Displaying posts labeled "Dark"

“A showroom, store & hotel in one. Designed for property company microluxe.  Micro in that it challenges what can be achieved within a small space through clever cutting edge design. Luxe in its attention to detail – from the exquisite furniture, artwork and finishes.”

Melbourne-based Studio Edwards and the converted apartment in Fitzroy. Marble walled bathroom, gold Murphy bed, hovering steel monolithic kitchen. It’s hard to believe this design is 5 years old. Microluxe seems to have moved on. I wonder if the studio apartment remains?

Sophisticated modern living in a sea side community with nary a beach cliche in sight. Instead strong use of colour emphasised by natural materials, attention to detail and bespoke pieces. What do I love most about this Cardiff by the Sea house by Brazilian-born but southern California based Kitchy Crouse of KC Interior Design? The dark and brooding bar area and that seriously sexy powder room with custom quartzite sink.

This home speaks to me on sooooo many levels. Having a history and rustic vibe yet simple, modern architecture on the inside. That dichotomy as well as white vs black makes this home have so much energy and evokes emotion. I am completely smitten. Designed by Hallworth.

Nestled on ten acres in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, is the quintessential Adobe of Montecito, named by an early owner, Ennisbrook, an Irish word meaning land by a river. Dating back in parts to the mid-1800s, it is an early architectural darling of the town it inhabits. The Adobe was left gutted with dust floors, essentially derelict as a result of an abandoned renovation when my clients acquired the property. The property had a heavy, mature, gravitas in juxtaposition to the young newlywed owners. The seriousness of the building required subtle strong detailing. However, the primary design inspiration came from Notre Dame du Ronschamp.  Corbusier’s masterpiece has an air of brutal honesty. The space is monastic and meditative, heavy-lidded and softly lit.   Architecturally we had similar conditions. Ennisbrook has limited fenestration and dark timber, hewn trussed ceiling original to the building.  Ronschamp’s walls are stark white, yet ethereal.  We similarly employed white reflective plaster and floors cast in integral white concrete, which speckled and crazed like a bird’s eggshell. Our light is restricted, but serene.  The kitchen blackened as a hearth itself is the heart of the home. Three years later the client moved into a home that was entirely realized, furnished with brutal simplicity, comfortable and negligently sexy, redolent of the past but infinitely modern, a perfect hillside retreat.

Morrisstudio is a London-based interior design firm founded by director Tom Morris in 2018. Having spent more than a decade working as a design writer and critic before setting up the business, Tom takes a journalist’s more considered approach to creating homes that goes beyond style and has a natural attraction to things with a story. Craft is at the studio’s core. Its projects are defined by the handmade and the individual — places where practical needs are put first and the human hand is always felt. I’ll add unique, approachable and pragmatic to describe Tom’s take on design.

“We were commissioned to re-imagine the informal living room, entrance hall and the master bedroom. Taking cues from the colour palette defined by the client we assembled a series of statement pieces that created unexpected moments, like the oversized Sammode Studio lamp and Dedar wallpapered ceiling. The unique mix of vintage, pre-owned and new pieces also includes a restored Italian book case, a Florence Knoll credenza and the Italian Gronda Mirror/Coat Racks. Despite working with an earthy palette, we succeeded in creating a richly textured series of spaces that are sophisticated yet accessible.”

Earthy and rich, unexpected and inspiring. Harking to the past and definitely ahead of the curve.  An atmospheric reworking of old spaces. What else would you expect from Melbourne’s style maven Simone Haag?

Photography by Timothy Kaye