The Right Proportions

My husband (the architect) and I have been up early looking at the progress of the hall this morning over a cup of tea. Looking at the generous space of the hall has inspired me to write about proportions today.

I'm writing an article for House & Garden at the moment about a house my husband designed. The owner, a reasonably conservative accountant in his 60s, told me how he gets up every morning and walks around thinking, "I just love this house!". When I tried to pin him down about what exactly it was he liked so much, it came down to the fact that the rooms were generous, the ceilings soaring and the windows looking out to the view were huge.

One of the best renovating advice I could give to anyone is before you build something, think carefully about the proportions of each room.

When we walk into a room and think "this is a really nice space" but don't really know why, its usually because the proportions are right. Have a look at the examples above: Ralph Lauren's villa in Round Hill, Jamaica with those gorgeous high ceilings and french windows or minimalist architect John Pawson's bathroom. Both have balanced spaces, windows in the right places and a ceiling height that feels right.

Too often, people start off with a nice design but cut corners with things like ceiling height and positioning of windows, usually on the advice of the builder. Don't do it, even if your budget is strangling your better judgement because you will have to live with it for a very long time.

Who knows, living in a house with the right proportions could even be the secret to a happy life!

Gutsy Grey

I would call this London interior (from a recent issue of Living Etc) quite gutsy and bold. I love the masculinity of the deep colours and animal skins, softened by the unexpected girlishness of a hot pink velvet headboard and floral plates. Very British.

Glamping

These are the best fashion catalogue shots I have seen in a while. Ernest Hemingway's great-grand daughter Dree on safari in Africa for Louis Vuitton (via Habitually Chic).

Glamorous camping or "glamping" is really popular thesedays, although I am well known for not being much of a camper. One of my sisters and her husband are very outdoorsey and spend a fair amount of their holidays sleeping outdoors with their young kids. Occasionally we meet up for a picnic lunch at some picturesque camping spot.

Recently we were invited to go camping in the Southern Highlands with some journo friends. Needless to say, It was not a great success. My husband and daughter loved it but I ended up sleeping in my all-wheel drive Volvo to escape the swarm of bees circling my tent and the air mattress from hell.

There were many snickers behind tin mugs the next morning and I have to admit I was almost hyperventilating to get back to Bowral for a coffee. The secret to comfortable camping, so they tell me, is to have all the right kit and you have to be sure you like it before investing.

I do like the safari "look" but prefer to enjoy it at arms length, preferably in the pages of a LV catalogue, thanks very much.

Watermelon Pink

Both Anna Spiro and I share a crippling addiction to pink (she has just done a post).

I am just itching to paint a room in flamingo pink. I have the sample pot, now all I have to do is find a room!

What is new about pink is the way you mix it. I love it clashing with red, a la Yves St Laurent, or have it as a bold accent in an all-white or grey room. It looks modern with other pinks in bold pop art prints.

Resort Style

Malolo Island, Fiji - interiors by Vanessa Wood



Tanjung Sari, Bali is a very old resort
Raes On Wategos is where the celebrities stay in Byron.

I have been looking at taking a beach holiday (it's winter here) and have realised how fussy I have become when it comes to the interior decor of hotels and resorts.

Now I am not necessarily into 5-6 star all the way, but I am totally over those glitzy 5 star hotels that all look the same, no matter where in the world you are. It's actually really hard to find something stylish that offers more of a cultural experience. There are some exceptions:

Tanjung Sari in Bali, Malolo Island in Fiji (haven't been there as yet) and Raes on Wategos on the beach at Byron Bay.

Malolo was done by Gold Coast designer, Vanessa Wood.

Does anyone know of any others.... preferably where you can take kids. I should have mentioned that.

Remembering Richard

At Vogue we used to wonder why all the good fashion photographers were surfers... Was it their connection with nature, understanding of the beauty of early morning light or was it just an a fine-tuned appreciation of girls in bikinis?

Perhaps Australia's most successful contemporary fashion photographer and life long surfer, Richard Bailey, passed away from cancer recently at age 52.

Dickie, with his movie star looks that hid a boyish shyness, had an extraordinary talent and drive, producing some of his hottest images in his last decade.

He had a way of entrancing models and you could almost see it in their eyes when you looked through the shots on the lightbox or computer screen. He launched the careers of many of Australia's most successful models and he will be missed enormously by all who worked with him at Vogue over his 31 year association.

His houses were always amazing. He was never without an inspiring ocean view, a great garden that he tended himself and a way with interiors that was consummate beach style.

What a shame to lose such a man, too early.

Inner City Modern

This renovated terrace in Sydney's inner west is a great example of how you can update an old house close to the city. Many families, once they have kids, move further out (like to the country, like me) but this family have made the most of the space and created a fun, colourful environment.

The Hall Hits the Low Point

The church hall is coming along at glacial pace due to a lack of time and finances. Yesterday the carpenter managed to put in the door which links the hall to the main house. Hooray! (My husband is determined to get it up and running so we can organise the rest of the house).

The most work done to the hall so far has been all the boring stuff - drainage, engineering, shoring up the structure once the ceiling came out. The new (old) re-cycled windows are in but it still looks like a building site. I always say it has to get worse before it gets better and there is always a low point in any renovation. It's usually in the middle of winter ...and this is it.

After many years and many renovations, I almost look forward to "the low point" because it means the worst is out of the way. I think many renovators are shocked when they reach the low point and this is when reno-stress sets in. It's also because when things are looking ugly its also when unexpected problems appear, such as termite infestation, dodgy plumbing, wood rot etc.

So today I thought I'd post some nice pics of barns and cricket pavilions that have been renovation success stories, just to egg me on!

Palm Encore

India Hicks adds Caribbean style to her rooms with palm fronds

Not since I was a teen have indoor plants been cool. Martha Stewart invited hem back in a few years ago (or did they ever go?) but maybe that's because she lives in a colder climate.

Anyway, I have been contemplating the benefits of indoor gardening myself lately. It's not just the benefits of cleaner air, I'm even warming to the idea of a potted palm in the beach house living rooms. At its best the palm is a little bit India Hicks in the Caribbean. At its worst it reminds me of unimaginative office foyers.

So this weekend I might venture into that most stylish of nurseries, the plant section of Kmart, which may be the only place where the fishbone fern, african violet and potted palm still thrive. Think outside the style square...

Berry In House & Garden

Check out the September issue of House and Garden which kicks off with my story on Freya and Jelle Hilkemeijer's country barn conversion just outside Berry.

For those who have never been to the South Coast of New South Wales, their Berry Woodfired Sourdough Bakery is a local institution and a mecca for good food and coffee lovers.

This barn, at the foot of a rainforest-covered mountain, was originally full of farm machinery and junk when Freya and Jelle decided to turn it into their house. Freya's sister Natasha worked with them on the plans and builder Jamie Strong worked wonders, keeping to a tight budget and re-using things like the existing concrete slab and making screens out of old tomato stakes from Jelle's parents strawberry farm.

I have included some shots which the story couldn't fit in.