Restoring 60s Furniture

Our Tessa T8’s repolished and upholstered in Vera Pelle leather from Decor Design Centre

 RESTORING OUR TESSA T8’S

Being very passionate about good design, I can’t bear to see it thrown away. I was very excited to find some original 60’s furniture in the back of an online seller’s shed - we bought the shells for a song and our restoration journey began.

Original Poster for the Tessa T8 suite

Tessa Furniture was started in 1968 by German immigrant Fred Lowen and his friend Howard Lindsey, when Australians saved for ages to buy their furniture because it lasted. They took it from house to house when they moved and handed it down to their children. The soft leather cushions supported by canvas slings enveloped the sitter without dwarfing the rooms of the sixties and seventies much smaller homes.

Sadly, Tessa Furniture closed their doors in June 2019, a victim of peoples’ desire for an instant look and cheap deals. But events have come full circle and now many of us are searching out locally made, well crafted pieces again to grace our homes.

Once all the individual pieces came back from the polisher, we had to watch a video to work out how to put them back together!

A lot of work was involved in restoring our chairs, and the costs were also significant because we were using quality trades and materials.

However we progessed slowly on this journey, getting each step done as we could afford it. It was actually a much better option than finance or Credit Card purchase of new furniture. The trades we used were also so supportive of us reviving some pieces of true Australian design.

Vera Pelle leather colour Dune

Canvas slings come in a few different shades and include the original fixings

The canvas slings and brass fittings are still being made by a former employer of Tessa and I was able to order them over the internet. It was great to have contact with a person who had a part in the original company.

I didn’t want to replicate the dark blacks and browns of the original styles but opted for a sublime Vera Pelle leather in Dune. I was pretty excited when I took delivery of the hides! The secret when restoring furniture is not to be slavishly faithful to the first design but to use quality trades and materials to make the piece your own. That way, you ensure it remains loved for years to come.

Our Tessa T8’s sit within our open space extension beautifully

Travel / Copenhagen

This year, I took the long haul up over Arabia and then over Europe to land amongst the terracotta roofs and copper spires of the fascinating city of Copenhagen. I was there with Matilda to attend 3 Days of Design, a festival celebrating elegantly crafted modernist design against a backdrop of buildings reaching back to the 13th century.

For 3 days in June, Copenhagen furniture stores and design studios open their doors and throw a party with free entry, from pastries and coffee to dj’s and disco. At the Hay shop there was even a new sneaker issued by Asics for the festival.

Since the starting up of the Department of Furniture Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in the 1920’s, Denmark has been known worldwide for it’s architects and furniture making. While it went through a period of being ‘uncool’ in the excesses of the 1980’s, today their culture of celebrating craftsmanship and avoiding overconsumption and waste of materials is drawing admiration and followers the world over.

Furniture making demonstrations, pastries and herbal teas at Fredericia, a furniture designer and maker with more than 100 years of history. Their headquarters were built in the 1700’s

Charming tradition at Carl Hansen and Son

We stayed at Savoy Hotel and Bar, 7 minutes from the Central train station The Metro (M) is the underground fast train and there’s also the S train (S) and the Regional train (Re). Buy a City Pass from the ticket kiosk for the duration of your stay and you can tap on and off like the locals, without having to stop at ticket booths.

Our staff were so friendly and the lobby was a cosy spot to eat, gather and work on my computer

While bikes are available at most hotels and can be rented easily, unless you ride frequently, don’t try to take up the sport here. The locals are speedy and there’s many things to watch out for - traffic coming the other way to your home country - one important example.

you discover so many moments of surprise when travelling on foot

We used a combination of Google maps walk and the local app Rejseplanen to find attractions and train stations and by ‘we’ I mean Matilda figured it out and I followed along. The only time I’d recommend taking a taxi is to and from the airport as the cobblestoned streets are murder for big suitcases with small wheels.

Canalside at Nyhavn, the last of 4 original main canals of the old city.

Nyhavn Canal, the last original canal of the old town is full of happy tourists and outdoor cafes, probably not much of a different atmosphere to when the sailors celebrated their herring catches in brothels and pubs so many centuries ago, for Copenhagen started out as a Viking fishing village and the trade in herring in particular made it very rich.

Iconic chairs from Danish furniture firms Fredericia and PP Mobler sit in front of a graphic poster display at Design Museum Denmark

While tourist hotspots were all very nice, I was here to soak up Design and my first stop (and I think my most memorable) was Design Museum Denmark. For around $30 you can have the most complete and entertaining education about Interior, Graphic and Furniture Design that several hours can afford. From the colourful, weird and wacky like a tent where you make patterns with a mirror on the ceiling to banks of antique drawers with fabric samples from Picasso’s roosters to William Morris’s strawberry thief, there’s something for everyone of all ages.

3D printing at Design Museum Denmark

In this most sustainably conscious of cities, 3 Days of Design championed Circularity. By embracing the continuous recycling of resources, it is hoped we will reach a stage of not needing to take anything new from the planet. At Normann Copenhagen there was a beautiful dining display that featured chair shells made from hemp and seaweed and bar stools, tables and ‘moon lights’ crafted using recycled plastic bottle lids.

For something different, travel out to Copenhagen’s North Harbour, a revived industrial precinct. At the top of a converted grain silo that houses upmarket Brutalist style apartments is Restaurant Silo, a fine dining restaurant for everyone. Pools of discreet light are discreetly aimed away from the view of canals, new apartments and a working harbour that stretch out to the woods on the outskirts of suburbia.

Walking to the train station at 10 pm, it was still light, a new experience for us!

Sunset at 10 pm was a new experience for us!

We had a blast in Copenhagen - I feel the secret of enjoying a Design fair in a new city is to focus on experiences you can take away with you and not worry too much about getting to every event that people are talking about. With 2 girls on the team, we made sure we allowed ample time for shopping and here we are, me wearing my newly purchased vintage coat (vintage clothing is big here) and Matilda in her Asics/Hay sneakers.

Hey, Hey from us two and please let me know if you’re heading to Denmark. I’d love to swap travel tips and stories.

Adela and Matilda

COLOUR DRENCHING

Are you ready to say goodbye to crisp white cornices and skirtings?

Light Rice Half by Dulux is painted on the walls, beams and ceilings, wrapping the room with an aura of comfort without being overwhelming

The Dulux colour forecast for 2024 includes many rooms treated to ‘colour drenching’ - where the walls, ceilings, skirtings cornices and door trims are all painted one colour and the floor is made to tone in. While this technique is not new, it is being seen increasingly in the tastemaker magazines of Vogue Living, Belle and Architectural Digest among others. Why are Designers using it?

This bedroom in a Heritage listed home in Sydney has the same colour applied to the walls and skirtings, giving a more intense and saturated look. Design by Hugh Jones Mackintosh. Photo Prue Ruscoe.

Patrick O’Donnell, from Farrow and Ball, says one of the biggest benefits is to make a room look bigger, calmer and tidier. Intricate cornices, high skirtings and bulky radiators can all be painted in the same colour to create a seamless look, or for a dual tone effect, the finishes can be changed, for example, a flat finish on the walls and high gloss on trims.

Hauvette and Madani paint an intricately detailed niche bookcase in the same colour as the walls , making the grand room more cosy. Photo Francois Coquerel

A wonderfully cocooning bedroom by Cristina Celestino uses wallpaper, carpet and paint in the same shade. Photo by Pasquale Maffini

Colour drenching can be applied across different materials in the room, adding drama as the hue is varied across the different surfaces. Think stone fireplaces and kitchen islands that tone with the walls and floors, curtains, wallpaper and window trims that while the same colour, vary interestingly in tone.

The bathrooms by Studio Doherty, completed in 2022, may just have been the start of the Colour Drenching trend in Australia. Photo by Anson Smart

What are the best rooms for colour washing? In smaller rooms such as power rooms and bedrooms, this painting technique can give a ‘jewel box affect’ while pass through spaces such as entries and home offices can acquire a ‘sense of arrival’. The public areas of the home are more busy and choosing one colour to use is more difficult. I suggest here choosing a half strength of the colour you love. If you are brave enough, colour washing your living spaces is a wonderful way to make your neutral furniture ‘pop’.

Tan Wagon by Dulux on the walls and ceiling of this living room, making the white sofa and nuetral decor POP.

5 White Hot Exterior Colour Schemes

As anyone who has raced across the bitumen on a Summer’s day knows, a dark coloured surface holds a lot of heat! The Roofing Tile Association of Australia states ‘The colour of an exposed surface determines the amount of solar radiation which will be absorbed and most of Australia has a climate which requires our homes to limit heat gain rather than loss’. Consulting with clients, I have found white and neutral exterior colour schemes to be very popular and have included 5 of them here. I’m also available for 2 hour consults if you have your own project in mind. Keep Cool….

FROM L to R; LIMECRETE Exposed Aggregate in Amber White, DULUX Royal Beige Double, COLORBOND Surfmist, DULUX Vivid White

This Federation era home in Mount Lawley was redecorated in contemporary colours, complemented by a native planting scheme

FROM L to R; DULUX Domino Gloss (Front Door), DULUX Monument )Trim), DULUX Whisper White, Bluestone Pavers

Originally Tuscan yellow, this home was given a makeover with new paint and paving, working within the existing roof and windows.

FROM L to R: COLORBOND Deep Ocean (Window Frames), BRISTILE roof tile Astral, MIDLAND BRICK Boulevard Classic Steel Grey Pavers, DULUX Narrow Neck Quarter

This Alfresco addition used Italian tiles for ease of maintenance, the pitched white clad roof lightens the adjoining living area.

FROM L TO R; DULUX Black Caviar (Fence), DULUX Narrow Neck Quarter, WEATHERTEX Weathergroove painted DULUX Vivid White, MYAREE CERAMICS Stellar Grey Tile

A proposed development in Victoria Park has exposed brick shaded by plantings with paler surface colours facing the afternoon sun.

FROM L to R; MIDLAND BRICK Restoration Red, COLORBOND Surfmist, DULUX Shale Grey, DULUX Vivid White

5 Ways to cosy up for Winter

5 Ways to Cosy up your Home for Winter

Wow, it’s been cold here in Perth. 2.5 degrees at 7 am this morning, to be precise. Let’s stop pretending we live in endless Summer - here’s 5 ways we can cosy up our homes.

WOOL BLANKETS

Natural wool blankets are back, but not the scratchy old fashioned kind. Light and colourful, the new wool blankets are throws for our couches and armchairs as well as an extra layer on top of our doonas at night. Made of alpaca or sheep’s wool, they are warm but breathable so they allow airflow while also trapping heat.

FLUFFY DOONAS

How long is it since you had a new doona? I like a polyester quilt, as it’s not too heavy but I buy one size up to fully fill out the doona cover and make it nice and puffy. Fold your doona over when making the bed, to allow your sheet colour to show through and make room for double stacked pillows.

BLOCK OUT CURTAINS

The single most effective way to keep your home warm is to hang block out curtains. Keep them neutral and hang them high. Not only will curtains trap in the warmth from the day, their textured folds add softness to your room and muffle the sound of whistling wind and lashing rain.

RECHARGEABLE LAMPS

The pools of light from table lamps add so much atmosphere but a power point is not always convenient nearby to use.

The new generation of lamps are rechargeable and can be carried around like gorgeous large (but much safer) candles to light a way through a darkened bedroom or create an inviting spot to sit.

HOUSEPLANTS

When there’s not much happening in the garden outside, houseplants give an inviting link to nature in the Winter months. Take your plants to a sunny spot during the day and water only minimally - gently prod the soil to test for dryness before adding water. Larger leaves will love a wipe with a damp cloth periodically, air conditioning and closed windows mean dust accumulates on their surface.

Highlights of Sydney Design Show 2022

dimitri vargas celebrated organic curves and arches at the centre of the hall

For the first time in 4 years, I boarded a plane and travelled to Sydney for Design Show 2022. I was so out of practice travelling - I got air sick, let my phone run out of charge, forgot my makeup and wondered around Darling Harbour for an hour hopelessly lost!

But when I descended the escalator into the large hall of the Design Show it was marvellous to see the creative talent and inspirational stands of all the exhibitors, after so many years of only seeing websites online.

In the furniture and lighting stands I noticed ORGANIC, IRREGULAR shapes in coffee tables and pendant lights and sofas were often curved. One of the most popular stands featured TIMBER WORKOUT EQUIPMENT. After years of staying at home and having disease as an ever present threat, this emphasis on natural shapes and materials is a MASSIVE TREND.

COLOUR was everywhere, from olive green outdoor furniture to NOOD COs rose coloured concrete basins. Not glaring primary colour but TERTIARY shades - more muddy and muted but definitly colour.

The plumbing stands were also offering variety and colour, with myriad types of metal finishes of kitchen faucets, shower heads and bathroom mixers. As well, brands such as FAUCET STROMMEN showed how they are using recycling and energy saving in their manufacturing, another BIG AREA OF CHANGE.

the different types of metal finishes oliveri offers for it’s kitchen faucets

sarah tracton porcelain featured wall lights and pendants in glowing candy colours

nood cos stand was overhung with 1000’s of paper butterflies

studio xox collaborated with local designers and studio xox to wow us with new vanity designs

acoustica sound absorbing lighting

Robert Gordon’s beautiful ceramic lighting

ABI interiors with it’s magnificent floral installation

The NOHrd Sport stand was so popular now that we are embracing wellness into our homes

---

Furl coat stand by Nau

at the centre of the Faucet Strommen stand was a large pile of brass shavings to show that offcuts from their bathroom fixtures are melted down and reused.

colourful tappeti rugs

Nero Tapware had stunning matching finshes in faucets and basins

Travel / Surry Hills, Sydney

While visiting Sydney for Design Fair, I took a day to explore Surry Hills with other Designers from all around Australia. Once a working class suburb, in the last decade the area has seen new appreciation by architects, designers and iconic furniture companies. Within walking distance of Central Station and Darling Harbour and lined with footpaths and automated crosswalks, it’s pedestrian friendliness has kept the eclectic feel of the neighborhood,

Beautifully kept terrace houses line leafy streets and insta famous restaurants jostle peacefully with asian grocery stores and old pubs. I loved to search for hidden gems and I poked nosely around to find them. No one minded!

Later I joined a gorgeous bunch of Designers for a tour of the suburb’s amazing showrooms and inspirational chats with the owners.

But the best part of all was that I could just walk to my hotel at the end of the day - Sydney’s own Ace Hotel.

Rebuilt on the site of one of Australia’s first brick kilns, the hotel embraces the past in colourful glazed ceramics and raw face brick, while celebrating the now with art and installations from some of today’s most exciting creatives.

Rebuilt by Bates Smart and designed by Flack Studio, the hotel’s downstairs lobby, restaurant and cafe open onto each other. It feels like you are in your own VERY cool house. Come the weekends, these spaces open to the community and become party central.

However, if you are a business traveller, like me, you will likely revel in the cosy, cocooning rooms finished in raw brick and sound absorbing felt wall panels. Your hardest work will be choosing artisan snacks from the mini bar - and which linen robe? The dragon or the turtle?…..