Olivia’s Fab Four is a weekly post that features my favourite finds on Instagram for the past week. To be in the running, all you have to do is hashtag your product photos #oliviasfabfour and tag them with my handle: @oliviashead.
Here are this week’s beautiful products (clockwise from top left)
Olivia’s Fab Four is a weekly post that features my favourite finds on Instagram for the past week. To be in the running, all you have to do is hashtag your product photos #oliviasfabfour and tag them with my handle: @oliviashead.
Here are this week’s beautiful products (clockwise from top left)
Get it wrong and the whole look and feel of your space will fall short. Get it right and it can highlight the best of your space. What is this magical component that will be the make or break of your interior design? Lighting!
Lighting as a feature
When picking the right lighting for your space, the first thing you need to do is realise that standard down lights aren’t the only lighting choice. Use lighting at different heights and in different directions to create atmosphere and highlight design features in the space. If you have watched any design show on television or flicked through design magazines, you will see how important design feature lighting is in finishing a space. It will add not only a design focal point but the light set in the right position can reflect and highlight a space.
Pendant lighting
Pendant lights are a great choice. These can be hung to create a light and shadow effect that brings ambience into the room. Lighting plays a dual role to interior design; the lights themselves are a feature and the light they shine brings a multitude of design aspects. They could bring a warming light to an otherwise cold and flat space or a romantic feel to a bedroom.
The psychology of lighting
Lighting is proven to have a psychological effect on the way we interact and connect with the world. Think of light therapy or the feeling of natural light compared to harsh, cold fluorescent lights. Lighting elicits a mood and physical reaction. Thought needs to be put into lighting choices, whether it is a new build or a renovation.
Lighting in your home
When planning your home’s lighting, keep these tips in mind:
Identify the uses of and activities that take place in each room (reading, food prep, laundry, work, etc.).
Identify the mood or atmosphere that you want to create.
Identify any design features you wish to highlight such as artwork or wall textures.
Identify areas with dark wall colours and finishes. These areas absorb more light than those with lighter finishes, so additional lighting may be required.
Ambient, task and accent lighting
There are three types of lighting design: ambient, task and accent lighting. Well-designed lighting will include all three. Ambient lighting is for creating the general feel of a space; task lighting is for concentrated areas of use (such as LED strips above the bench top in the kitchen); and accent lighting is used to highlight artwork or architectural features. Combining all three types of lights will give greater functionality and interest to the room.
Light distribution
Thought needs to be put into how the light is distributed from a light feature. Does it disperse enough light or too much light? What if the colour temperature of the bulbs it too warm or too cool for a space? Make sure you take the time to give thought to your lighting choices.
— Duncan Ward is the CEO of Satelight Design, an award-winning design studio, specialising in contemporary, interior and commercial lighting.
Buying anything for the home can be a challenge. Will it be too big for the space or too small? Will it match with the rest of the room or will it clash? With all those questions running through your mind, suddenly something that was supposed to be fun can become a huge chore!
Yet with the help of Beacon Lighting’s new Live Brighter App, this confusion can be a thing of the past. Now you can see how the lights you love will look in your home before you even buy them; with the free app allowing you to browse the entire Beacon Lighting product range and see how a design or colour will look in your home by uploading a picture.
Download the app at the App Store or on Google Play, then follow these five easy steps:
Press the product finder and select the product you want to try out (the picture is not a true representation of the actual product size, so make sure you check out the product specs before you buy)
Select ‘Go Live’ and take a picture of your room or select an image from your gallery
Go to the camera view and see your chosen product
Re-size and position the product in your space
Use the export function to share with friends and family.
Of everything in the interiors world, I think lighting has to be my favourite element, so I am just obsessing over these beautiful personalised, DIY designer light shades by bernabeifreeman!
Created by the brand’s internationally acclaimed and multi award-winning duo, Rina Bernabei and Kelly Freeman, the new Pop Light arrives as a DIY flat pack, seeing the owner become the designer. Simply pop out whichever holes you like from the perforated panels and voilà, you’ve created your very own unique pendant. And while flat packs can often become a confusing nightmare, bernabeifreeman promise theirs is easy. Just follow the simple instructions to assemble, hang the shade and you are done. No flex or light source is provided, so all you do is attach it to your existing light fixture with no electrician required.
With hundreds of designs possible, the Pop Light embodies a new playful direction for the design team, who are encouraging people to share their own finished product on Instagram using the hashtag #bfpoplight. The Pop Light is $132 and currently available in yellow, pink or teal. It’s the first product to be sold in their new online store: Shop online.
Presenting the very best in porcelain furniture, lighting and objects, Gregory Bonasera and Anthony Raymond of Porcelain Bear have opened their very first showroom in Collingwood, Melbourne.
Gregory and Anthony
Approaching their craft more as designers than potters, they combine studio ceramics with computer-aided graphics (or CAD) to create unique and groundbreaking designs. Products include several ranges of pendant lights and furniture alongside plates, vases, beakers, condiment dishes and tiles. Porcelain stools and a grand porcelain table take pride of place in the showroom and prove that anything can be made from this delicate yet durable material!
Porcelain Bear also provide a design and manufacturing service for individual commissions in the showroom’s adjoining workspace. Through their experience and understanding of design, Gregory and Anthony can work with architects and designers to create bespoke pieces that will enhance any project.
And while they do admit porcelain is a challenging material to work with, they believe the challenges and limitations fuel beautiful and creative results that last the test of time. “Porcelain has an inherent dignity, an innate beauty and a physical permanency,” says Gregory. “When we design we bear this in mind and aim to create works which transcend fashion and last well into the future. If you don’t break it, it’s going to be here forever.”
Porcelain Bear is the first time Gregory and Anthony have joined forces, Gregory previously working with the medium through Gregory Bonasera Ceramics and Anthony commencing his career in industrial and graphic design before moving into ceramics where he met and subsequently started working with Gregory.
You can visit Porcelain Bear online or at their new Melbourne showroom.
As someone who gets excited by anything remotely The Block related, I was very happy to hear that former contestants Josh and Jenna were releasing a range of designer lamps for Beacon Lighting. And I was even happier to see that these lamps actually looked fantastic!
Josh and Jenna
As two-time stars of The Block (and now brand ambassadors for Beacon Lighting) Josh and Jenna are experts at using lamps as an easy and affordable way to update a room with the latest trends. Their first release, for the exclusive Josh & Jenna range, really encapsulates this, through their love of transforming raw materials such as copper, cork and concrete into contemporary pieces that are right on trend.
Stoic Table Lamp
My favourite has to be the Stoic Table Lamp ($149), which is a combination of the earthiness of concrete, the elegance of smoked or clear glass and the enticing glow of an exposed bulb. This perfectly formed, functional statement lamp is a fresh take on classic industrial style, and is a great accessory for contemporary décor.
Raika Table Lamp
The Raika Table Lamp ($249), which can also be used as a pendant, is another style I’m obsessing over. Styled with a cork decorative surround and amber glass, it embraces this winter’s more muted colour palette and imbues a room’s décor with earthy character and eco-chic sensitivity.
Edison Table Lamp
Also in this range and stunning in their own right, are the Kooper Floor Lamp ($349) and Edison Table Lamp ($89.95). Shop instore or online here.
The winners of leading design competition VIVID, were announced yesterday at the opening of Furnitex and Decor + Design in Melbourne.
Fabio Biavaschi, with Mek_ac0 chairs
Renowned for unearthing the next generation of furniture designers, 50 finalists were whittled down to five, with awards given in student, commercial, concept, lighting and green categories. Italian designer Fabio Biavasch took out the commercial award for his MEK_ac0 chairs, inspired by kids building blocks Meccano. Young product and furniture designer Yulia Holil received the green award for her Sandwiched Shelf (below), a modular and adjustable freestanding shelving system.
Design student Jeewon Choi won the student award for her innovative Flowlight, which is made out of a veneer sheet that has been laminated to cardboard then bent. Architect and furniture designer Adam Raphael Markowitz came home with the concept award for Fred, a Danish-inspired, sustainably sourced, timber table (both below).
Rowan Page, Marinos Drake and Ilya Fridman from Studio Batch were presented with the lighting award (sponsored by Beacon Lighting) for their 3D printed Diagrid Pendant (below), a light that is created through computerised code and generated in a unique form each time it is printed.
The winners and all finalists will be showcased at Decor + Design, part of Furnitex, until this Sunday 13 July at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
When it comes to creating Masterchef quality meals, lighting in the kitchen is crucial. So the Electrolux Assistent, which is the first kitchen machine to feature an all-important LED light, is the perfect accessory for any home.
With a light that shines into the bowl to give you better visibility of what is happening in there, the Electrolux Assistent also includes a generous 4.8L stainless steel bowl and an additional 2.9L bowl. A coated die-cast tool set that features a dough hook, flat beater and wire whisk are also included, with 10 speeds and a tilting head allowing precise control. Optional additional accessories such as a meat grinder and vegetable slicer are also available, giving you even more versatility.
It’s powerful, robust and versatile, yet still beautiful enough to sit proudly on the kitchen bench even when not in use. We love the retro look of the watermelon red version.
Available in stores from August, it retails for $599. For stockists call 1300 366 366 or visit Electrolux online.
With a keen interest in supporting emerging Australian designers, Beacon Lighting have announced a new partnership with the highly coveted design industry competition, VIVID.
Alrik Pendants
Hoping to elevate the status of this important program, they will also be offering a $5,000 for the inaugural Beacon Lighting Award, a prize that will also include the possibility of being stocked in their stores.
Scott Robinson, senior category buyer and lighting designer for Beacon Lighting, believes it is important for the company to get involved: “Beacon Lighting has a key focus on delivering the latest design trends from all over the world to the Australian market. Through our travels and trend spotting, we have come across great designs from emerging Australian designers. Through a collaborative approach, we would like to help young designers and artists in producing and bringing their designs to market.”
LEDlux Nord
While in the past they have generally looked overseas for great lighting designs, Beacon recognise that the calibre of design talent here in Australia is certainly on a world-class level. With outstanding production capabilities and global design networks, they feel that they can help emerging designers get noticed both on a national and international stage.
VIVID celebrates its 12th this year at Decor + Design and has become an integral platform to support new and emerging Australian designers. Competition categories include lighting, student, concept, commercial and green. Finalists will be on display at Decor + Design, from 10-to-13 July at Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
A unique design statement and they’re energy-efficient… someone sign me up for a whole batch of these lightbulbs!
CFL Spiral Designer Light Bulb
Coming in two designs, the spiral and squirrel, these lightbulbs are the latest offering from Fat Shack Vintage. The energy saver CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs have exposed filaments. Being a warm white colour, they’re ideal for creating atmosphere, and providing high-performance and long-lasting light, they’re perfect for task lighting in areas such as the kitchen, bathroom or office.
CFL Squirrel Designer Light Bulb
At $38 a pop, these unusual designs are available in B22 and E27, so they’ll work with all standard ceiling, wall and lamp fixtures. Shop online.
Being a Brit myself (yes, Jen employed a fellow Pom!), I’m a bit of a sucker for anything with a Union Jack on it. So, when I got the chance to check out British furniture designer Timothy Oulton’s new collections and meet the man himself at Coco Republic in Sydney recently, I was a little excited.
Timothy Oulton
Inspired by antiques, the Timothy Oulton brand is known for its reinterpretation of classic designs through modern eyes. Made with only the best materials — anything from South American leather to century-old reclaimed wood — quality is always at the forefront of their designs. While their style is quite masculine, Timothy himself blames that on growing up around very few women! Two of the latest collections are showing a very different side though, with Age of Elegance being a little softer and Coastal Drift a little more summery.
Coastal Drift also has one of my all time favourite pieces of theirs (alongside the Union Jack sofa from a previous collection). Entitled the Cloud Sofa (and believe me, it’s aptly named), it’s made from super soft linen and when you sit down it feels as close to floating as is possible!
Coastal Drift: Cloud Sofa
The other collections all have their own unique story as well. The Age of Elegance collection is reminiscent of old style glamour and the Roaring ‘20s, the Jet collection is strong and audacious in design (it’s inspired by daredevil Sir Donald Campbell) and the Adventurer collection celebrates fearless journeys and exploration with imaginative designs.
Age of Elegance: Bertrand Sofa
Timothy Oulton is stocked exclusively at Coco Republic in Australia.
DIYL (Design It Yourself Lights) are so new you can still only pre-order, but we think you’re going to love them.
Offering a range of cloth-covered cords ($36), metal cages (from $28) and vintage-style bulbs (from $8), all you have to do is pick one of each and in three easy steps you’ve created your very own personalised light feature.
“We want people to be creative and have fun designing their own, rather than being stuck with the stock standard options that everyone else has,” explains director Kaycee Singh. “Because of this, we encourage people to mix and match our products to suit their style and have a range of colours and styles to choose from.”
From rustic and industrial, to bright pops of colours, there are many styles of light features you can create. They’re also easy to use, with the cords ready to plug in from the get go. You can also easily turn your creations into permanent fixtures thanks to their ceiling conversion kits, though that does call for the help of a licenced electrician!
Offering 20% off across all furniture and lighting, Great Dane’s mid-year sale starts tomorrow (Saturday 31 May) for two weeks.
Gold Mega Bulb Pendant
The Scandinavian luxury retail group is known for its coveted designer pieces, with the sale — in both the Sydney and Melbourne showrooms — being one of the few chances you’ll get to snap up discounted designer pieces, many exclusive to them. Some of the great buys on offer include: Eric Buch Bar Stools, perfect for the kitchen or bar (were from $895, now from $716); the classic Smed Stool, a collaboration between Great Dane Furniture and OX Design, Denmark (were from $795 now from $636); and the elegant Vodder Tall Boy with trademark organic drawers (was from $3,950 now from $3,160).
Eric Buch Bar Stool
Popular lighting choices like the Mega Bulb Pendant (top) which is individually mouth blown by a glass master and exclusive to Great Dane (was from $375 now from $300) and the Spinning Light BH2 by Benjamin Hubert (was $595, now $476) will also be on offer.
When Prune and Mark Lewinsohn left France to move to Australia, they left behind a successful business, Karma Creative Living. A chain of 10 stores, the brand was known for its modern ethnic and exotic style of furniture and homewares, yet it was a style that Prune didn’t believe was synonymous with the Australian way of life.
“When we moved to Sydney it presented us with an opportunity to take a step back and think about and develop a new concept,” she explains. “Here Loft Furniture and Other Ideas was born, a mix of French industrial and Scandinavian looks, perfectly suited to the more relaxed Australian way of life.”
Since its conception, Loft has gone from strength to strength, with retail stores in Clovelly and Mudgee, a showroom/store in Kogarah and an online store that delivers Australia wide. A carefully curated collection of furniture and homewares, the products are a mix of pieces that they’ve sourced, designed themselves or modified according to style.
With a magnitude of stock, new collections are always being added, most recently lights and textiles and an upcoming stools and chairs collection. “”What’s most exciting is our new stools and chairs collection, which will be available in July. During our last trip to France we bought a heap of old school and bistro chairs that inspired us to redesign, adding new colours and materials.”
Apart from stocking such high quality versatile pieces, one of the reasons Loft Furniture and Other Ideas’ products are so desirable, is because of their beautiful photography, which is all done in-house. “We are lucky to have a freestanding warehouse in Kogarah,” says Prune. “It is a large, open space with original floorboards and industrial features, authentic and perfect for photographing the Loft look. Depending on what we are going to shoot, we decide on the style and feel we want to give the images and then we bring our special team in to style and photograph.”
They include their preferred stylist Sophie Thé and photographer Trent Blackmore, who along with Prune and Mark, collaborate to create styled shots, with the end result being rooms sets many would love to live in!
Inspired by all things design, Prune is always keeping an eye out on what’s happening in France, the Nordic countries and here in Australia, bringing it all together to create their unique mix of styles.
Design store dedece+ are celebrating the gorgeous Garland by Artecnica turning 10 by cutting its retail price from $125 to $75! They’re also giving one away to a lucky Interiors Addict reader!
The Garland is a 1.6-metre long metal garland of flowers that can be wrapped around a light bulb (up to 60 watts). The polished metal pendant light shade comes in four finishes: Gold Brass, Silver Stainless, Black Chromed and White.
It was the winner of the Best Product Design Award at the 2004 New York Gift Fair. Manufactured using a process formerly reserved for the U.S. Air Force and machine tool builders, the Garland (designed in 2003 by Dutch designer Tord Boontje) represents some of the most recent advances in furniture design. It also makes a serious statement in any room.
To take advantage of the new price with the whopping $50 discount, visit dedece+ online. You’ll also find some our favourite brands there, like Tom Dixon.
For your chance of winning one, in your choice of colours, complete the form below by midnight on Thursday 8 May 2014.
Last week saw THE event of the interiors calendar Salone Internazionale del Mobile (the international furniture fair) in Milan, and I was lucky enough to go for the first time. Within this mega fair sits Eurocucina, a kitchens-only showcase bigger than most Aussie trade fairs and full of beautiful things (read about the top trends I spotted here).
A display at Eurocucina in Milan
Freedom Kitchens sent a team of 10 of their designers to Milan to be inspired by Europe’s latest trends, innovations and materials in kitchens. Because they have their own Australian factory, this inspiration can become reality in customers’ kitchen within months — weeks even. This flexibility and freedom to move fast is what keeps their kitchens cutting edge and fashionable, as you may have seen on The Block Sky High.
Matt and Kim’s Freedom Kitchen from The Block Sky High
At the fair, Freedom Kitchens’ national sales director Susan Hasler said the kitchens at Milan were darker and moodier than last year with a lot of highlights in timber veneers and more matt than gloss finishes. “Some of the Dekton surfaces were very interesting and there was a lot of the concrete look and feel. It’s all a lot about texture. Touch and feel is really important.”
Cabinetry was perhaps more vertical than horizontal with taller pull-out drawers containing several internal drawers. Another trend she noticed was for integrated handles rather than a completely handle-less look.
Large drawer storage seen at Eurocucina
Freedom Kitchens will be able to translate these innovations and trends to the local Australian market very quickly, while remembering that not everything will be popular or appropriate to our lifestyle. “We will be able to update some of our designs within a couple of months due to us manufacturing in Australia. We can do smaller runs, move quickly and see if things work and are popular,” Susan says. “It’s really important for us to come here to things like Eurocucina. Australia is sometimes thought of as being behind the times. You’re going to have a kitchen for a very long time so it’s important we’re ahead of the game. You don’t want to invest in something which is already a couple of years out of date. We have 10 kitchen designers here which is a big investment but it’s worth it for what we can bring back and the level of credibility it gives us. It’s about us bringing that fashion look at a value price.”
It’s not as simple as copying a load of ideas and expecting Australians to accept them as the latest and greatest, by any means. “It’s about adapting ideas to the Australian market and our way of life,” Susan says. “In terms of the differences between Europe and Australia, we entertain outside a lot, with kitchens often leading out onto decks or yards, or other entertaining areas. This lends itself well to the single wall and island design of kitchen.”
Kitchens were moodier, with more timber veneers and matt surfaces at Eurocucina
While people are often tempted to play it safe on a room which costs a lot of money and they hope to keep for years, Susan says a good kitchen designer can help them to be braver without wasting money or making an unwise investment. Her advice for a ‘safe’ yet fashionable kitchen is to stick to neutral cabinets and be bold with things you can change every couple of years (if desired) like wall colours (wallpaper even!), pendant lights and even splashbacks. You can make a real difference with how you accessorise (the great thing about Freedom Kitchens being that you can pick up Freedom homewares in store too). “We love being able to show customers how to accessorise and style their kitchens with our examples in our showrooms,” Susan says.
In terms of the strong presence of timber veneer at Milan, Susan doesn’t think many Australians will opt for that look in a big way. They may, for example though, choose to do their base cabinets in timber veneer and top cabinets in white, or just their end panels for example. These are all flexible options Freedom Kitchens can offer. “We also have to bear in mind that something that looks great here in Europe may not translate well in Australian light. It’s very different.”
Timber veneers seen at Eurocucina in Milan
The previous snobbery about veneer is disappearing these days, due to the huge advances in quality. “The new ones are so good you can’t even tell they’re not solid timber. They’re also more durable and hygienic which makes them a smart choice for kitchens.”
Look out for more expert tips on kitchen storage and how to get the most out of working with a kitchen designer on the blog next week.
I don’t know about you but I love lamp lighting in the cooler months to create a much cosier vibe than overheads. I picked five favourites for all tastes that won’t break the bank at under $200.
Empirical Style’s Australian designed and made cage lights are available in pretty much any colour combo of cage and cord you can imagine, with many optional extras such as dimmers. You can safely use this as a plug-in lamp and put it on your bedside, or anywhere you fancy really! From $177.50.
You can never have too many pops of shiny gold in your interiors if you ask me, and this Audrey lamp from Beacon Lighting is a bargain at $149.
Freedom are KILLING IT in the lamp stakes this season. Among my favourites is the Metro Table Lamp in copper, $149.
Also check out the Penny ($49.95) which comes in dusty blue or antique white.
If your style’s more classic, I think the Bloomingdale, from Oz Design Furniture, ($149) looks a lot more expensive than it is and would suit many rooms and styles of interior.
Where do you shop for affordable lighting in Australia?
