That Store

That Store do demim, and they do denim very well. If you want cheap, Dr Demin, want crazy posh jeans, Earnest Sewn, and everything in between. Pretty cool huh? No excuses for not being able to find that 'perfect' pair of jeans now. They have been on Chapel Street for a few months now but this is a new store at Melbourne Central.

The stores have a concept that they strongly follow and I think that is the success here. A few well chosen materials, well just timber really and the look is kind of industrial, new vintage and rough luxe. I'm guessing that the store owner did the interior design, anyone know?

Fenton

About time I let you know about Fenton, it's on the very corner of my street after all. This is my dream shop that I will open one day. It has an interesting selection of furniture and objects from across the globe predominately India, Morocco, Asia and Mexico.

Fenton are sisters Lucy and Emma and they worked at Graham Geddes so one can only imagine the insider knowledge they got there. Smart girls...

The merchandising is great, my photography skills do not do it justice I'm afraid. If you're ever in the area it's on the corner of Malvern and Cromwell Road, South Yarra, Melbourne

Open Studios- Nicholas Building

What a great opportunity to have a peek inside the studios of the Nicholas Building! In it's fifth year Open Studios Nicholas Building kindly flung open it's doors as part of Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed festival.

I went after work on Friday as they were open till 9 and it was a great atmosphere as other 'arty types' crammed into some little studios. Tattoos were compared, jewelery was tried on, and general gushing was overheard. Some studios had a house party feel with the host offering wine and even asking music suggestions, like Clare Whitney whose etchings are stunning (see the pic with the owl above).

I find it fascinating to see the spaces that people create in and I had actually visited Nicholas Building whilst studying my honors and had a peek inside some studios. One of my favorites was Brendon Dwyer the shoe maker. There's machinery, wooden shoe molds, leather bits and stuff everywhere, loved it!

Too much to mention here so check out the Open Studios Nicholas Building blog if you like. The Nicholas Building is on the corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Lane, Melbourne. Tune in next year if you missed it!

Not a Kitchen

I am definitely not a minimalist however I can't help but love these kitchens. These spaces are so conceptual, sculptural and different, they turn the idea of how a kitchen should function on it's head. I worked on a project in London where we specified these kitchens by Minotti Cucine and I had never seen anything like them before.
The materials are exquisite; ebony timbers, Egyptian ivory, book-matched granite, white perlino marble, white labradorite... Stunning.

Does it come blacker?

Simply Stunning.
Sam Whiteman is a Sydney based artisan who created pieces of art that double as furniture. The styling of these shots is absolutely beautiful, don't you think? Magical...

Alpha 60

Alpha 60 is oozing with cool. The fit-outs are minimal with white walls, raw concrete floors and besser blocks stacked up as joinery units. Almost like it was just quickly thrown in. But oh no, I'm not falling for that one. These interiors have a strong conviction of just black and white, clean lines with each store featuring a different 'hero'. It's River at Chapel Street and Jean-Luc Godard on Flinders Lane, I haven't been to the Fitzroy store. Anyone know who did the fit-out? I'm guessing it was the designers themselves, brother & sister duo, Alex and Georgie Cleary.
Apologies for the dodgy photos, but I just had to get some quick pics, you know how it is...

Trina Turk LA

Could this store get any more delightful? It would be very dangerous for me to go into a store like this as I would be totally seduced by the beauty and get swept away into pulling out the credit card. Good thing this Trina Turk store is in LA then. This is by Kelly Wearstler, a star interior designer based in Beverly Hills who is known her own twist on luxury interiors. She established Kelly Weastler over a decade ago, has a range of products, designed for The Rug Company, and has written bestsellers like Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style. Not to mention she looks like a model and has been named on of the best dressed by Vogue. Would love to walk for a day in her Choos.

In The Country

A perfect Sunday was spent in the Yarra Valley at a magical place called Bella Vedere. So great to get out of the city and walk on grass, breathe fresh air and drink wine with friends. We had a big old table and the food was amazing too, who knew goat was so tasty? The open kitchen was bustling and all of the desserts were laid out on cake stands it was like being in someone's home, someone that cooks really, really well.

Hayon Studio

Everything Jamie Hayon touches turns to design gold. This Spaniard has crossed over from furniture, shoes for Camper, interiors and has even designed for daggy porcelain figurine brand Llado and made them cool. Now that is genius! But for now I wanted to show you the bathroom range Artquitect. This is really unique and special and although not for every project it really stands out from the crowd.

"I didn’t want to approach AQ as a bathroom collection. Everything is so white, so clinical. And it’s a room hidden from everyone. Why not treat it as furniture? And make a piece that can be used in any room of the house? So I introduced more explosive colors and unusual shapes that were both modern and classic…"

No-one does retail quite like Japan...

It is my dream to work on projects like these! So beautiful, unique and quirky. These retail interiors have a personality, a sense of history and the mix of materials used is tactile and interesting. Jamo Associates are based in Japan and are quite unique as the directors are an interior designer and interior stylist so from the concept both ideas are combined.