Mr. Mitchell’s bespoke, award winning project

Melbourne interior designers Mr. Mitchell recently won grand prize in the Corian National Interior Design Awards with their Caulfield project, shared here.

Peer Residence 027

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Interior designer Blainey North’s latest furniture

It’s really no surprise that interior designer Blainey North’s furniture designs are as glamorous as she is and as luxurious as the five-star interiors she is famous for.

Blainey-North

Sydney interior designer Blainey North

Established in 2001, Blainey North & Associates is a studio specialising in the interior architecture and design of luxury environments for five star hotels, exclusive residences and bespoke commercial and retail projects in Australia and abroad. Blainey North Collection was was established established as an extra arm to the business, specialising in custom designed furniture and specialty lighting.

The Passos swivel chair is one of a kind. On a concealed swivel base, encased in high gloss timber and edged in polished metal, this armchair is alluring from every angle.

The Passos swivel chair is one of a kind. On a concealed swivel base, encased in high gloss timber and edged in polished metal, this armchair is alluring from every angle.

It has always made sense to me that interior designers should design their own pieces. An ‘atelier for interiors’, Blainey is passionate about connecting ideas from the different design disciplines of fashion, film and the visual arts to create a unique language and ageless aesthetic. [Read more...]

The new Adore Home magazine

The new Adore Home magazine came out yesterday and it’s probably my favourite issue yet.

adore home apr_may 2013 cover

It’s a fashion special and among the treats are a look inside interior designer Greg Natale’s and illustrator Megan Hess’s wardrobes. I wrote the feature about the home featured on the cover, which was the work of Greg Natale Design. The wallpaper in this family home, belonging to fashion boutique owner Angela Perikic, will blow your mind!

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Palace, meets bazaar, meets Miss Havisham in this award-winning interior

Modern art, heirloom furniture and imported lighting all hover in style and time inside this brand new home which wants to be old. This project, by Molecule, won the residential decoration category of the Melbourne Design Awards.

Molecule Grong Grong Court

Molecule Grong Grong Court

The ground floor is a tale of two worlds. Cross the threshold and be transported, Alice in Wonderland style, to a choice of the salon (glamour/public) or the living room (family/private).
 Part palace, part bazaar and part Miss Havisham’s house, the salon is a grand, luxurious room that takes seriously its ‘private hotel’ aspirations,” says architect Jarrod Haberfield, of Molecule. “A fabulous bar sits alongside lushly upholstered custom furniture and major contemporary artworks. The salon is about glamour, excitement and aspiration; its look is fun, strong and idiosyncratic.”
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Thomas Bucich on virtual working and his latest collaboration with Becker Minty

Renowned interior designer Thomas Bucich moved to Sydney from New York in 1990 and has been living a bit of a ‘gypsy’ existence ever since, enjoying the best of an international and flexible lifestyle.

thomas bucich

Portrait by Marvin Joseph

These days working anywhere in the world is so much easier,” he says. “Since I moved to Sydney, I’ve always maintained all my professional contacts to keep me current on what’s going on back home, but the bulk of my work is in Sydney.”

He likes to maintain a ‘virtual studio’ with most of his time spent between his design and art studios in Sydney and Avalon on the Northern Beaches. “I love having the flexibility of doing what I do without being tied down to a specific place. I collaborate with some amazing people around the globe. Between Skype sessions and emails, we can make design projects happen anywhere.”

A Thomas Bucich residential project in Sydney's Paddington. Photograph by Dominic Loneragan.

A Thomas Bucich residential project in Sydney’s Paddington. Photograph by Dominic Loneragan.

Thomas’ latest collaboration, which he’s very excited about, is with one of my favourite homewares stores, Becker Minty, in Potts Point. “Jason Minty is an amazing entrepreneur and retailer with an aesthetic that I really connect with,” he says. “His stores encapsulate the style I like to create with my interiors, based on collecting one of a kind pieces and adding luxurious finishes and textures. We had a chat about creating an interior design studio in-house that would complete the offering of the store; to make Becker Minty a one-stop-shop for everything from cufflinks to fully bespoke interiors.” [Read more...]

IDEA 2013 entries now open

The Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2013 are now open for entries. Get in quick for early bird rates, which close on 5 April.

The awards, presented by (inside), recognise the finest in Australian interior, lighting and furniture design. The closing date for all entries is 31 May. [Read more...]

Dulux Colour Awards 2013 finalists announced

Awards season is officially upon us. And I don’t mean the Oscars; rather I speak of a far more exciting array of colour samples and trophy-yearning hopefuls: The 2013 Dulux Colour Awards. It’s the time when the crème de la crème of Australian design showcase their creativity through the application of colour.

Clarke Payne House Stanmore by Greg Natale Design

Clarke Payne House Stanmore by Greg Natale Design

The excitement around the Dulux Colour Awards continued this year, with a record-breaking 229 submissions.

More than 60 finalists have been chosen. Seven will be named category winners but only one will walk away with the ultimate Grand Prix trophy and a cash prize of $1,500 alongside airfare and accommodation to an international design fair. I’m Dulux green with envy. [Read more...]

The new kid on The Block Darren Palmer

Here at Interiors Addict I was delighted when Darren Palmer was made the third full-time judge on The Block. Possibly not as much as he was though. “SO EXCITED! It’s a brilliant competition that has featured some really great talent over the years. I love the Block and am so happy to be a part of it,” he told me.

Darren Palmer

Darren rose to fame as a runner up on reality TV show homeMADE and now here he is, a renowned interior designer and a judge on another show. He’s done good, eh? “The thing is I know renovations because I renovate, I know design because I’m a designer and I know the competition and understand its constraints and pressures because I’ve been in exactly that situation myself. Well not quite exactly as we did a complete house every 5 days. These guys get 6 weeks. The Block is pretty much a holiday…”

Careful, Darren! [Read more...]

Abigail Ahern to open a shop in Sydney

Last week I had the great pleasure of interviewing British interior designer Abigail Ahern while she was in Sydney for Decoration + Design. Despite travelling across the globe to be in Australia for a mere three days and having flu, she delighted audiences with her passionate, quirky and rule-breaking approach to interiors. She also revealed to me, to my great excitement, that opening a shop in Sydney in on her to-do list. I know! How exciting is that?

abigail-ahern1

Australians have really embraced Abigail and she is as surprised as the next person. She gets more overseas sales from her London shop (Atelier Abigail Ahern), hits on her blog and Facebook fans from Australia than anywhere else. “I don’t understand it and I’m blown away by it,” says Abigail, who has never had PR representation here or deliberately gone after an Australian audience. “My popularity here knocks my socks off! It’s overwhelming.” As she told me in a previous interview, Abigail believes Australians are more into interiors than any other country, even America. “I would love to open a shop here. I love Sydney so I think it would have to be here. It’s definitely on my to-do list.”

Abigail’s new book, Decorating with Style, was released here last week, eight weeks ahead of its release anywhere else in the world (the benefits of being her biggest fans!) and she is really excited about it. While her first book, A Girl’s Guide to Decorating, was a bestseller, it wasn’t her concept, and she feels she has grown with experience. “The first book was more practical. This one’s more about breaking down barriers and showing that anyone can do it, that you don’t need to be an A list interior designer or have loads of money to have a great interior. I was lucky that I was given the freedom to really write this book in my own voice.”

Decorating with Style Abigail Ahern

Having confidence in your own style is something she really encourages, while acknowledging a lack of it is what holds many people back from experimenting. “People always ask themselves ‘what if it doesn’t work?’ or ‘what if I don’t like it?’ but I don’t approach decorating that way. It doesn’t actually hold me back. People are too scared of making mistakes. When people let go and don’t have rules, that’s when they create the most tantalising interiors. I’d like to inspire people to be more confident.” [Read more...]

Interiors Addict mentioned in Abigail Ahern’s new book, along with many other Aussies!

(Okay, okay, I know I’m not as Aussie. Quite.)

So so SO excited! Was already excited when my preview copy of Abigail Ahern’s new book Decorating with Style arrived in the mail today. But then someone pointed out that my blog is mentioned in the directory at the back (alongside blogs like The Selby, The Design Files and Design*Sponge). I couldn’t believe it! I am such a HUGE fan of Abigail’s work I am truly honoured and flattered TO THE MAX! I will of course write a proper review of this gorgeous looking book once I’ve had the chance to get over my shock and give it a good read!

abigal ahern decorating with style

Excuse my star struck goofiness… Thank you so much Abigail!

abigail ahern

On closer inspection, there are a LOT of Aussies credited in the Little Black Book at the back of this book, which is fantastic, especially as Abigail is from the UK!

As well as Interiors Addict, Aussie blogs mentioned include The Design Files, Daily Imprint and Desire to Inspire. Then there’s Sibella Court’s books Nomad, Etcetera and The Stylist’s Guide to NYC and Shannon Fricke’s Sense of Style, Colour & Space. Under magazines you’ll find Vogue Living, Belle, Real Living and Inside Out. Also getting a mention in the directory are Murobond paints, Melbourne’s Comer & King, and Sydney stores Doug Up on Bourke, Ice et la, Koskela and The Society Inc.

Go Aussie! Abigail clearly has fantastic taste!