Uncomplicated Simplicity

The latest Urbis magazine is out and this issue is all about 'Coastal Living' - which on our rainy, cold summer day in Wellington makes one rather jealous.
This home on Manhattan Beach, California caught my eye. It was designed by, and is the home of, interior designer Mandy Graham. I like this timeless aesthetic - the tight palette of materials and simple details work together to make this compact home look very spacious. Get a copy of Urbis to see more of this uncomplicated and elegant home.

Photographs via Mandy Graham

Picture Hanging

I brought a picture frame from Country Road last weekend and I came across this promotional video of theirs. It demonstrates how to hang your different frames to create an art cluster. They've done a great job and show how super easy it is. Nice one.

Leather Chairs

Borge Mogensen Spanish Chairs in the sitting room

Check out this Australian home from The Design Files this week - it is leather chair galore! The interior of this house is fabulous (no surprise as it is the home of furniture designer, Mark Tuckey and his family), however it was the leather chairs that caught my eye.
The chairs were designed by Borge Mogensen, a Danish furniture designer who was among the generation of furniture designers (including Arne Jacobsen and Hans Wegner) that introduce the concept of 'Danish Modern' internationally. His 'Spanish Chair' (see above) were designed in 1959 and still look amazing today. Explore the rest of the home here.

Borge Mogensen leather and oak dining chairs around a Mark Tuckey table.

Borge Mogensen leather campaign chairs in the main bedroom.

Photographs by Sean Fennessy via The Design Files.

Latitude Collection from Armadillo & Co.

Kilim Weave - Nomad in Fern Multi-colour

I love a good floor rug and I have mentioned on here before, Australian brand Armadillo & Co rugs tick all my boxes. High quality, sustainable materials, aesthetically pleasing, offer a bespoke service for designers and good business ethics. Now they are to release several exciting projects in February, including a range of rugs that you can see here called the Latitude Collection. You like? I do.
The new collection is inspired by the founders' (Sally Pottharst and Jodie Fried) love of intrepid world travel and these traditional kilim weaves have been reinterpreted with vibrant colours. The rugs are handcrafted from Argentinian wool and use a unique dye method called 'Abrash' - “It’s a specialised and ancient dying process that results in softly muted background colour with subtle shading that welcomes inconsistencies in hue and saturation,” co-founder Sally explains. “It’s not flat colour and then they are hand washed which make the colours all fade a bit and work into each other. It is really lovely.” Sounds good to me.
I order my Armadillo & Co rugs from The Ivy House in Auckland - give the lovely Annie a call if you want to find out more.

Kilim Weave - Pilgrim in Teal/Walnut/Gunmetal



Kilim Weave - Caravan in Peony Multi-colour

Kilim Weave - Caravan in Cerise Multi-colour

Marble Top Tables

 

Iko coffee and side tables from Jardan, Melbourne

Have you noticed the trend of marble top tables? They're quite lovely and I was admiring these ones from Melbourne brand, Jardan. I looked for one available in New Zealand and sure enough found the simple All Circle side table at Douglas and Bec. Nice.

Tuck side table from Jardan

All Circle Side Table from Douglas and Bec.

Modern Bathrooms with Colour

I first spotted this striking bathroom on Pinterest and as I investigated further, I discovered they were designed by Australian based, New Zealand architects, Pohio Adams. Now with Warren and Mahoney in Sydney, Pohio Adams designed these bathrooms for a modern house in Sydney.
What a great palette of tiles, timber, brass fixtures, industrial lighting with lots of white - it looks so effective.

Photographs by Christopher Adams via Chic Deco.

The House in the Woods

 

Today's posting is about a house in the woods, but not as we know it.
These beautiful photographs are by Finnish amateur photographer, Kai Fagerstrom, who ventured in to the woods and came across what he thought was a group of empty dwellings. However, as he later found out they were definitely occupied - by wild woodland animals. Mice, badgers and foxes are among some of the animals that have made themselves at home and they have been beautifully captured by Fagerstrom. He explains to National Geographic that "there's consolation in the idea that nature is reclaiming the places it has lent to the people." Indeed.

 

 

Photographs by Kai Fagerstrom.