Welcome to beyond paradise

Posted on Mon, 4 Oct 2010 by midcenturyjo

I think I need a holiday. I have spent the past 2 days in bed with a migraine. Too much stress, too many deadlines, not enough time to breathe. I’m dreaming of running away to a piece of paradise somewhere special. Welcome Beyond hand picks the most beautiful and unique vacation properties around the world. I lost my heart in Florence on my first and only visit. A truly magnificent city and beautiful people (perhaps that is why I lost my heart!). My fantasy return involves this beautiful hotel, Riva Lofts. The trouble is there are too many stunning properties on Welcome Beyond‘s books as you will see…

Still dreaming of a getaway. Perhaps Locanda al Colle in Camaiore, Tuscany. Stylish and well appointed with an eclectic yet luxurious decor with hints of the 40s and 50s. A relaxed retreat for international travellers. Even better this is not an hotel but a home open to guests. Perfect base for exploring a part of Italy that I can never forget.

And as much as I love the easy elegance and luxury of the above properties (hardly rustic I think you would agree) the property that tugs at my heart is The Beachouse in Vendays-Montalivet, Medoc, France. Memories of lazy family holidays in a shack right on the beach come flooding back. A house that is not too precious. Where it is all about family and friends, fun and days spent lost in the sand dunes. Bliss! Want to join me?

WINKS

Posted on Sat, 2 Oct 2010 by midcenturyjo

… still borrowing pictures from Kim’s fab flickr

WINKS – weekend links. Here we list what has come in during the week, things we’ve found and things we think you’ll want to see. If you’d like to see your blog or website featured email us and if we think it fits with our readers we’ll link you. So what’s in this week?

  • Beautiful rugs combining Aboriginal designs and traditional Kashmiri rug-making techniques. Chain stitched, using hand dyed wool and finished with a heavy cotton backing, each rug is a completely handmade piece.  Even better this project is owned by the artists, rather than licensed to a third party. A more empowering way to work, this brings many direct benefits to the artists and their community. You can find them here.

  • Cheeky, retro, vintage and just a touch naughty. Love these handmade wallpapers and homewares by Dupenny. “Sense of humour is always priority” says the website. Burlesque in the bathroom perhaps? Pasties in the parlour? I know I need those tiles for my new old kitchen!

  • How beautiful is the rich red of the 2010 hand-dipped Winter Seasonal Collection from Heath Ceramics? And the lovely tonal values of Snow Dip. Want to wrap my hands around a cup of hot chocolate in one of those mugs.

  • Playing with the shape of an arc but with steel and concrete and a fine red wire the AD 46/10 by Romain Duclos of Rlos Design. Clean modern lines balancing lightweight frame and the solidity of a heavy weight. Love the whimsy of the coloured flex.

  • Hello minimalist lovelies! Elegant, sleek, functional. Fabulous pieces by well-groomed-fox. That has to be the best business name I have heard in ages!

Little house big impact

Posted on Fri, 1 Oct 2010 by midcenturyjo

How cute! How clever! How tiny! Stalking and found this Surry Hills, Sydney terrace. From its bright exterior to its Grant Featherston chairs and vivid green floor, I just want to pinch its chubby tiny house cheeks and kiss it. Definitely stealing that splash back idea. Oooooooooh you little cutie!!!! I just wish there were more pictures. Aussie design mags please do a feature before it’s sold 😉

McLean Quinlan Architects

Posted on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 by midcenturyjo

“We take a holistic approach to each project and, with sustainability always in mind, we consider the building, landscape, function and interior design and employ careful use of scale, proportion and detail to create houses that delight. We love what we do and particularly projects that offer opportunities for designing finely crafted modern buildings in stunning surroundings… ” and it shows. These buildings have soul, have personality, are exquisite. I’m in love with the work of McLean Quinlan Architects. You too?

Reader’s home

Posted on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 by midcenturyjo

Paul and his wife Elsa have recently moved into their new home in Singapore (an 86m2/925 sq ft public housing apartment). Turning to magazines and blogs for inspiration they have created this fabulous minimalist apartment, a perfect respite from Singapore’s hectic pace. Emailing with Paul he came up with an insight into Singapore’s growing design scene.

Things have really started to move design and architecture-wise in Singapore over the past 5-6 years. Lots of interesting stuff now, but I think we are still some way away from finding our own design vernacular. There isn’t a “Singapore” look, in the way that there is an American country-home look, or a Scandinavian aesthetic, or even the modern-Australian feel that so many of the Sydney and Melbourne homes that you have put up on your site have achieved. I guess it is a bit difficult with the cookie-cutter government housing flats that 80% of us live in, where everything is pre-fab. For a long time, the government was just trying to put together as much low-cost housing as possible to meet the demands of population growth. So build quality is alright, and the flats are relatively affordable, but they were absolutely zip in terms of design until recent years. More effort is being put in to the aesthetics of the new built flats now, but the one I just moved in to recently is about 10 years old, and was certainly built for function rather than form. I have always been a fan of mid-century modern and minimalist styles. What I tried to do with the flat is to keep it honest to its pre-fab/concrete/city-space background by taking on an industrial feel and meshing it with what the styles that I liked. It was challenging because neither my wife nor I have any background in design whatsoever, but really great fun. There are many other really interesting interpretations of public housing flats though – everything from modern baroque to faux-country house, and from Balinese resort to French petit-Chateau style. It will be interesting to see if all the different styles somehow converge into a “Singaporean” look in the future!