Tag: antique furniture

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House Tours

A look inside this luxurious bespoke Melbourne penthouse

Atop one of Melbourne’s CBD apartment blocks sits a meticulously designed penthouse, almost entirely customised by its new residents. It is home to Joan and Wes, who purchased the entire top floor of Hawksburn Place Residences before the building even hit the market. Starting from an empty shell, they worked closely with the building’s developer to customise the floor plan to their specific desires.

“Joan and Wes’s situation was really unique in that they were able to purchase this
penthouse as a shell and work not just with us as the developer, but the project’s interior designer to create a completely bespoke home,” said developer Tim Gurner. “Every room, every material, every piece of marble chosen reflects their specific tastes – it’s very rare that a penthouse can be customised like this.”

The expansive home spans 345sqm of internal area and another 461sqm of external terrace. It includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a library and a marble-clad kitchen. The wraparound terrace boasts phenomenal 360-degree views of the CBD and a 12.5m plunge pool.

Working with esteemed designer David Hicks, they created a unique interior, with custom cabinetry and raised ceilings showcasing priceless antiques and art the couple have collected from around the world. These antiques include the penthouse’s feature chandeliers, which the couple sourced from Paris.

“The antiques speak for themselves so we provided a dramatic backdrop for them to sit seamlessly. Introducing specific places for each piece with strategic lighting was also key.” said David.

The bold departure from the white-on-white design trend results in a sumptuous mix of chocolate parquetry, smoky walls, and rattan armchairs. The darker, more moody interior palette absorbs and offsets the abundance of natural light afforded by the surrounding floor-to-ceiling windows.

The penthouse is fitted with plentiful luxury hotel style details, such as private access lifts, access to the on site seven-day-a-week concierge, and a six-car garage.

The project team was led by luxury developer GURNER, alongside David Hicks, Cox Architecture and landscape architect Paul Bangay.

Photography: Mark Roper

Categories
Furniture Interviews Styling

How to decorate with antiques in a modern style home

The Find Antiques lounge room

“I created The Find Antiques because I want to challenge the stigma surrounding the word ‘antiques’ and all the negative connotations that it evokes in most people – the idea that it means outdated, stuffy, dark brown Victorian furniture, reminiscent of childhood or visiting your grandparents’ house,” says Danielle Rusko of her online business The Find Antiques.

The Find Antiques creative director Danielle Rusko
The Find Antiques creative director Danielle Rusko

It was after working at an antique store in Noosa that Danielle was inspired to challenge the perception of antiques. “I want to show people that they needn’t be afraid of antiques as they are still quite functional in their use and not just as decorative items. It is not about having a house full of antiques anymore, but how one or two statement pieces can really add a touch of individualism and add depth and texture to a room,” says Danielle who has worn many hats throughout her career including a stint as an accountant in corporate finance and as a makeup artist (a hat she still wears today).

The Find Antiques lounge room

“I had been a lover and collector of antiques throughout my twenties and thirties and it was actually whilst stalking my favourite Instagram hashtag #antiques a couple of years ago that I really believed there was an opportunity to create an online store selling antiques,” says Danielle who has been invited by the Australian Antique and Art Dealers Association to exhibit at its Art – Design – Living Fair in Sydney this month from August 16-19.

Modern bathroom accessorised with antiques
The antique drawers add warmth and interest to this modern bathroom

“There is no formula to how a room should look. By adding one or two antique or vintage pieces, you can really transform a space and create a romantic and eclectic fusion of interior design that is visually stimulating and appealing. It also helps the antique item by giving it a new lease of life when mixed with the modern and contemporary and creates a dynamic style and special synergy within the home,” says Danielle.

Modern space styled with antiques

“I think that we have become a little too seduced by what we see on some reality TV design shows and believe we can’t create a room based on our own style or budget without being ridiculed for it. I personally do not want to live in a ‘same, same’ environment where the interior of my house looks the same as next door,” says Danielle who ships Australia wide and is opening a retail space imminently. “I am in the process of creating my dream showroom in an industrial warehouse in Noosaville which will be a visual utopia of modern and antique,” she says.

Danielle Rusko with antique mirror

“When you can touch a piece and see the artistic skill of the marquetry inlay up-close or you open the drawer of a commode and the scent of old wood overwhelms you, that’s tangible. It is my aim to impart the history of craftsmanship, skill, survival and nostalgic stories of the past to evoke an emotional response and connection with the viewer,” says Danielle who will also use the retail space to illustrate how to blend the antique with the modern.

Danielle Rusko with antique desk

Danielle’s top five tips for merging antiques with a modern home:

  1. Don’t be afraid to create a relationship between the old and the new. It helps to bring out the personality of the antique and creates depth and texture to a room that can sometimes look too sterile.
  2. Most homes have that classic white wall and tiled flooring, so introducing antique cabinets or tables can really add character and personality to a room.
  3. Use simple form and rich materials in your choice of furniture to create consistency between the older and newer pieces. For example, satinwood is a timber regularly featured in antique furniture and is an great match to complement your more contemporary pieces.
  4. Use the piece in its functional capacity as it was designed to be used. Sometimes we can be a bit overwhelmed by its age and beauty that we forget antiques still have a practical use. It is hoped that as it has already survived this long with a bit of care and consideration that it will last another 100 or so years.
  5. Buy with your personality in mind. Antiques range from the exquisite to the quirky to the questionable – including their price point! Buy what feels right for you and resonates with your sense of style. You may like to start off with something small like a lamp or vase and gradually as you begin to become more confident you can incorporate larger more statement pieces, like a beautiful French commode.

Photography: Anastasia K Photographer and Hayley Jenkin of Wholehearted Studio

Shop online | Antique & vintage children’s beds

Categories
Furniture Homewares

Antique wares from the French countryside to the Inner West

From roadside lunch stops with crusty baguettes and smelly cheese to digging through a dealer’s shed in search of that diamond in the rough, for Gavin Sainsbury and Scott Jenkins, it’s all in a day’s work. 

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Owners of Palace Trader, an antique furniture and homewares store in Sydney’s Inner West, their sourcing trips to the French countryside are full of gorgeous scenery and beautiful vintage wares, but also, a whole lot of hard work. “A typical day starts at 6am and ends by doing paperwork around 10pm,” explains Gavin. “To keep costs down, we do it all ourselves, the packing and wrapping, the carting and hauling and all the export and import paperwork. That said, it’s great fun, the shopping is addictive and so is the hunt! But it’s rapid. The most recent trip we travelled 5,600 kilometres in three weeks to fill a 20-foot container!”

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Recently receiving their French delights in store, they’ve focused heavily on buying items that are accessible for people in both size and price, whilst still being eclectic, unusual and irresistible. Full of glassware, linen, ceramics and furniture, Palace Trader is the place to discover a vintage French flag for your re-creation of Les Miserables, or pick up a set of fine crystal glasses for your next dinner party. 

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Opening just under a year ago, Gavin and Scott, a puppeteer and nurse respectively, began Palace Trader with the hope of finding a new full-time profession. Both sharing a passion for antique shopping and collecting unique pieces, they wanted to try something challenging that they could do together. 

However, if there were any concerns these were quickly shooed away, for the fact that they didn’t need to rent a storefront, they actually already lived in one! “A shop was added to the front of our 1880s terrace 100 years ago,” says Gavin. “Since then it has traded as a barber shop, a dressmaker, a secondhand furniture store and an etched glass shop. For the past 25 years it has been residential, but then we decided to change it up and start Palace Trader.”

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Open Wednesday to Sunday, Palace Trader is the culmination of two people with an eye for the beautiful and unusual. A perfect haven for the high-end interior designer or the average Joe who has fallen in love with that one special item; this is small business at its very best and well worth a visit!

For more information.

Categories
Interiors Addict

Designer brings antique collection up to date in stylish Richmond home

A collection of beautiful yet dominating antique furniture was working against this Melbourne home. Interior designer Christopher Elliott was called in to create a more stylish and modern space, successfully blending old and new.

“They had some gorgeous pieces to work with but there were too many of them,” says Christopher, who prides himself on being able to harmonise eras, styles, materials and colours to create unique liveable spaces. “Most of their collection consisted of antique timber pieces that although beautifully crafted, all together were too sombre and unwelcoming.”

Space was tight in the main room, which needed to fit both a sitting and dining space. He was keen to highlight the picturesque view onto a sundrenched private courtyard, so began by paring back the antique collection to a few key pieces that would accommodate the new look. A new paint scheme brought warmth to the space and grass cloth wallpaper added texture.

“The fireplace was remodeled by covering over the exposed brick with a beautiful polished plaster finish and painting the internal out black,” he adds. “I designed some discrete joinery either side of the fireplace to accommodate a TV and additional storage. A fabulous new rug, which occupies most of the space, was very important because I didn’t want to see separation between the dining and living space, otherwise it would appear restrictive.”

The rug’s large scale design gives the illusion of space and some much needed impact. A modern classic sofa covered in a durable linen/cotton fabric, paired with some existing armchairs that were reupholstered, creates a comfortable living space. Christopher, who was once responsible for introducing Hermon & Hermon’s interior design service, wanted to bring in fabric as much as possible to offset the hard finishes of the antique furniture. This led to upholstered dining chairs using a linen fabric with a metallic geometric print to modernise the look.

Christopher designed the modern octagonal ottoman in a sumptuous polished leather which can be used as either a footrest, coffee table or additional seating. Classic modern table and floor lights create a bridge between the old and new.

The study space is semi open onto a hallway and needed to be anchored. Christopher designed some very functional joinery to give the client storage and a place to display all their books and objects. A beautiful antique armchair was reupholstered in a Ralph Lauren floral print fabric.

“Playing on the layering of prints and bold design I used a geometric grass cloth wallpaper to give a contemporary flair to the space and a fluid rug design to balance it,” he says. “The floor lamp is a graphic element that visually pops against the wallpaper and highlights the fabric of the armchair. All this combined with a very contemporary coffee table made of smoked glass, chrome and marble, which adds a sense of luxury to the space.”

I absolutely love this home and the clever way the look has been pulled together. What do you think?

Christopher has had his own practice, Christopher Elliott Design, since 2005. See more of his work on his website.

Photography by Sharyn Cairns