Cool…rick owen’s home

One of the best stands at this year’s Maison was Rick Owen’s home collection.   Reknowed for his dark aesthetic, cuts and amazing fabrics, his interior collection was filled with fur, steel and wood.   His clothes are characterised by simple shapes that are comfortable to be , but with understated details.

His home in Paris is no different.  The location was formerly an office for Francois Mitterand and has been reimagined in his trademark greys and dark woods.  The only colour is the gold accents of some of the decorative pieces.   I love the unfinished walls, that contrast with some of the boiserie on the interior wall panels and the ethnic art pieces.   I would love to design an interior like this for a cool, hip guy…

Famous interiors…Falling water

Designed and built between 1936 and 1939, Fallingwater is by the American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.  The cantilevered design was a masterpiece of engineering at the time- the building seemingly hanging over a waterfall.

Though the exterior is awe inspiring, especially seen in the context of its time,  the interior is just as iconic and still influences contemporary interior design.

The open plan layout and the low seating creates a casual atmosphere very unusual for 30s contemporary life.   Note the warm palette and the banquette seating.  These were pieces that were designed to lounge upon casually.  The windows are large and take advantage of the beautiful setting.

The stonework echoes the dramatic waterfall outside.   It has a cave-like but cosy feeling, though the interior opens to the exterior, the warm furnishings create a restful ambience.   The dramatic hearth  incorporates some of the boulders that form the cliff that the house is built on.   This was one of the first interiors that celebrated the roughness and raw beauty of natural materials, and celebrated the rustic beauty of nature.

The layout of the house encouraged communal living and the outdoors.  Bedrooms were designed to be small, so that its inhabitants  focused on the beautiful surroundings with each other.

This iconic house inspired the fictional Vandamm house in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 film, North by Northwest.  Hitchcock was a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, but the movie budget did not swing to hiring the world famous architect, so a realistic interpretation was built.

Fallingwater’s natural style, layout and connection with the outdoors still influences the design of contemporary interiors.

Spring is in the air….

I am not sure what is going on with HK’s weather, but it has a decidedly spring feel.   Striding up Lyndhurst terrace today,  I had to take off my light jacket- it was positively balmy.  At the end of the week, I am heading to Austria so I guess I’ll get my share of winter, but over the next couple of days I am pulling out my spring dresses, pulling on my ankle boots and enjoying the warm weather.

As you can probably surmise, my Austria trip means that the shop will be closed for CNY.   If you don’t live in HK or China, you may not know that the countries pretty much close down.

If you do live here & want to shop- save it for the 20th of February, where we will be changing our displays to show more of our new furniture collections as well as herald the arrival of spring with fabulous new spring colors.    I think the addition of some soft colors in any interior, through the addition of some new fabrics,

Cool…simple interior apartment design

This interior shows how easy it can be.   A combination of a simple palette, furniture choices that use form as its main adornment. The addition of some natural textures- the wooden bowls and marble  mixed with some great lighting and of course the addition of some natural light &  you have an interior that is stylish and easy to live & with.

Some key pieces that make this interior:vintage Jielde lights, both freestanding and wall mounted.   Eames chairs which are simple & sculptural. The Muuto dots hanging in the bedroom & some great graphics. You can look on Etsy for something similar.

All it needs is some rugs to soften the hard lines.  I think something in black and white would do the trick or a neutral jute. Check out the rugs in our store.      What do you think?  Too  austere or does this interior have a restrained beauty?

Cool…Jerome Dreyfuss

There’s something remarkable about how a fashionable Parisienne can carry off a bag that has no designer label, is constructed of distressed leather or canvas and is extremely practical, yet make it look oh-so cool.   The last few trips to Paris, I saw so many of these understated bags that I had to find out who designed them.   The answer is Jerome Dreyfuss ( who is also the partner of fashion designer Isabel Marant).

I don’t  own one of these bags (yet) but the butter soft leather and the carelessly unpolished look is looking very appealing.  His style translates very nicely into the interior of his new Paris store, which you can see in the video.   Again, simplicity and honest materials are used to great effect.   Like his bags ( which have many compartments and are extremely practical) displays in the store, swivel, pull out and slide, making for a very flexible space.

Recently, the Coveteur visited Dreyfuss and Marant in their home.  Simple yet stylish and filled with possessions curated with care, this interior is fun and comfortable and full of books.   You could lose yourself in there.  Sigh.

You can find Jerome Dreyfuss at 1 Rue Jacob in the 6th.   A new store recently opened in New York at 473-5 Broome Street in Soho.  For us HKer’s we have to be happy with a small selection at Harvey Nichols in Pacific Place.

Cool…heirloom

Heirloom Eatery is one of the most hip places to have a casual brunch in HK and I have to say those fish tacos are to die for.   But almost better than the food is the interior design by local creative, Candace Campos.

We share a contractor who hastened to introduce us- saying our styles are so similar that we were sure to like one another !  I am happy to say this is true.   Like me, she likes to dabble in everything- creative direction, interiors, styling, jewellery (sound familiar?).

Heirloom is situated with a frontage on Hollywood Road, opposite an outdoor sitting area ( as they call a built up park in HK) and is part of the very cool Ilse Crawford designed TwoTwoSix building.

Heirloom’s interior fits very nicely with the exterior design- the brightness of the interior contrasts with the dark tile lining the exterior walls.   Pale woods have been chosen, mixed with carrara marble and white tiles.   The foliant balustrade emphasizes the freshness of the ingredients and leads you to the upper level where the wall colour echoes the greenery of the park opposite.

The effect is of a very sophisticated &  charming tropical environment- that is HK to me, down to a tee!

I will be interviewing Candace as soon as she will let me take a pic of her!  Watch this space…

Heirloom Eatery

226 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Cool..Heidi Lerkenfeldt

As I enjoy taking the odd photo, I have turned my hand to interiors and it is a lot harder that you think.

I love the hazy, gentle light of images and the generally monochromatic arrangements with the slightest bit of colour.  These are relaxed and subdued interiors and the images  show that really an effective interior design is made out of a standout chair, some piled books, a sculptural light and some texture: be it in a rug, artwork or even a piece of wood stacked against a wall.

You can see more of her work on her website.  Note…all the greats of contemporary Danish design are represented: GUBI, HAY, Georg Jensen and Menu to name a few.

Cool… all white interiors

One of my most vivid interior memories when I  was a teenager was staying with a Dutch friend of mine whose mother lived in an all white house.  Great expanses of smooth white ceramic tile, white leather sofas and chairs- my teenage self found it very intimidating and overwhelming.   You can’t put your feet up on the sofa, you have to take your shoes off and god help if you spill red wine/tomato sauce/ chocolate on anything.   Needless to say I  spent my holiday being very careful indeed.

We cite practicality and lack of liveliness as being stumbling  blocks in embracing all white. In fact, an all white interior can seem  inviting, if there is an  emphasis on the warmth of the light.  For me, I think white looks best when mixed with texture and more forgiving shapes, rather than cold, hard planes.

In Hong Kong,  if you rent, most of us are faced with a white box of an apartment or house  which we feel compelled to fill with colour.  A brave solution would be to embrace all that white- I’d love to see someone here that did just that, in a living room-not just a kitchen or a bathroom.   If you have an all white interior- let me know, otherwise, here’s some inspiration.

Cool… venini @palazzo bagatti valsecchi

Two of my favourites, the Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi and Venini come together again to present their new collection.    The Palazzo is located in the centre of Milan in the Via Santo Sprito near the main shopping district.  Built in the 19th century by 2 brothers, the  Palazzo is a amalgamation of the Renaissance and the 19th Century.   It was turned into a museum in 1994 and has been used by Venetian glass manufacturers, Venini, to show off their wares for the past few years.    Clearly the luxe appointments of the Bagatti Valsecchi is a fitting backdrop to the rich colours of Venini’s  Murano glass creations.

This year, the  Italian designer Fabio Novembre has created stacked vases for renowned italian glass manufacturer Venini.
made of world-famous Murano glass, the containers are in the form of pharmaceutical drugs, with chemical compositions written on each.
Each color combination represents a different hormone: testosterone, adrenaline, oxytocin, phenethylamine and estrogen (I’ll take the oxytocin).  This  placebo effect is meant to take the place of medication, with the philosophy that the playful designs has the same hormonal effects as ‘happy pills’.

To create the vases, the incalmo glass technique is used —  a complex technique where different sections of blown glass are placed one on the other. After the first piece is made, the second must be placed directly on the edge while still hot, fitting perfectly and fusing so there is no overlap.

I seem to recall that Jonathan Adler did something similar a few years ago, but I am loving the colours and the chemical composition of the pieces.

BAGATTI VALSECCHI MUSEUM
Via Santo Spirito, 10
THE WHITE COLLECTION
16 | 22 April, 2012
h. 10am to 9pm