marj silva – The Interiors Addict

Real homes: art collectors’ contemporary Sydney apartment

Having not seen a lick of paint since the 1960s, the dated apartment in Sydney’s Neutral Bay was cold and uninviting. That was until Daniele Mantovani and Marj Silva of boutique interior design firm, Décor Project, stepped in.

“Our brief was to create an easy and comfortable space with plenty of display areas to show off our clients’ beautiful collection of indigenous artefacts,” explains Marj. “So we decided to keep the entire scheme very neutral to be the backdrop for all the art.”

While they let the beautiful objets d’art do the talking, they did add some drama in the living room, installing a custom wall unit and display cabinet. “The living room wall unit was our focal point for the space,” says Marj. “In this instance we had to push the clients outside their comfort zone but having their trust paid off with great results. This became everyone’s favourite feature in the home. Its simplicity, sleekness and scale is a great backdrop for all the colourful objects.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”cbInIFJQyFsBrKPutC3qrTLMofke6mNK”]Undertaking a cosmetic but expansive renovation, they replaced all the finishes and fittings including the flooring, wall colour, appliances and furniture and started afresh in the kitchen and bathroom. “The original kitchen was very dated and its layout wasn’t ideal,” explains Marj. “Despite being a small space it had to be functional. We decided on matte cabinet finishes for ease of cleaning and design longevity. And the marble was the starting point for the design, setting an elegant tone to the entire kitchen. Now we can say we’re utilising the space to its full potential.”

Another key request from the clients was to maximise storage solutions, and as fellow apartment livers will know, there is no such thing as too much storage! “We looked into every nook and cranny to ensure no space was going unaccounted for,” says Marj. “We then added a storage unit under the stairs to house extra books and their printer.”

Home to a couple and their teenage daughter, the apartment that was once far from their dream home, now features contemporary and subdued joinery and finishes that are the perfect background to an extensive collection of global treasures.

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Photography by Lisa Zhu

My winter warmer picks for The Home and a stunning country photoshoot

I was delighted when The Home asked me to pick some of my favourite products for a special winter warmer sale (starting today) and to join them on a photoshoot on location to bring them to life. Isn’t the end result stunning? I’m so in love with this clever photo!

I headed straight to some of my favourite places, like Cadrys rugs and Have You Met Miss Jones to pick some cosy and colourful items. I’ve always loved the look of layered rugs but never tried this in my own home so it was fun to pick several to work together. I think this shoot goes to show that mix and match can totally work, and it’s all about contrast and texture. And how about that lamp? I’m buying one of those babies for myself!

As for these beautiful images, a LOT of hard work and talent went into them behind the scenes, which I got to watch, but cannot take any credit for (apart from putting the flowers in the vase and making the tea for the cup on the tray…)! Joining me at the gorgeous property in the Hunter Valley were The Home’s stylist Marj Silva, photographer Lisa Zhou and buyer Emma Blomfield (also stylist at Nest Designs). They made that picture happen, and no, it really isn’t glamorous! Unless of course you count climbing on scaffolding and holding boards up on the other side of windows to stop pesky sun rays coming through and spoiling the shot glamorous!