Oh my! What a day! I think a stiff drink is in order. Perhaps some good company to help me wind down. Somewhere dark and moody. Quirky, stylish, fabulous. Now if I was just on the Lower East Side in New York. The Experimental Cocktail club designed by Chzon.

A mix of farmhouse, nautical and a touch of industrial loft. Neutrals married with textures, dappled sunlight filling bright friendly rooms, kitchen and bedroom alike. A fresh take on classic design. Modern with a rustic twist. Beautiful rooms by interior designer Lisa Kauffman Tharp. She calls it barefoot simplicity, casual elegance.

A sleek and clever kitchen and living room combo designed by Michael Bechara. An easy fusion of much needed storage and retro cool. Small space style and flair. (You can see more of Sydney based Michael’s work in this earlier post.)

Inspired by the über cool (or should that be très cool 😉 interiors of the new Hôtel Paradis in Paris. With a quirky mix of vintage, midcentury and modern, the rooms in the 3 star boutique hotel designed by Chzon are layered with colour and pattern. Funky and fun and very reasonably priced. After all staying in style shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. I’ll take the room with the view thanks!

Swedish born designer Anna-Carin McNamara of Sydney design firm Anna Carin Design has taken an historic terrace house in Bondi junction and filled it full of stylish Scandinavian goodness with just enough Australian contemporary style to make it a perfect fit for modern, metropolitan living. Form, function and flair. Love it!

Photography by Simon Kenny.