Interior Design Minimalist: interiors

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hollywood production designer jon hutman

It's funny what can happen to you on the way to work. The other week I suddenly had to pull over because I had a phone call from Los Angeles to interview production designer Jon Hutman. He's the talent behind the looks for films including Something's Gotta Give and the recently released It's Complicated. Other examples of his work include The Time Traveler's Wife, The Holiday and Quiz Show. He was cheerful and fun to talk to as well as generous with his time.

Which five words best describe you? Obssessive, anxious, enthusiastic, energetic and serious.
What was your first job and what path have you taken since? I was at Westwood Playhouse at 15 years old - and I'm still working in the theatre. I've segued from one to the other: but I'm still ushering people to their seats in a very literal way.
What’s been your best decision? Getting out of bed this morning.
What's your proudest achievement? My daughter.
What inspires you? Usually the script I'm working with and the people I'm working with, and the story we're going to tell.
What are you passionate about? My work. The truth. Taking risks.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? I've always wanted to meet Francis Coppola.
What dream do you still want to fulfill? Living happily ever after.
What are you reading? City of Thieves by David Benioff.

portrait via boston globe

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kids nursery styling shoot

Labels: interiors, kids, magazines, my projects, real living, styling

So the latest issue of real living went on sale yesterday. It features two styling shoots I did for the mag. The first was the shopping feature for May - nurseries. I put my hand up for this one as I was excited - and determined - to create cool spaces.

I really wanted to show that you could create a pink girls room (lots of friends say their girls are obsessed with this colour) without it being saccharine sweet. Enter "Pastel Princess" - the last room. I also wanted to do a room with colour - a space that was fun - but still pulled together. This is "Circus Kids" - the second last room. And, finally, I wanted to create a room that I'd be happy to have for Little C - one that was interesting and engaging but with grown-up touches so it didn't scream kids room - this is "Young Explorer" - my favourite of the three looks.

As usual I got completely carried away with the "makes". In "Young Explorer" we (yes, it was another mammoth shoot so I had some wonderful helpers) created a feature wall of explorer maps, painted a budget chest-of-drawers and made newspaper hats. In "Circus Kids" we hung Bholu's beautiful Mavis Monkey wallpaper. And in "Pastel Princess" we painted a grey and white striped wall - click on the image to see it - and a string of pom poms (instead of bunting). We also created a doll's house - inspired by the amazing one that Jacqui Lewis created here - and got a handmade height chart from Belinda Graham at The Happy Home. There's a whole other story to that one, which I'll have to tell you about on another day.

Love to know what you think, and which room you prefer.

images courtesy of real living and chris warnes

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koskela's sasha titchkosky

Labels: design, interiors, shops

After hearing real living style director Jason Grant rave about Koskela's shop for months on end I finally visited recently. I'd loved their Dickebush home in Patonga - where you can stay as a holiday rental (and we featured in the mag) - and their product designs, which you can buy at the showroom, so it seemed a fait accompli that I would like the place. Like the place? I loved it. It was like I'd died and gone to design heaven - but very much in the Australian-organic-with-style-and-feeling aisle.

I also love the company's motto: FOLLOW YOUR HEART, TRUST YOUR JUDGEMENT, DO IT WITH JOY. And that the couple behind the business - Sasha and Russel - left highly paid jobs to start Koskela.

What was your first career job and what path have you taken since? My first career job was as the deputy company secretary for the Australian Stock Exchange. I then set up and ran the communications division of the ASX once we listed the company. After doing this for a few years, Russel and I met and decided we both wanted to create our own company. We’d both worked for large businesses and had worked out what we liked and didn’t like about different companies we’d experienced. So we took major pay cuts but took hold of the reins that were controlling our lives.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? To follow your heart, trust your judgment and do it with joy.
What’s your proudest career achievement? Getting the Yuta Badayala project off the ground. This is a collaboration – the first of its kind! - with weavers from Elcho Island in Arnhem Land to use their traditional weaving techniques to create contemporary design products. It has been a dream of mine for quite a few years to work with the weavers and is quite a privilege to experience their rich culture. The first works are currently being exhibited at Object Gallery in Surry Hills.
What’s been your best decision? To leave working in big business and start up our own company. Many years of hard, hard work and tuna pasta in the beginning but it is so rewarding to see the business evolve and grow. We are now in our 10th year of business and it is still exciting. I feel as though the best is yet to come and that we are entering a very interesting phase in the history of the company.
Who inspires you? My partner, Russel – he’s Mr Enthusiasm.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? I would love to see the Koskela concept develop further and have Koskela showrooms overseas.

images courtesy of koskela and anson smart (dickebush)

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designer maria muniz-villa

Labels: art, design, homes, interiors

The images above are from the work of design agency Villa + Villa. The company does the lot - architecture, interiors and graphics. And one of the partners - Maria - is also an accomplished artist. Her works have been exhibited in the Charles Hewitt and Francis Keevel galleries. Maria is from Argentina but now calls Australia home.

Which five words best describe you? Generous, perfectionist, hilarious, hard worker, dreamer.
What was your first career job and what path have you taken since? Fashion designer's right hand.
What's the best lesson you've learnt along the way? That you can learn things in life from every single person.
What's your proudest career achievement? When 2 of my paintings were selected from among 500 to get into a museum in Argentina, and I got third. Over the moon, that is how I felt!
What's been your best decision? To move Down Under to my adored Australia.
Who inspires you? My husband, for being such a humble human being...
What are you passionate about? Treasures, old and new beauty, all pre-loved objects.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Picasso.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? To be at my father's birth place Oviedo. Yes, the little town in Spain, where Vicky Cristina Barcelona was shot.
What are you reading? Do you matter? How great design will make people love your company by S. Emery and Robert Brummer.

images courtesy of villa & villa

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interior designer taryn leibowitz

Labels: design, homes, interiors

I always find it interesting to observe how good quality work stands on its own feet - no matter your age, income or background. Take interior designers Taryn Leibowitz (pictured, above) and her business partner Tamie McLachlan who have the interior design practice Leibowitz and McLachlan. They have stormed onto the Australian interior design scene - their first home project was featured in Inside Out magazine - even though they're both quite young. But the spaces they create are sophisticated and mature. Recently I met them both and they're obviously passionate about their work. Meet Taryn.

Which five words best describe you? Romantic, dreamer, no such thing as NO, passionate and my boyfriend says bossy.
What was your first job and what path have you taken since? At 21 work experience for Thomas Hamel which opened my eyes to the world of decorating. I continued to explore what genre I enjoyed most by working at a retail design + hospitality firm and whilst at both of those places my mind would naturally drift off to decorating residential spaces. By the age of 25 my dream became a reality and Leibowitz and Mclachlan was born.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Stick to what you know and what you're good at; creativity will flourish and good things will come. Where there is a will there is a way!
What’s your proudest career achievement? Starting my business from nothing with my partner Tamie and watching it grow has been my greatest achievement. But other highlights along the way included our first job being published in Inside Out in our first year of business with other articles to follow... One in particular was in 2009 one of our largest projects was published on the cover and in one of our favourite international magazines; US Interiors and also featured in an Australian magazine Inside Out.
What’s been your best decision? To work in an industry I dream about.
Who inspires you? People with a strong sense of style and self no matter what that may be. Music gets me in the zone... a good dose of Hotel Costes always gets my creative juices flowing. Artisans; just recently on a trip through Morocco I found myself spending hours in the local workshops - crafts from all around the globe intrigue and inspire me.
What are you passionate about? I'm obsessed with the hand made. The hand crafted. The colour white. The Mediterranean. Natural fibres. Raw, distressed + pre-loved timbers. Muslin. Dried flowers. Fluoro. Crushed and raw textures. The pared back simplicity of Dutch and Scandinavian design. Africa... it's my home away from home.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? The editor of Marie Claire Maison; I would love to follow her around for a day - I am obsessed with the spaces she features!
What dream do you still want to fulfil? In general balance; a life of leisure with loads of creative pleasure. Creatively I would die to design and decorate a boutique hotel by the water!
What are you reading? Too many interior magazines!

images courtesy of leibowitz and mclachlan

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MODERN HOMES - THE RANCHER

Labels: architecture, furniture-indoors, interiors, modern minimal

When I first saw this image, a few descriptive words that came to mind sophisticated, timeless, calm, subtle, simple, modern, minimal ... This home showcased on Molteni & Co reminds me of why I love architectural interiors. It is the detailing of such architectural interiors as this one that makes me love the beautiful subtelty of what we do as a profession. For the sophisticated eye to appreciate a floating floor plate, flush drywall ceiling and floor details, recessed drapery tracks, frameless full height glazing, corner glass butt joints ... all breath taking. If anyone knows who the architect is of this amazing home or the stylist who has reflected an interior that speaks a carefully selected refinement of finishes. Some of my favorite designers work with this amazing company, to name a few of my favorites: the glove chair & clip bed by Patricia Urquiola, the 505 system by Lca Meda, the Less table by Jean Nouvel. A must see showroom in Vancouver is Italinteriors where Molteni & Co, meets Unifor, Dada Kitchens, Citterio, and Cassina.

(For those with a furniture & dsign fetish - FYI - during my last visit to NYC, I was excited to hear that Molteni & Co. will be opening up a flagship store in Manhattan.) - love this company!

MOLTENI & CO - GLOVE chair by Patricia Urquiola 1

MOLTENI & CO - CLIP bed by Patricia Urquiola

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MODERN VANCOUVER - GASTOWN PART I

Labels: books, design, fashion, interiors, vancouver

Photography by Jonathan Cruz Photography

Geothermal building with a green roof - environmental details in addition to re-using, rebuilding and recreating an amazing interior space, Inform Interiors is a destination retail space and experience that every modern design enthusiast must see when visiting Vancouver.

Gastown is a cool and hip neighborhood filled with great little boutiques, restaurants and shops. None of the expected main stream big box stores ... rather a collection of unique retailers and eateries that set the tone of bringing upscale design to a the less obvious street scape. This little pocket of historic Vancouver offers a cutting edge to building character for the city. The cobblestone roads now meet a new wave of modern transformations which encompass the best of loft living and the design studios of creative minds behind recent face-lift exterior facades. Inform Interiors re-opened their showroom and will re-launch in spring'08 a new flagship B&B Italia and Boffi showroom in their previous location. (stay tuned - the Inform family is cleverly building local pedestrians and design lovers like me into modern addicts anxiously waiting for the big opening)

Images provided by Obakki
Architecture & Interiors by Mcfarlane Green + Biggar4
Historic Gastown is now the home to an A-list of must sees from a cool hip shop for modern mom and pops, visit Modern Kid which offers kid-friendly "easy on the eye" design for the modern novelist while fashion fronts like Obakki (tops as my favorite fashion retail interior for Vancouver) or Hunt & Gather bring a unique collection of one of a kind pieces made right in the store by costume designer atelier.

Images of Obakki above are through my eyes. Some of my favorite details include exposed concrete walls meeting seamlessly with polished concrete floors. The extension of corian meeting reclaimed fir to reverse beveled drywall details lit from behind to give a diffused wash of light to highlight the exposed brick walls. Love, love the architectural detailing. The interior reflects the quality and craftsmanship of the Obakki label right down to each detail.

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hollywood production designer jon hutman

kids nursery styling shoot

koskela's sasha titchkosky

designer maria muniz-villa

interior designer taryn leibowitz

MODERN HOMES - THE RANCHER

MODERN VANCOUVER - GASTOWN PART I