TAKE an exclusive look into some of my friends and clients ‘Favourite Room’ from stunning bedrooms, living spaces, kitchens, work environments and even hallways! You might even pick up a few ideas for your own homes. If you’d like to have your Favourite Room featured, drop me a line and invite me in!
Michael Edwards & Matthew Low |
23.06.22 |
WHEN Michael Edwards and Matthew Low stumbled across “Redleaf”, it was as if the property chose them to be its new owners! A luxurious retreat in the historic town of Wollombi; a quiet town nestled only a short drive from the Hunter Valley wine country.
It was obvious a great deal of work lay ahead to bring the property up to its former glory, but the framework was solid and the grounds well established. Plus, the building was gorgeous and just needed some love and attention. During the long settlement (three months), Michael and Matthew used this time productively, transforming Redleaf into their dream getaway.
As it is impossible for Michael and Matthew to spend every weekend away from Sydney, they have opened up Redleaf Wollombi (which is the sister property to their first getaway Redleaf Browns Mountain in Berry) for visitors to relax, unwind and truly feel spoilt by the plush retreat.
The pair invited me into their Italianate-style villa to show me the culmination of all their hard work.
My favourite space is most definitely the living room.
Firstly, I think it’s because Matthew and I did it together. We compiled every element in here, and we had so much fun buying all the pieces that fill the room. It was an absolute joint effort. Luckily, we have very similar tastes – it certainly makes it a lot easier!
The room has a number of traditional elements and features natural materials such as stone and timber. The colour palette is quite neutral except for the pop of colour (artwork on wall), which really stands out.
We both love entertaining and this room is where all our family and friends congregate around the fireplace for great food, great laughs and great conversation. The view from the living room is pretty spectacular; the garden, the pool and the gorgeous countryside.
Family and friends are our focal point as is the living room. We are spoilt with the wonderful produce and organic wines from Wollombi and as we love to cook, and entertain; this room really sums up who we are. The house features six bedrooms, enough room for loads of friends and even their children.
The light! The room is bathed with stunning natural light. During winter, the view was quite bare, but as the seasons have changed, the gardens are looking lush and green and cast a different light in the room. When summer arrives, the mood will change again.
I’d love to have Sophia Loren as our guest. She’s fantastic and epitomises timelessness. We’d enjoy some great food and wine and then I’d want her to entertain me, could you imagine the stories?
Absolutely nothing! The whole room came together exactly as planned. It’s everything we wished for.
Don’t hold back — not with colours or furnishings. Put in all the time, thought and energy required to make your room reach your dream and expectations. And, do it with strength!
If you are interested in stay at ‘Redleaf’ Wollombi visit their website: www.redleafwollombi.com.au for more details.
Peter Hickey |
02.12.21 |
FINDING the perfect place to get inspired to create masterpieces is no mean feat. So, when illustrious Australian artist Peter Hickey stumbled across his now studio in Alexandria, he snapped up the space without a second thought. This industrial creative space was the perfect find for Peter to paint, sculpt, etch and produce all other types of art – his life’s work. In a low- rise building, opposite McEvoy St, there is an abundance of natural light.
Yes! My studio is my sanctuary. I am very happy here. I work here seven days a week, and it is the perfect place to paint. I’m completely undisturbed, as no-one knows I’m here! I’d say only about six people have ever been inside my studio. It really is my haven.
My studio is full of all my favourite things; my painting, knick-knacks from my travels, photos. I have my archives from when I lived in Italy, New York, London, Paris, Japan. All these are special memories and represent these special places and times in my life.
It really inspires memories, places I’ve been, things I’ve collected – it’s is just full of ME!
The light! The studio is flooded with natural light. Also, very rarely do I have to turn on the air conditioning. The studio is very spacious – the perfect size. I’ve had studios all around the world, and this one equals the waterfront studio I had in Seaforth. It was magical.
My wife Lesley – my critic and my muse! She’s only allowed in at certain times, when I’m just about finished a piece and I like to get her opinion (and she’s usually right!).
If I could invite an artist I’d love to have Sydney Long or Norman Lindsay as I think they’d be able to relate to the art I create. Technically, we are very similar.
NOTHING! It is perfect. I’d like to be here for at least another 10 years.
Trust to yourself and do what YOU want, not what you think others might want. Make your space your sanctuary.
To find out more visit: http://www.peterhickey.net/
DOMINIC MAUNSELL & TED WICKES |
05.04.20 |
In our last Favourite Room, we spoke to Ted Wickes who showed me around the home he shares with his partner of 20 years Dominic. This time, it’s Dom’s turn to take me into Maunsell Wickes in Paddington – the oldest running art gallery in Sydney – to reveal what he loves most about it.
The gallery is made up of three terrace houses built in 1840 for the stonemasons in Victoria Barracks. Built out of sandstock brick, the mortar is actually made from crushed seashells from nearby Sydney beaches. The gallery conveys a plethora of history as it has been operating since 1960. There are nine rooms in total in addition to the courtyard.
It would have to be the first rooms you walk into. I came to work here in 1985 – it was my first serious job. My mother, whose childhood friend Barry Stern owned the gallery, employed me and taught me the business I’m still involved in and love. These rooms were also where I met my partner Ted in 1996. It was also the place I met my best friend Elsa Moxham who has been working here since 1972!
Because of the ever-changing exhibitions of paintings, sculptures and ceramics all lit by the afternoon sun.
We always tell our friends and clients that the gallery is built on a sacred Aboriginal site, as it has looked after us for so long.
In addition, the paintings we put up are, in a way, our self-portraits. They represent our taste, and the people we choose to represent are those we love and respect.
The artists, the clients and the cousins that call by. We recently had a dinner with 15 cousins and friends for dinner by candlelight with the fire blazing. Good friends, good food, good company, great vino.
It would definitely be Barry (the founder of the gallery). He’s my Ol’ Governor. He now lives in Bangkok, but will be coming to Sydney for my 60th birthday at the end of the year.
I’m very happy as it is. It changes every two weeks anyway with the art we hang.
Don’t be scared of your art dealer. Do your homework.
Mickey Robertson |
29.01.20 |
I recently visited Mickey Robertson at her property in Camden, ‘Glenmore House’, and was not surprised by the fact she found it difficult to decide on her Favourite Room – there are so many beautiful and picturesque spaces to this property and I was completely captivated by the gardens where she regularly hosts events and gardening classes. Enjoy!
Photo: www.theaustralian.com.au
That is SUCH an impossible question! I love all the rooms in our house!
And the ones that aren’t in the house too… like the potting shed, and the Dairy or even the Hayshed. My favourite room is generally the one I’m in for the task I’m working at; but each at a different time of day, when the play of light is at its best. So let’s say it’s the Gallery – the long, quite narrow room that connects the original sandstone house with the wings we added.
Despite being a thoroughfare, it is a point of axis, from where I can see the garden on both sides of the house. It’s bathed in both early morning as well as late afternoon’s golden light and I can also see into the rooms of the old house and through to the kitchen. It’s a quiet place to sit and tap at the computer (I wish I could say to read a book!), or to enjoy a conversation with a friend or two when the kitchen doesn’t seem appropriate (and we’re not there for the long-haul which would mean the Sitting Room!). It’s a rather grown-up and elegant space; reminiscent of a room you might find in Spain or the south of France, (though on a very small scale) with water splashing in the pond just outside the front door, and in midsummer anyway, the room that captures the wonderful perfume of some of my favourite scented plants: Burmese honeysuckle, frangipani, ginger and the beautiful Hawaiian vine, Solandra maxima.
Photo: thedesignfiles.net
It does this on many levels… not just me, but also Larry. In some ways, the pair of gilt wall sconces that belonged to his French grandmother was the instigator of the design, which is elegant, yet simple. A Georgian style sofa as you may find in a country house in Scotland (from where Larry hails), covered in a modern take of yellow damask; simple cotton curtains in a Spanish design, fresh & bright (we spent a good deal of time in Mallorca & Spain), these same colours reflected in the garden flowers just outside the window. A red-striped cotton panel from Instanbul, a still-life in the style of the Dutch Masters, a collection of family photographs. It’s a room that represents places we’ve spent time in our lives, so reflects the past, yet is very much in the present. It’s from where, on occasion, the sound of the piano wafts across the garden. It makes me think of far-flung places; people we know so well and is alive with pools of colour and light.
The garden is full of life, colour, texture, perfume, minute detail as well as causing wonderful views from each window and the verandahs of the house. Each segment of the garden reflects the building to which it relates, so spills from bold, striking structure to a pretty, romantic, rustic idyll. It provides sustenance for the eye as well as the stomach, with the kitchen garden being both a joy to behold and the source of our fresh produce.
Photo: ink361.com
I’d quite like to welcome Monty Don into my garden, so that we could talk about lots of other gardens!
Not much really! Though I would like to add external shutters to the French doors (to match all the ones on our windows). This would allow me to manipulate the light even more, as well as the heat on those intense summer days.
Photo: thedesignfiles.net
Look to the outside and take into account your landscape (this is appropriate whether you’re in the city or the country). Take the style of architecture of your house/apartment into account. Dwell on where you are, in the great scheme of things. And get the bones right: set up your space before contemplating the furniture. And try to interpret who YOU are, rather than falling for the latest fad. Good interiors stand up to the test of time. And a real home is never complete…
For more information visit: www.glenmorehouse.com.au
SELLING homes is not just a career; it is an art form – one that is carefully honed over years of life experience and knowledge. And, I can proudly say, that I still absolutely love what I do – day in, day out.
For over 30 years, I have immersed myself in real estate and have built an untarnished reputation in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, among my peers and with my clients – many of who are my friends. People say I exude positivity, and I accept this as the highest compliment.