There are Staircases and then there are 'Stairs'.

Staircases. What's your first thoughts that come to mind? Something inside or outside a building that takes you from one floor to another. Yes, that's true. But could they be something more than just utilitarian? Staircases can becomea central architectural feature within a space, a thing of beauty, something you glide up effortlessly and creates a sense of understated grandeur and elegance.  This is the difference between an elegant Staircase and just plain old 'stairs'.

At the top of this article you'll see the new staircase that replaced the old stairs in the image directly above. You can be the judge. What was there before, was something that was awkward, closed in, and totally out of place with the home itself, this staircase can only be named under the title, of 'stairs'.

The new staircase, is architecturally elegant, open, light in form and has created a sense of finish to the space. In that it has become a prominent feature within the space, yet it blends harmoniously at the same time. The old stairs are obvious within the space in a very bad way, dominating and overpowering.  The new staircase is completely the opposite of all that the old stairs were.  

This new staircase will be finished with a costumed made stair runner and brass stair rods, this creates a buffer to noise on the stairs and is an elegant finish.

 Its interesting that when we started to work on this home, the clients never thought about the 'stairs', we were commissioned to design a soft furnishing scheme for this area. But on first glance, the 'stairs' were a major issue, and no matter what took place around them, they would always dominate the space in a negative way. The clients trusted our advise and are overjoyed with the end result, wondering how they lived with what was there before.

Good interior design always has to start with the foundations of any interior space, you can titivate all you like, but that's not good design, and in this case, creating an elegant Staircase has laid the foundation for the creation of an elegant home. The clients trusted, and the results speak for themselves.    

Make Peace Island, the Private Island Resort of Richard Branson, situated in the Noosa River Queensland.

[A space to linger and pause, overlooking the river. All the furniture used were antiques sourced in Bali.]

In your career as an Interior Designer, you always will get to work on a project that you will always remember, because, it has that something extra. That project was working from the very beginning, on concepts to the completion of the Make Peace Island Resort in the Noosa River, for Sir Richard Branson. The original designs for the island were more conventional resort concepts, but we could see that there was far more scope that could be achieved for this project. So we proposed the idea of using a Balinese theme in buildings and interiors, which worked perfectly with the environmental friendly concept, that had to be adhered to when creating the resort. The resort would blend into the environment, and have minimal impact upon the site, the raised Balinese Pavilions, linked by elevated walkways worked perfectly with this concept.

[The pool by night].

 All buildings were constructed in Bali, and literally flat packed and reassembled on site and finished by specialised tradesperson flown in from Indonesia. The island is not only a private retreat, but also can be used by anyone who wishes to indulged themselves, therefore many guest from around the world, have come to enjoy Make Peace for all it has to offer.  

[Interiors of the Villas].

The interior concepts were to create villas and other resort buildings, of understated luxury, where guests can completely relax and let the outside world go.  Finishes were to reflect this concept, stone, timber and the use of antiques sourced in Bali, blend perfectly to create peaceful spaces that open onto the natural setting of the island.

Most things were sourced in Bali for the resort, it took three trips to source what was required, and find the perfect finishes for the project, and to also inspect the progress on the buildings that were being constructed.

The end result is an international recognised resort that can be totally for one or a couple, or a small group of people, who wish to be close to the glamour of Hastings Street Noosa, but far enough away to escape the crowds and be totally removed to their very own island paradise.

It was a project that truly began with an idea, a conceptual vision and was finished off to completion by selecting everything, not just architectural finishes, lighting and furniture, but down to the china, bed linen and cutlery, every detail.

The end result speaks for itself.    

[The Pool area which over looks the Noosa River].

[The Bar in the Long House of the Resort].

[The bath is carved from one solid piece of rock, and is a striking feature in the Villa Bathrooms].

[Pavilions beside the river, sourced in Bali, but their origins are from a village in East Timor].

Legal Chambers Inner City Brisbane

Commercial design takes into consideration many elements, just like residential projects, but way too often the 'aesthetic' element of the project is over looked for whatever reason. Result? A fit out of an interior space, that perhaps works in terms of layout and function, but that's about it. Bland, lifeless interiors, that hardly create the best work environment or work productivity. There is no reason why commercial design projects cant have good functional design, as well as the finished project displaying all the elements that has achieved the best visual outcome as well.

We were approached by a firm of Barristers who were relocating to a floor in an inner city high rise building, close to the courts. Their design brief was for a space that functioned well, as well as a finished project, that was stylish and professional, a contemporary edge on the concept ofbarristers rooms of old.   

The end result achieved this, through the excellent floor plan, and the choice of finishes in the architectural and decorative. The result is one that is the perfect blend of the 'old & the new'. A space that reflects decisively on first glance, that this is an office of Barristers of law.  Yet is not a recreation of a stereotype vision of the past, its a space that is in everyway modern and reflects the way of doing business in the 21st centaury.   

Kitchens

Interesting Kitchens have become such a vocal point within a home, once it was a space for domestic duties, functional, utilitarian in design and fit out. Today kitchens have been elevated to something of a status symbol. Still functional, yes, but they have evolved far from the basics of a kitchen dating from anytime during the 20th Century. The reason being is kitchens are no longer rooms away from the main dining and living spaces of a home. Open plan design of a home today, and the greater use of outdoor spaces being connected to interior spaces, has brought the focal point back to the kitchen. In doing so, the kitchen has evolved into a 'design icon', the heart of the home and shown off as a thing of stunning design and functionality. The finishes of a kitchen today reflect this, with the use of exotic stone, and detail elements of cabinet work, eye catching lighting, and the use of high quality European appliances, that take pride of place within the space.

Kitchens are a place to gather, not only before a meal, but during the preparation of meals, a place to linger and talk, a communal space within the home for family and friends to connect and share.  

I recall a saying that went something like - 'The Kitchen is the heart of the home', today that is most certainly the case and most likely to become even more so in the future.   

Small Blocks of Land need not be Limiting.

In Brisbane in Summer Months one would regard a swimming pool a necessity, rather than a luxury. On inner city blocks of land, one has to imagine sometimes how a pool can fit the building site, but one should also not be limited by something that may appear difficult. The above image was one such example of a difficult block of land, but with extensive renovations to the original house, it allowed easier access to the rear of the home for the pool to be constructed. The result is a pool that fits perfectly into the confined area, without overwhelming the house. The bifold doors of the downstairs Sitting Room, retract to allow a large open expanse overlooking the pool area, and Balinese inspired gardens. Allowing the interiors to be an extension to the outside area , which also creates the feeling of more space, internally and externally. A very successful integration, of using land, architecture and interiors to create the perfect inner city home.

Contemporary Bedroom Inner City Brisbane

This bedroom came together to create the perfect modern mix of soft furnishing and furniture which created a room that is contemporary in every aspect, but is luxury and comfort personified. Wallpaper by French Design House Hermes, created the foundation to build upon, then teamed with luxury European textiles and stylish furniture imported from the USA. The Tibetan hand woven rug in silk and wool, finishes the space perfectly. It exemplifies, that contemporary rooms, don't have to be 'white' asylum like spaces, that are cold and hard. Luxury, comfort and style are expressed to perfection in this bedroom.  Bedrooms should be, a place to unwind, relax and be a haven from the outside world, and in this project, that was achieved in everyway possible.  

Queensland Homes Article on 'The Lake House' by Thomas & Alexander

Featured in Queensland Homes, click here to read article

Melbourne rooftop pool project

On a Summer theme, this rooftop pool, on a project in Melbourne was interesting in many ways to be involved with. Originally it was to be a standard roof top pool, built atop of an inner city townhouse. It evolved into something very different. Set into one end of the building, the front wall of the pool is a curve of solid Perspex, chosen because it gives a clear view into the pool, where as glass would distort the view completely. Green glass mosaic tiles with flecks off 22 karat gold, we selected to give the finished pool an effect that sparkled in the day as well as the evening when lit by the LED lighting within the pool. Mellow limestone was chosen for the surrounding pool area, creating a space perfecting for Summer entertaining, capturing the views over Melbourne City.

Courtyards and gardens

Outdoor spaces are extensions of the interior of a home. Courtyards and gardens, can be designed and styled to create areas that are not only atmospheric for alfresco entertaining, or, just to be a quiet space to sit and enjoy the exterior environment. This image of a project, is a perfect example of the endless possibilities to create stylish outdoor spaces.

Making an entrance...

The entrance of this contemporary home in inner city Brisbane, lacked any style, creating an entry that was bland or more to the point, unfinished. But with the right choice of finishes and placement of objects and statuary. The end result is amazing. The feel is serene and calm and very inviting to any visitor. For interest, the bowl is carved from a solid piece of stone and took a crane and three men to position it in place.