER, GENTLER APPROACH TO THE LOOSE FURNISHINGS TO BALANCE AND PLAY OFF THE STRENGTH OF THE ARCHITECTURE.” Architect Reno Rizzo of Inarc doesn’t think that being two-faced is necessarily a bad thing. It’s a most unlikely admission for a trait so universally unsavory, but when it comes to this house on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, he has a point. Sitting atop an escarpment, the views out to the rugged coastal south are brutal and blue, while the northern rural aspect is green, serene and bucolic. “The two facades are not seen together yet co-exist,” says Reno, who responded to the elements in the materiality of the building. “The benign northern orientation has views over paddocks defined by rows of pine windbreaks with rolling hills in…

Antique French settee upholstered in Anna Spiro Textiles ‘Leilani’ in Multi. Pink and green striped cushion with bell tassel fringe from Style Revolutionary. Scatter cushion covered in Carolina Irving ‘Amazon’ in Leaf. Lampshade covered in Kravet ‘Kashmira’ in Indigo. Vintage and antique furniture and artworks sourced through Black & Spiro. DESCRIBE YOUR DESIGN AESTHETIC. I love old furniture that’s worn, interesting and unique. Everything I do is either custom made, antique or found. I try to create spaces for my clients that are unique to them. I love nothing more than a room filled with a mismatch of furniture, fabrics, art and antiques. Rooms that show personality and true style are layered with many different things yet are held together with a common thread that binds its way through the…

Greg Natale & Myles Baldwin Join acclaimed duo, interior designer Greg Natale and awardwinning landscape designer Myles Baldwin, for lunch in Sydney. THE BELLE TEAM is pleased to announce a new series of Luxe living alfresco lunches in collaboration with exclusive outdoor furniture purveyor, JANUS et Cie. Over canapés and a two-course lunch with matching wines, guests will enjoy an informal discussion with some of Australia’s leading interior and landscape designers, hosted by Belle editor Tanya Buchanan. Thomas Hamel and Paul Bangay are our special guests at the inaugural lunch on November 4, followed by Greg Natale and Myles Baldwin on December 16. This is an exclusive opportunity to be inspired by Australia’s leading design minds. We look forward to welcoming you to these exciting events. Canapés and two courses…

The first task for interior designer David Flack in renovat ing this Melbourne home was “de-frilling”. One of three in a set of untouched 15-year-old duplexes, spaces were generous but “very chintzy”, says David of the faux Georgian house. Wallpaper was stripped, mouldings refined and chandeliers removed, but David embraced structural elements such as the solid panelled doors and original parquet floors. He says that retaining these was not a budgetary decision but rather a sustainability one. “The bones were in great condition so we worked around it. It seemed ridiculous to just rip it out. The house had amazing possibilities without completely tearing it to shreds.” With its high ceilings and herringbone parquetry, there’s an air of Parisian-style living, which David says evokes the work of French architect Joseph…

SYDNEY TOP UP SJB ARCHITECTS HAS ENHANCED THE ART-DECO ELEGANCE OF WOOLLAHRA WATERING-HOLE THE LIGHT BRIGADE, NOW TOUTING A STUNNING ROOFTOP BAR. BRIGADE.COM.AU A QUICK BITE with HARRY STOCKDALEPOWELL { Executive chef, Bouche on Bridge } Favourite food experience? Eating delicious egg yolk ravioli in a trattoria in Italy. Tipple of choice? Matt Linklater’s (bartender at Bouche on Bridge) gin cocktail ‘London Calling’. Enduring influences? Nature, being the source of the produce I use in the kitchen. Favourite interior? The Musket Room, in NYC. Stunning but simple with rustic elements and exposed brick. New trends in dining interiors? Open-plan kitchens that allow cooking over coals and minimalist interiors. Recent favourite projects? Bouche on Bridge. The most challenging and rewarding project I’ve ever undertaken. Looking forward to? Developing the menu at…

Photographs ROMAIN RICARD Following the success of Hôtel Paradis, owner Adrien Gloaguen and rising interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon recently presented another smash hit. Located in the ninth arrondissement near the Grands Boulevards and many theatres, Hôtel Panache opened its doors a few months ago after two years of work. Outside, the seven-storey corner building – which dates from the late 19th century – catches the attention of passers-by. Making the most of the hotel’s triangular shape was the biggest challenge for Dorothée. “Both the area and building itself inspired me,” she says. This project pays tribute to the Flatiron Building, the New York City landmark known for its wedge shape. Doing something new was the only brief that Adrien gave Dorothée, who is used to having carte blanche when designing…

PARIS EPIC ENDEAVOUR After four years of meticulous renovations, Paris’s most iconic hotel The Ritz has been restored to its original Belle Époque splendour with some impressive improvements. Celebrated architect Thierry Despont refashioned the legendary establishment with the help of 800 of the best ateliers and craftsmen he could muster. The end result is 142 elegant rooms and suites, three bars, three restaurants, a shopping gallery, a grand jardin and a Chanel spa. ritzparis.com MALDIVES ISLES OF DREAMS Dianne Lechner is Australia’s personal concierge for all things Maldives. Hand your getaway planning to her and she will tailor a trip to the islands to suit every whim (W Maldives, above). addictedtomaldives.com A SHORT STAY with ALEXANDRA CHAMPALIMAUD Founder, Champalimaud Design} Favourite travel experience? I regularly visit my family and friends…

Carriageworks, Sydney AUDI HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK presented an action-packed schedule to celebrate its 11th year. With the incredible Whitsunday Islands backdrop and a who’s who of chefs, celebrities and stylesetters, guests had plenty to amuse themselves including a fabulous dinner in an aircraft hangar created by designer Darren Palmer. Also on the calendar was the elegant Paspaley White Lunch, hosted by Paspaley creative director Christine Salter which attracted a glam posse of ivory-clad beauties. Poliform unveiled its chic new-look showroom in Sydney’s Alexandria with the help of a horde of design lovers fuelled with Campari and transported by Alfa Romeo. Carriageworks hosted an exclusive dinner for Italian-born, New York-based artist Francesco Clemente to toast the unveiling of his first major retrospective in Australia. AUDI RACE WEEK Hamilton Island…

WHO HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR ENDURING CREATIVE INFLUENCES? Ilse Crawford, who was editor of Elle Decoration UK when I began reading it in about 1990, just before I found my calling as a stylist. Her philosophy of how interiors should nurture people and cater to their needs stuck. My mother, Dee Court, who encouraged my love of small details and shared her passion for textiles, literature, art, theatre and travel with me. DESCRIBE YOUR STUDIO? An imaginarium and magical world where everything I need to create, make, dream is at my fingertips. WHAT INITIALLY APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT THE SPACE? I was looking for size and an old-fashioned building with herringbone joists and bricks, which I found in this 1901 warehouse, once a Taubmans paint factory. As I moved,…

ALESSI DESIGN AWARDS belle 2017 We are on a quest to unearth Australia’s best product designers to create a timeless piece that will fit within the existing Alessi portfolio, exhibit contemporary lines and be imbued with an enduring style that will make it a classic within the Alessi stable. The Alessi family have a fondness for Australian designers and many of our leading creatives have engineered pieces that reside within the Alessi collection today, including this year’s judges, Abi Alice, Adam Cornish and Adam Goodrum. Now is your chance to become part of the Alessi DNA with your design. Enter by November 18, 2016. The winner will be flown to Milan to meet the Alessi family and present their work which will potentially go into production for Alessi.…

1 HARDWARE SOCIETY Prolific stylist and eternal collector, Sibella Court has launched a collection of hardware including these metal, woven and leather pieces. thesocietyinc.com. 2 RED RED WINE Logan’s Ridge of Tears 2014 Mudgee Shiraz is a delicious drop with floral, mulberry, dark cherry, plum, liquorice and spice notes. loganwines.com.au 3 DEGAS INSPIRED Ceramicist Milly Dent has created these contemporary ceramics, ‘After the Bathers’, influenced by Degas. store.ngv.vic.gov.au 4 RISHI is a new work by celebrated Australian artist Joshua Yeldham. Rishi is an expression of Josh’s belief that we have higher conversations with ourselves in nature. scottliveseygalleries.com 5 PAPER HERO Fabulously talented designer Tom Dixon has released three new collections to give your desktop a lift. ‘Cog’, ‘Cube’ and ‘Ink’ stationery sets will give your office a shot of old-school…

ADELAIDE UTOPIAN VISIONS Following her recent residency in Tokyo, Amy Joy Watson’s ‘Moon Dune’ conjures alien landscapes (left) from paper, metallic thread and balsa to explore “the human propensity for imagining better worlds”. October 13-November 12. hugomichellgallery.com SYDNEY WASTE NOT... The by-products of industrial processes are refashioned as otherworldly ecosystems in the work of Jamie North (left), whose latest series ‘Remainder’ is a galaxy of spherical forms surrendering to decay. Smooth, marbleised concrete juxtaposes with craggy slag aggregate, while native Australian flora is cultivated within the crevices formed by its erosion. The plant life consumes the asteroid-like outcrops, forming a new landscape where organic and manmade elements coalesce. Jamie’s ‘Moving Mountains’ project, a series of photographs which depict monumental peaks of slag waste, accompanies the sculptures. Until October 8. sarahcottiergallery.com…

THE ARTIST WHO HAS BEEN AN ENDURING INFLUENCE? Frida Kahlo [4]. CONTEMPORARY ART THAT YOU MOST ADMIRE? The works of Gary Hume [8] and Shane McAdams [7]. DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING? I collect handwritten notes and framed butterflies. FASHION MUST-HAVES? Sunglasses and new shoes. FAVOURITE WATCH? A 1970s Gucci watch [1]. FRAGRANCE OF CHOICE. Incense by Comme des Garçons [6]. BOOKS – WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW – BOTH FICTION AND ART/ DESIGN? The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and enjoying my new colouring book out now [5]. MUSIC – WHAT’S ON ROTATION AT OFFICE AND HOME? Christine and The Queens in the studio. M83 at home. FAVOURITE FLOWERS? Peonies [9]. BEST DOWNTIME (IF YOU EVER HAVE ANY) PURSUIT? Walking my dog, Mr Plum, on Hampstead Heath. ENTERTAINING –…

There are few design objects as celebrated as the Fritz Hansen ‘Egg’ chair, Arne Jacobsen’s ovoid masterwork from 1958, yet for Jaime Hayón even the greats are ripe for reinvention. A modern-day renaissance man with a playfully maverick streak, the Spanish artist and industrial designer has stamped his trademark whimsy on everything from luxury watches to large-scale public sculptures in the course of his brilliant career. So, when it came to conceiving his designs for Fritz Hansen, Jaime was apparently undaunted by the legendary Dane’s legacy, invoking the ‘Egg’ chair’s voluptuous form while pushing its pioneering technology into exciting new terrain. “I don’t impose myself on the companies I work with,” says Jaime. “It’s more of a collaboration where I let their DNA mix with my own, so there’s a…

Interior designer Fiona Lynch (pictured with Belle interior design editor Lucy McCabe) believes every home should have art. “Having no art to me is like having no furniture to sit on. Real art as opposed to decorative is my belief. I have many favourite galleries, depending on budget and taste. Australian Print Workshop Gallery has costeffective prints by some of Melbourne’s best artists or, if collecting and a client has the budget, I love Karen Woodbury Gallery. Niagara Galleries and Tristian Koenig have some amazing up-and-coming artists. Choose art you love. I don’t believe in buying art to match the interior,” she says. Brendan van Hek’s Turn the Night to the Day 2015, glass, mirror, acrylic shelf, $3500, from Sarah Cottier Gallery. sarahcottiergallery.com…

Guests will enjoy a sumptuous seasonal three-course feast of Greek food, courtesy chef Peter Conistis (of Alpha, Sydney) accompanied by matching wine and beverages, while Kellie and Tanya talk about the latest trends in fashion, interiors and beyond. Famed for his bohemian prints and shimmering fabrics in jewel tones, designer Matthew Williamson applied his fashionista focus to furniture with dazzling results. Joining with esteemed British furniture maker Duresta, the pair have redefi ned the dress code for the lounge in a range of gorgeous furniture, the Duresta for Matthew Williamson collection. Upholstered in glamorous fabrics in electrifying colours and prints, these pieces will enliven both contemporary and traditional homes. Tuesday 25th October, 2016 When: 6:30pm for 7pm Where: Beta Bar and Gallery Level 1, 238 Castlereagh Street, Sydney. Price: $175…

Every home Garth owned had to have a fireplace – “a wonderful focal point to a room” – and if one didn’t exist he soon fixed that. Interior designer Garth Barnett who died unexpectedly in October last year left a distinctive mark on each of the many homes he created. As well as those he designed for clients, his own places ran the gamut from a lilliputian-sized cottage to elegant townhouses and grand apartments, a palatial penthouse and the odd coastal retreat. In each one he surrounded himself with favourite objects and pieces gathered from various periods and places he visited. His final abode on the 17th floor in the Engelen Moore award-winning Altair building in Sydney, the place he loved and called home from late 2011 until his sudden…

“There’s a swagger of largeness. Rooms like giant balloons expand out to the garden and sky.” There are just some colours on the Pantone chart that are questionable when it comes to interiors. Maybe passable in moderation, but on a large scale? Red flags. So it comes as a refreshing surprise that the spearmint carpet used in the master bedroom of this renovated and refurbished South Yarra home works so perfectly. “This house wasn’t about putting overt colour into the architecture itself which meant we could wrap it up in the features,” says Hamish Guthrie of Hecker Guthrie Design who worked on the interiors. Architect David Luck restored the front rooms of the semi-detached Victorian terrace and expanded an unflattering, poky 1970s rear extension into a generous new living space…

Food PETER BRUNEL Recipe editor CHRISSY FREER Each year in June the streets and canals of Florence are a virtual nonstop, live 24/7 catwalk as the world’s most stylish men descend on the picturesque city for the biannual preview of what’s hot in men’s fashion and accessories. Editors, buyers, tailors, retailers and crowds of preternaturally groomed fellows stroll and pose at the shows and hot spots of one of the world’s most elegant cities. Naturally, with the abundance of debonair visitors and the picturesque location, the events during the fair have to be every bit as breathtaking. In June this year, the suave Hotel Continentale with its stunning riverside location and views of the historic city, was the backdrop for the glamorous crowd who assembled for a party hosted by…

Photographs SEAN FENNESSY The 1980s was the height of excess for Australian billionaire and fugitive-to-be Christopher Skase and his wife Pixie, who launched their five-star Sheraton Mirage resort and golf course with an extravagant party that lasted for days. Complete with two hectares of saltwater lagoons, it put the sleepy fishing town of Port Douglas on the map, but it’s been a long time since George Clooney, Claudia Schiffer, Mick Jagger and the Clintons walked the shores of Four Mile Beach and played 18 holes of golf. Well past its prime, the hotel remained untouched until interior design studio Mim Design began a refurbishment. “Being able to work on such an iconic hotel dating from the heady era of the 80s brought many challenges but also many delights as we…

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WARWICK FABRICS CELEBRATED 5 0 YEARS in business with an elegant dinner at the new Eveleigh Creative Precinct in collaboration with Belle magazine. The evening was hosted by Tom Warwick, founder and chairman of Warwick Fabrics, and Belle editor Tanya Buchanan. For Tom and sons Cameron and Leighton it was a fabulous opportunity to catch up with their loyal New South Wales retailers and suppliers. The recently refurbished industrial space in Eveleigh Street, Redfern, which usually operates as the cellar door for Cake Wines, was transformed for the night by Belle style director-atlarge Steve Cordony. Steve worked with a selection of linens in dusty hues and subtle patterns from Warwick Fabrics to design bespoke napkins for the tables and cushions for the banquettes. He enlisted talented florist Myra Perez from…