Innholdsfortegnelse for August - September 2022 i Belle

THE RE AREN’T MANY ARCHITECTS who can say that their reason for ending up in the profession was due to an inability to cope with the sight of blood. “I come from a family of doctors and there was, at one stage, a hope that I would follow suit,” says Conrad Johnston of Studio Johnston. Finding an alternative path had him consider how to best use his analytical brain alongside his creative impulses. Although he considered himself not adequately driven to be a career artist, his practical abilities led him to toy with the idea of being a carpenter. “I grew up in Sydney’s Pittwater and my family was friends with architect Richard Leplastrier. When he heard I was interested in architecture he invited me for lunch with some of his…

KNOWN FOR HER DRAMATIC monochrome interior schemes, designer Pamela Makin of Les Interieurs doesn’t disappoint in her masterful decoration of this Sydney apartment located in harbourside Kurraba Point. Employing walls and shutters painted in a light-absorbing flat black to give depth and blur the boundaries of the small dwelling, Pamela cleverly created the illusion of more space. To complete the look, larger pieces of furniture, objects and artworks were used sparingly and judiciously placed so as not to crowd the rooms. How did you become involved with this project and what was the client’s brief? The Kurraba Point apartment was the second project we have designed for the clients who had just purchased a new apartment and requested an entirely new look. As a departure from their former home, which…

DESPITE HAVING largely moved away from design and into photography, Tom Ferguson simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be involved with long-time friend – and editor of Wish lifestyle magazine – David Meagher’s home interiors project when offered, at the beginning of the 2020 lockdowns. The Sydney apartment within an elegant Claud Hamilton-designed building had almost all of the original 1920s details intact, so the goal was to “retain the period feel and create a simple and clean aesthetic” where David’s mostly mid-century furniture would look right at home. What were some of the requirements for your home and what initially appealed about this property? David Meagher: It’s an unusually large one-bedroom apartment with a really functional floor plan. I just wanted as much storage as possible and a…

September will see the release of the second monograph published by Rizzoli dedicated to the work of Paris-based interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot. Destinations presents 18 of his projects, from Bangkok to Cali in Colombia. There is what looks like a mini-Versailles in New Delhi, whose owners refer to as their ‘farmhouse’, though there is nothing remotely rural about it, as well as his own house in LA’s Hollywood Hills. There’s also the dacha (seasonal residence) on Yves Saint Laurent’s former country house in Normandy, the Château Gabriel, which he has redecorated for its new owners. In many of the places Jean-Louis works, he tried to create a new paradigm of just how an interior should look there. For a loft project in Miami, he referenced the city’s status as one…

When it comes to feature walls, this glamorous home runs the gamut. From marble slabs to pink Gucci wallpaper, Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Croquis’ design of scribbled faces and panels of Christian Lacroix’s serene landscapes, it’s totally fashion fabulous. “It’s something I was keen to explore in terms of texture and colour,” says Catherine Morris, who lives in the house with husband Cameron. “Using such beautiful wallpaper feels like additional artworks.” Coupled with their existing collection of paintings and sculptures, the provision of wall space was high on the agenda. Each piece was mapped out from the start, with designers Christine Casey of Pure Style Interiors and Marina Pappas of M1 Design Interiors specifying their placement. Christine and Marina had worked with the owners before, as had architect Christopher Doyle, who…

DO YOU WORK FROM HOME OR AT THE OFFICE? Before the pandemic I worked full time in the Otomys gallery but over the last few years, my studio – which we had built in the family garden many years ago – became my haven. It was designed to serve both as a working studio and to accommodate an overflow of guests. PROS AND CONS OF WORKING FROM HOME? I love the extra time with family and the moments between Zoom calls to walk the dogs or hang out the laundry. I often achieve more in a day working from home than I do in the gallery as there are fewer distractions. The idea of working from home is so comfortable and relaxing that our new gallery in Prahran, Melbourne, has…

01_HOME RUN When luxury fashion takes on luxury furniture: Objets Nomades packs the ultimate in bespoke craftsmanship with its latest collection that includes the ‘Belt’ chair by Atelier Oï. louisvuitton.com 02_ACES HIGH The first southern hemisphere property from the Ace Hotel group, the ultra-cool Ace Sydney, has arrived in Sydney’s Surry Hills. Flack Studio created the bespoke interiors, nodding to 1970s suburbia with sunken lounges and a vibrant palette inspired by the Australian desert. acehotel.com 03_CITRUS AID When a fragrance bottle doubles as a piece of sculpture, you know it’s a winner. ‘Free 00’ by Vyrao layers fresh lemon, mandarin and orange flowers, making it the perfect scent for your European summer mer sojourn. mecca.com.au 04_TOO TRUE BREW The landscape of bougie toothpastes has become much broader of late and…

There’s a hint of Bond woman about Belle’s Maria Papantoniou. She is charming, charismatic and cheeky. The husky-voiced dynamo wears towering Christian Louboutin suede booties and a stunning, shimmering mini skirt from Balmain. Maria’s style extends to sourcing exquisite vintage pieces. Fittingly, we’re driving an Aston Martin, a marque synonymous with 007. It’s not the DB5 coupé in Silver Birch from 1964’s Goldfinger, but it is the brand’s first SUV: the DBX in Lightning Silver. The British car maker was late to the SUV party, but just like Maria it has arrived in style. The DBX heralds a new era for Aston Martin. With its all-wheel drive system, the car fuses the versatility of an SUV with exceptional performance and unquestionable style. As they say, it’s an “SUV with the…

THE PALM-FRINGED, AQUA WATERS of the balmy Athens Riviera infused with the decadence of the 60s and 70s inspired these ultra-luxury yacht interiors. The constraints of space, weight and materials required for the vessel proved an exacting challenge but the sleek minimalist scheme that evolved was more than worth the effort for both owner and designer, says Michelle Macarounas, principal of Infinite Design Studio. What was the brief? I have worked with this client on a number of yachts as well as homes. It has been a joy to create beautiful unique interiors together. The client has a good understanding of what they require in design, along with a great level of trust and respect for our work. What were the challenges of the space and how did you resolve them?…

AFTER INITIALLY BEING taken aback with interior architect Phoebe Nicol’s minimalist concept, her client was overjoyed with the end result, which involved a total makeover of his top-floor apartment overlooking Sydney Harbour. “We really pushed the boundaries,” Phoebe explains. “But I think the result is a home that encapsulates style, comfort and quality.” What was the brief? My client approached me in November 2020 to work on his Darling Point apartment. The brief was to do a complete overhaul of the interior to create a light-filled, open-plan home. What were the challenges of the space and how did you resolve them? Reconfiguring the floor plan to open up the space to its maximum potential [was the major challenge]. It’s a top-floor apartment on Darling Point Road with expansive views of…

With seductive gemlike hues of ruby, sapphire and gold, and lashings of sheen, this multifaceted penthouse in Melbourne’s Toorak has all the alluring glamour and drama of a jewellery boutique. But perhaps that’s not surprising, as it is owned by James and Jaimee Belle Kennedy of Kennedy luxury jeweller fame. The couple bought the three-bedroom apartment shiny new in 2020. Its then-minimalist design had been masterminded by Sue Carr of Carr interior designers and architects, so it had quality bones and the flow of the spaces worked smoothly but, seeking more exuberance and energy, they asked designer Greg Natale to add his maximalist magic. As if draping jewels on a classic outfit, the designer added layers of colour and texture to make the spaces glow. And with the couple being…

Amp up the bass with leather design classics, hand-blown glass chandeliers rippled gleaming chrome, and overarching bedroom pieces. Divinely minted, these gilt-edged finds signal a retro step in anavant-garde direction. In a black and white situation, just insert a slick of gold and a slash of red to jazz things up.…

SYDNEY POSITIVE INFLUENCE For her first solo exhibition, ‘Muses’, Julia Gutman paid tribute to the friends, family and flatmates who propel her practice, refashioning their former clothing by hand into large-scale suspended works of patchworked portraiture, including Bed Politics (left). In doing so, the artist does away with retrogressive notions of the muse as a passive object of a male artist’s inspiration, instead reaching back to the muse’s mythical origins and re-inscribing her subjects as active agents in the creative process. July 28-August 13. sullivanstrumpf.com SYDNEY MYSTIC PIECES A series of one-off cast works (left) arranged sparingly on the gallery walls and floor, ‘Acheiropoieta’ by Hany Armanious takes its title from the Christian icons said to have been formed miraculously, rather than with human hands, reflecting his interest in the alchemical…

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR ENDURING CREATIVE INFLUENCES? Natashia Steed: My love for colour and its ability to transform a space. Colour is sometimes misunderstood – it’s seen as busy and overwhelming. Through The Bureau, I want to show people that using colour can be a fun experience, and it can add a sense of elegance, sophistication and timelessness. The Art Deco era was daring in its use of strong accents of vehement reds, cobalt blues and golden yellows – that’s where I find inspiration. HOW DID THE CONCEPT FOR THE BUREAU COME ABOUT? NS: Our first Bureau property in Pymble [on Sydney’s North Shore] focused on offering a space for people who no longer wanted to work from home and desired a change of pace nearby. We wanted…

DESIGNED TO SERVE as a serene, light-filled refuge for Nicci Green, the founder and creative director of lighting company Articolo who lives between Melbourne and New York, this Armadale home is also simple to lock up and leave when she travels. Nicci says she engaged Studio Goss to design the interior “as I have a wonderful collaborative relationship with principal David Goss and his team”. The interior reflects a quiet Belgian-style aesthetic, she explains, and features “soft layering, textures and confident volumes”. What were the requirements for your home and what initially appealed to you about the property? Nicci Green: I purchased the apartment as an empty shell before Covid struck. Downsizing from a large family home, I envisaged it as a city bolthole as I split my time between…

Cameron Kimber is an interior designer who lives life in full colour – and he loves to layer art, textures, beautiful wallpaper and fabric prints. Making a bold decorating statement is just another day at the ‘office’ for Cameron, whose design hallmark is taking classic interiors and enlivening them by overlaying a mix-and-match ethos. Originally, this property was a “very pretty, small three-bedroom bungalow”, which was replaced with an entirely new five-bedroom home with a bigger footprint that maximised its harbour views. The project came together through architect Daniel Boddam from The Studio, builder Andrew Severino from M&G Building, and landscape designer Anthony Wyer from Wyer & Co. “We worked very closely and collaboratively,” says Cameron. “It was a fantastic project.” With creative confidence and bold direction front of mind,…

With a commanding presence, this five-bedroom house has a monolithic quality owing to its sheer size and expanses of travertine both inside and out. Elegance and robustness, sometimes seemingly at odds, step out in tandem, proving that the owners can have active children – three in this case – without waving glamour goodbye. In 2018, the owners asked interior designer David Hicks to design them a home from the ground up to replace a humble brick dwelling that squandered a prized site. Tucked away in a cul-desac in Melbourne’s inner south-east, the elevated location soaks in sweeping views of the city, a serpentine loop of the Yarra River and parklands of mature eucalypts. “We were drawn to the unfettered views to east, north and west,” says the owner, who simply…