Timeless Contemporary

This recently completed Main Bathroom, was part of a complete refit of an apartment building that was built in the 1970's. Solidly built, with spectacular views and a near perfect location, it was asking for a complete rebirth, to begins its new chapter into the 21st century. As stated, the bones of the apartment were great, but very dated, and needed to be opened up as a space, to be suitable for modern living. The great thing about gutting a space like this, is that you then start with a new canvas, which allows a design process to begin from the ground up.

The image of the Main Bathroom above, was part of the renovation of the apartment. These are the times, one had wished they'd taken a before shot, to illustrate what had exactly taken place. But the transformation can be described as a complete rebuild of the space, from a bathroom that was a great example of 70's chic, and although it brought a smile to ones face, to see something quaintly preserved for so long.  Recreating retro style from that period, was not the project intended by the clients or ourselves.

The end result is a clean lined modern bathroom designed to reflect a 'Timeless Contemporary', style that never dates and is functional for the family who now live here. The marble basket weave floor tiles are striking feature in the space, but they do not dominate either, when teamed with understated white glazed subway tiles, and elegant well proportioned cabinet work.  Its a bathroom that impresses when one enters the space, but in a quiet understated way, as the well, the chosen design elements of the space comes together in perfect harmony.

The 70's came and went, in a design sense much is better left as a memory. This bathroom will in many years be a desirable as the day it was created. Understated elegance never goes out of style, this bathroom is all of that and more.  

Inner City Oasis

Gardens and outdoor spaces have become more and more extensions of the interiors of a home and are enjoyed more than ever before for what they are. Outdoor spaces are for entertaining, personal space, private downtime and creating a green environment to refresh the mind and soul. They need not be high maintenance, but simple need to be well thought out, designed to suite the individuals, who will use these spaces for their enjoyment. 

This above image is of a garden that belongs to a project in Melbourne, an inner city town house, where space was crucial, andwhere the design became extremely important. Not only to create a functional and stylish green space, but to create something that was a joy to be in, somewhere to replenish and refresh oneself from the hustle and bustle of the city beyond the walls.

Paint colour became a major component in the finishing of the garden. The high walls you see are of a building next door, so it was important to select the colour that blended this monumental structure into the closed courtyard. A shade of deep mulberry was chosen, although at first it may have appeareda dominate colour to use, once the Virginia Ivy had taken hold, it became the perfect backdrop for all seasons. Winter is bleak in Melbourne, and the deciduous nature of the Ivy, allows the space some colour, a reprieve from grey winter Melbourne environment, just as in spring and summer the ivy in full green display, is shown off to advantage by the background colour. More subtle shades of slate grey were selected as feature colours, which blend in with the limestone walls of the house and floors of the courtyard.

Architectural features such as the antique carved marble bath from Turkey turned into a striking water feature and the French Glazed Terracotta Pots, planted with mature lemon tress, gives the space a very European feel.  

We enjoyed working with other specialists to create this unique inner city space, a green sanctuary, an oasis in the centre of Melbourne that will continue to bring joy to those who live here for many years to come, and, will actually look better with time, as it matures into a splendid outdoor area.   

Compact Inner City Living & Style

How many times has one enjoyed watching the Foxtel program 'Tiny House Nation', which looks at the world wide movement of people down sizing to live in smaller spaces. This is sometimes a great sacrifice for many people, to make the conscious decision on many levels,  to move from large scale homes to something a fraction of the space they were used to. Its enjoyable to see the final outcome, from the use of innovative design ideas to create stylish smaller homes. It proves a point that downsizing does not mean good taste of personal style go out the window at the same time.

At T&A we have never seen the point in so many large upscale homes being constructed that have nothing in them. Empty, lifeless homes on a grand scale. It just makes no sense, which ever way you look at.  

Which brings us to this recently completed project, maybe not a 'Tiny House', like the Foxtel programme, but its only a 100 square meters, and through good design, a lot has been achieved to create a comfortable smaller living space. 100 square meters is not a lot of space, compared to Mac Mansions in the suburbs, but what's been created is a home with three comfortable bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open plan Living Room/Dining Room with Kitchen, that opens to a private courtyard. Its compact, yet comfortable, its has storage space, is open and light, perfect living in the inner city today. Its a great alternative to high density apartment living.

After construction of the interiors were finished, the selection of soft furnishings and colour pallet, was undertaken with the aim of creating an eclectic mix of furnishings with the priority being on comfort. The end result is a mix of the modern, with touches of the classic, to create timeless interiors that are warm and inviting.  

A perfect peaceful retreat, yet situated right in the heart of a busy modern metropolis.  

"Finishing A Room"

Here is a good example of an image taken from a clients project, that best shows how interior spaces can be finished. By using the term 'finished', it means just not dropping pieces of furniture into a space and saying, 'that's that'. Interior spaces need to be personalised, creating character and warmth to a room. We hear the word 'layering' used so often these days, it used to describe the design skill of using art, furniture and objects, to not only furnish and finish a room, but to create a depth to the space, as well as creating visual lines of interest with in that space. This not only creates a room that is warm and inviting to be in, but one that creates continual interest within that space, delighting not only the owner of the home, but anyone who sits and pauses for any length of time within the room itself.

Here in the image, is a console in a hallway passage near a staircase. The console itself, is elevated by the use of marble obelisks, these same very obelisks then frame the bronze sculpture in the centre of the console. The painting behind creates the perfect backdrop to both furniture and objects, and draws in the eye from many different angles in the room. This layered combination, is harmonious in the space, yet can stand alone, as a strong ensemble of beautiful things collected together to contribute to the overall successful ambience of the room.

'A Room with a View'.

When building on smaller inner city blocks of land, creating maximum internal space and allowing light and openness to outside spaces can be a challenge. Here the use of light  wells on the side of the property, allowed light to used to its maximum.  But these light wells were turned into a decorative feature, by creating what looks like a Mediterranean Inspired wall 'niche'. Textured finishes, wall tiles, a water feature and garden urns, finishes the space, and helps disguise what the real function of this so called 'niche' is, that is, to let the outdoor light in.    

The room has wonderful views over the landscaped back courtyard, and in summer the internal area blends perfectly with the outside spaces, ideal for entertaining.

A simple neutral colour pallet was chosen for the interiors. Honed limestone floors, neutral walls and crisp white for architraves, skirtings and doors. Textiles for the upholstery used, were, textured creams in varying shades. Automated Roman Blinds in a caramel and taupe stripe, stack neatly away, or create total privacy when needed.  Rugs were to harmonise with the floor rather than make a statement, and were finished in a contemporary design, woven from wool and silk. French furniture in walnut and cherry wood were either part of the clients existing furniture, or specially chosen for the space.

The finished result, is a restful interior filled with light and space, that is an idea Family Room, or perfect for entertaining all year round.

Outdooor Spaces can become Outdoor Rooms

Outdoor Spaces are so often neglected, they're treated as something that's beyond the back door, away from the home, something used rarely, and misinterpreted in a way that makes many people confused on how to best use these spaces.

But what they can be are wonderful extensions of the interior spaces of a home, taking full advantage, all year round, for alfresco living.

Outdoor spaces become like any other room, designed and finished to the clients needs and lifestyle.

Although always slightly more relaxed in feel than perhaps an interior space of a home, outdoor spaces can still be furnished and accessorised to create comfortable areas for quiet time, or for entertaining.

This particular clients outdoor room shown here, is perfect all year round, cool in summer overlooking the pool, and warm and intimate in winter, enhanced by the outdoor fireplace. The outdoor furniture and fabrics are designed for all weather conditions, taking away the worry of damage due to the outdoor environment.

Our homes have evolved over time to become multifunctional in so very many ways.                Often once neglected outdoor areas have now become as important as the interior spaces within a home, giving those who live there an added option for lifestyle living.

Bedroom In a Inner City Melbourne Home

Bedrooms should be sanctuaries, spaces to withdraw to, for rest and reprieve from the outside world.

This Bedroom pictured above was created for a male client, who wanted to create a space that was comfortable, peaceful and had an understated elegance finish to the room. He had collected antique furniture and Australian art over a period of time and wanted to use selected pieces, but did not want to create a space that was cluttered or heavy in feel.

This was achieved by the choosing a mellow, harmonises colour pallet of creams, caramels, blues and earthen tones. Simple coordinated patterns, textures  and stripes in fabrics, teamed with the textured raffia Wallpaper finish the room, to create a masculine feel that is not devoid of style in anyway.

An elegant, timeless bedroom.   

Wine Cellar in Brisbane Home

When a client is serious about wine collecting and they want a Cellar designed to house their collection, its going to be as important as any other room in their home.

This project was about designing not only for the practical, but to create something that was a quiet retreat from other parts of the home, and, to be architectural detailed in form, and finished to the highest standards.

It was created with masculine overtones, using solid oak cabinet work, polished marble floors, earthy colour tones in paint finishes, and furniture costumed made in mahogany and leather.  

The result is a perfect temperature controlled environment that houses rare wines, but also creates a space, that is as beautiful as any other room in the house.

A Bathroom Desined for a Clients Inner City Town House in Melbourne.

The use of stone in any project is exciting, as the natural product created by nature has so many beautiful variations in colour and natural design formation. Its always very humbling to stop and think that an architectural medium you are using took millions of years to create, and that Mother Nature has done her miracle so perfectly for us to use, to create striking designs for homes that we live in today. 

This Bathroom seen below, was created for a Melbourne client, using one of the most striking marbles we have ever seen. The name given to this marble is 'Bamboo', because the dark grain in the stone has a silhouette that resembles the outline of bamboo stalks. These silhouettes are set into an amazing organic green background colour, that has to be seen to fully appreciate it. 

Large polished slabs were used for walls and highlighted by the use of marble floor tiles in a very dark almost green black, which also continues in slab form around the cabinet work.

The design is simple, clean in form, uncluttered and dateless, but by using these striking marbles, the design has been elevated to something far my sophisticated, than if a neutral coloured stone had been used. 

It always exciting to use something which has a unique quality to it, to create something special, and this Bathroom is an excellent example of what can be achieved in understated elegant bathroom design, by the choice of finishes that make it unique and beautiful at the same time.  

An Ensuite Bathroom in an Inner City Brisbane Colonial Home.

Colonial Homes in Brisbane, as well as the later period 'Queenslander Style' Homes are being transformed rapidly throughout the city. With a move to be closer to the heart of the city and all the benefits that brings with it, its understandable that period homes are bought and then undergo extensive renovations to create a home for 21st Century living. But sometimes I'm not quite sure about the end result.  There seems so much insensitive architectural  transformations taking place, an in doing so, we are losing the only indigenous style of architecture that this country has.

Can one renovate and not destroy history? The answer is, of course one can. Heritage style homes need to be approached with a sympathetic understanding of what needs to be done, but also keeping in mind the desires of how people choose to live in a modern world today.

So when designing this Ensuite Bathroom for a Colonial Home in Brisbane's inner city, all of the above were taken into consideration. Our philosophy is to design rooms that never fit into a time slot.  An interior fashion trend, copied straight from the pages of glossy interior magazines from a certain year, a long time ago. Designing this bathroom was about blending harmoniously with the original home, but creating a space that was light and fresh, not a recreation of the past in any shape or form. Choosing a neutral pallet of black and white stone, using white subway wall tiles, teamed with quality sanitary ware and bathroom fittings, has created the perfect blend of old and new.

 This projects outcome was perfect in everyway, but most of all, its respectful to the heritage architecture that it sits within, and can only be described as a thoroughly contemporary interpretation of what a Ensuite Bathroom can be in a Colonial Home of today.