Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 / January 2021 i Belle

We are so proud to be celebrating a decade of design – 10 years of the Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards with our major partner Coco Republic. When we first started these awards, our editorial co-ordinator (now deputy editor) Harry Roberts and I spent hours printing out a seemingly endless line-up of entries, disabling a few printers on the way, then frantically trying to ensure we had enough walls at magazine HQ to hang them all on for judging! We are more sophisticated these days with the entries loaded onto iPads but it is wonderful to see how the awards have evolved into the annual big ‘night of nights’ on Australia’s interior design calendar. It is a challenge to maintain continuity of such a high calibre over a decade…

SYDNEY HEADS WILL ROLL Decapitation seems an appropriate motif for artist Lillian O’Neil, given her epic collages are formed through a cut-up technique that sees pre-digital pictures from a fastidiously compiled archive spliced and sutured into compelling new stories. “The cut is to interrupt, to disarm literally and figuratively,” writes Judy Annear in the text accompanying Lillian’s new series ‘Soft Demand’, which includes Sleeping stones (left). Until November 28. thecommercialgallery.com MELBOURNE LINKING UP TREVELYAN CLAY‘S VIVID PAINTINGS CAREEN CASUALLY ACROSS MANY MARK-MAKING STYLES, FROM LOW-FI GRAFFITI AND GLITCHY GRAPHICS TO OP ART PATTERNS AND BIOMORPHISM. PART OF HIS NEW SERIES, CARABINER (RIGHT) IS TITLED AFTER THE SUB-CULTURALLY SUGGESTIVE HOOKS THAT DANGLE FROM ITS IRREGULAR PLANE. UNTIL DECEMBER 19. NEONPARC.COM.AU SYDNEY WATER TABLE In Tulpenmanie (left), photographer Lilli Waters reanimates Dutch still-life painting by…

WHO OR WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR ENDURING CREATIVE INFLUENCES? The design process is ever-changing and evolving and I am constantly inspired by designers past and present. I was fortunate enough to commence my career at Parish-Hadley Associates, New York, who will forever be an ongoing influence as they instilled in me the fundamentals of design and I refer to these on a daily basis through my business, Thomas Hamel & Associates (TH&A). Travel is the best form of inspiration, not only from visiting museums, galleries and stores, but I am typically invited into homes of inspirational friends and associates, such as Kate Hume in Amsterdam, Veere Grenney in London, David Kleinberg in New York and Barbara Barry in LA. IS THERE A COMMON APPROACH THAT RUNS THROUGH YOUR…

WHAT INITIALLY APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT THE SPACE? It was the absolute stillness and quiet, close to the water with panoramic harbour views. After my previous apartment, a large penthouse atop a 30s art deco building on busy New South Head Road, the absence of passing traffic was bliss. The building was designed by modernist architect Aaron Bolot in 1957 (he lived here until his death in 1989). My apartment is unique with its own entrance separate to the main building and a lateral layout that runs north-south across the garden side fronting the harbour. Opening it up to take advantage of that was the obvious thing to do. WHAT DID THE ALTERATIONS ENTAIL? Before I moved in, I ripped up the carpet, removed doors, had the original floorboards sanded…

SPONSORED BY Gillian Khaw & Tania Handelsmann HANDEL SMANN + KHAW Words JUDY PASCOE Portrait KRISTINA SOLJO AN AGGREGATE OF STYLISH and innovative projects spanning Residential, Kitchen and Bathroom categories has netted Handelsmann + Khaw a trio of awards – Belle Coco Republic Interior Designer of the Year, Best Residential Kitchen for the Bellevue Hill Federation House and Emerging Design Star. As relative newcomers on the scene (their studio was formed in 2016), Tania Handelsmann and Gillian Khaw have captivated with the youthful energy and whimsy of their designs and are worthy recipients of the Emerging Design Star award. Their uncontrived spaces balance spontaneity and refinement while reflecting their clients’ personalities and requirements. “Injecting character via patina is a key feature of our projects,” they say, and in the Bellevue…

IT IS TESTIMONY TO Alexander Tzannes that he is able to recall in great detail and with immense fondness a two-storey addition to a tiny timber cottage in Balmain for writer Leta Keens, which he designed in 1985. “I still just love that building. Size doesn’t matter – it’s just as hard to do,” he says. In the residential and commercial space Tzannes is an A-list architecture practice that attracts the big end of town. Think of John Symond’s Point Piper home with its 75-metre waterfront, 22-person spa, a cinema and a double ellipse staircase that drops an astounding 19 metres. Typical of Tzannes there is subtlety as well as theatre, and an additional surveyor was engaged to ensure that the building set out was precisely aligned with key visual…

IS THERE AN ARTIST WHO HAS BEEN AN ENDURING INFLUENCE? Rachel Nolan: Sidney Nolan [5]. Patrick Kennedy: John Coburn [18] for his brilliant approach to colour and the allusive abstraction. CONTEMPORARY ART YOU MOST ADMIRE? RN: Nonggirrnga Marawili [8] – her incredibly modern work talking to ancient stories. PK: Rick Amor [9] beautifully depicts shadows, mysteries and memories. DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING? RN: Indigenous artworks [from] country we have travelled in. PK: Arabia Ruska crockery [11]. WHAT ARE YOUR FASHION MUST-HAVES? RN: I’m partial to a Borsalino hat. PK: Massimo Alba shirts and Common Projects suede boots [14]. FAVOURITE WATCH? RN: iPhone does the job. PK: Don’t have one. FRAGRANCE OF CHOICE? PK: Orto Parisi ‘Viride’ [4]. BOOKS – WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW – BOTH FICTION AND ART/DESIGN? RN:…

BRITISH DESIGNERS AT HOME A follow-up to Australian Designers at Home, author Jenny Rose-Innes visited top-name designers in the UK from Kit Kemp to Nina Campbell, introducing readers to their beautifully decorated homes. Expect archetypal English chintzes, overstuffed sofas and serious antiques alongside more idiosyncratic pieces such as Rita Konig’s vintage stuffed pigeon and Veere Grenney’s alpaca walls. Jenny Rose-Innes, Hardie Grant, $60 THE WORLD OF FEDERICO FORQUET A delicious portal into the life and proclivities of bon vivant Forquet whose design genius embraced interiors, gardens and fashion and left an indelible mark on la dolce vita. Sumptuous imagery of palazzos he created sit alongside Tuscan gardens of his design as well as lavish gowns from his eponymous couture house worn by the likes of Sophia Loren and Diana Vreeland.…

Los Feliz is one of the many beautiful old Spanish colonial neighbourhoods in Los Angeles. Set in the hills above Hollywood, its leafy green streets wind up to the famous 1930s art deco Griffith Park Observatory which is an iconic film and TV location. Attracted by the charm and style of its picturesque location, Australian designer and photographer James Houston bought this not-quite-fixer house over three years ago with his Scottish husband Brian McGrory, who has a hospitality consultancy. Brian is also creative director of historic Villa Carlotta, a nearby landmark hotel. The couple had spent 17 years living and working in New York, where they built a widely published lake house in upstate New York (seen in Belle April/May 2012). It was business as usual until one day out…

Looking beyond the faded exterior and interior of Villa Verano, designed and built in the 1920s by architect F. Glynn Gilling, a devotee of the Spanish mission style, Olivia Babarczy saw a bright future in buying the house for her large family. Surrounded by established gardens and trees, the house sits in an elevated spot overlooking Sydney Harbour with views out to the Heads and Manly. “When we came across the house six years ago, we had absolutely no plans to buy but it was all extremely fortuitous,” says Olivia. “We happened to drive by and immediately were struck with the romanticism of the house, despite its decrepit state. The previous owner was in her 90s, the electrics were shot, there was water damage throughout and the gardens were a…

This three-storey property in Sydney’s east had fallen victim to decades of crude, inconsistent renovations, presenting its new owners with an adequately proportioned home of five bedrooms and four bathrooms but with tired, timeworn interiors. But the promise of coveted Sydney Harbour views for the couple and their young family proved irresistible. Initially, the current owners had engaged Sydney interior architect Debbie Pollak of Pollak Design to apply minor functional and cosmetic updates to the house. “I’m crazy about light and ventilation. For me, that’s everything,” says Debbie who honed her skills for a decade at architects Tobias Partners as an associate. “When I first entered the home every room was dark and reeked of smoke from the previous owners. It was quite depressing.” She immediately became aware that the…

Glamorous, dramatic and redolent of Palm Springs, this streetscape and garden in Sydney’s eastern suburbs would look perfectly at home in that playground of Hollywood A-listers. As in that resort town of iconic mid-century retreats, landscape and architecture are intricately interwoven, the two engaged in a scene-stealing dialogue. After returning home to Australia in 2017 following a stint living abroad the owners, a professional couple with young children, bought this handsome house near the harbour. Topping their wishlist for their new home were indoor-outdoor spaces that would make the most of that mild weather they had missed in their absence. But, while the house had been recently remodelled by architect Andre Baroukh + Associates and Paul Brough Design to spectacular effect, the garden had been left adrift and shortchanged the…

CHASING THE SUN LONG LUNCHES WORK & PLAY INTO THE NIGHT LITTLE LUXURIES AFTER PARTY…

1_SIBLING ACT London-based interior design firm Studio Ashby invites us into their design world with the launch of ‘Sister’, a limited edit of shoppable, one-of-a-kind pieces, including refurbished antiques, homewares and treasures thoughtfully sourced by founder Sophie Ashby and her team. studioashby.com 2_BREAKING THE MOULD For her debut furniture collection, ‘Bold’, French designer Milena Denis Polania called on local artisans Les Ateliers Selaneuf to bring her vision to life using a special moulded leather technique. kolkhoze.fr 3_SUNNY OUTLOOK Inspired by the healing powers of light, New York designer Christina Z. Antonio’s ‘Helios’ collection features a precious combination of materials, including silk, alpaca, bonded leather, handblown glass and neon. christinazantonio.com 4_FRESHLY MINTED Designed by Jonas Wagell for Tacchini, the ‘Julep’ collection is characterised by the exaggerated curved forms influenced by the…

THIS CHRISTMAS, entertaining at home becomes more important than ever. The message is clear – have fun with your loved ones and go simple and abundant. Pandemic etiquette is still newish to us all, but making guests feel at ease and welcome in our home is not. Focus on alfresco events to come together safely adhering to government guidelines. SAFE SERVE Leave paper towels and hand soap in your bathroom, along with disinfecting wipes and a spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol for misting handles. Think hand sanitisers in pretty baskets as the accessory du jour. When pouring wine, ask guests to leave their glass on the table and refill without touching it. For safety, serve food directly from the oven and allow guests to pull a serving from platters with…

For gallerist and art adviser Sally Dan-Cuthbert collecting is a lifelong preoccupation. She grew up in a household that was always engaged in art and design. The ceiling of her childhood bedroom was papered with a Marion Hall Best design, while the first artwork her father bought her when she was a teenager (after seeing her emotional response to a woodblock print by Austrian expressionist Maximilian Kurzweil) now hangs in her dressing room. To buy from the heart was a lesson she learned early on. Her parents would travel abroad for holidays, taking Sally and her sisters with them to faraway places such as Petra and she gathered mementos from that time. Collecting is a habit that now extends to her husband, Chris, and their two sons, Christian and Oliver,…

This Mediterranean-style property in Castlecrag, with glimpses of Middle Harbour, could easily be in Portugal. With bougainvillea shooting on the concrete columns framing the new garden room, this relaxed residence is now home to a couple with two children. “One of the owners has ties to Portugal hence the arches and these beautiful handmade tiles,” says architect Polly Harbison of Polly Harbison Design, pointing to the blue and white tiles inset in a new wall in the dining room. While this house, now painted a pale grey and featuring a number of steel and glass windows and doors, appears to have been simply ‘tweaked’ by Polly, the before photos reveal why the neighbours referred to it as ‘la bête rouge’. Originally a 1950s house that expanded to accommodate 10 children,…

Standing on a rocky promontory near Pornichet on the Atlantic coast in western France, this neo-medieval manor house looks out over a popular surfing beach and faces the tidal island of Noirmoutier in Brittany. Accessed via large parklands where the tall maritime pines established themselves over a century before, the property abruptly ends at a cliff overlooking the ocean. The nearby transatlantic departure point of Saint-Nazaire, birthplace to such cruising icons as the Queen Mary 2, regularly pushes out these graceful floating cities, a quiet and meditative passing spectacle this grand old dame has witnessed for over a century. If these walls could talk! Built at the end of the 19th century by Nantes architect Claude Devorsine for a captain of industry as a residence for his mistress, the manor…

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SPACE? New York loft meets Sydney. WHAT INITIALLY APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT IT? DID IT REQUIRE ALTERATIONS? My office is the old garage of our heritage-listed home designed by Professor Leslie Wilkinson. It’s detached from the house and has its own entry. It is of heritage significance because it has the original cupola as a feature through the ceiling and loft-style roof and beams. It required significant reimagination of the space and a gut renovation. WHAT ARE YOUR DESK ESSENTIALS? My iMac, design notebooks from the MCA store, a rotating art book (currently Carmen Herrera) and my Brazilian agate coaster. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE MCA BOARD? I’m a custodian of Australia’s leading museum dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting…