Dexter!

A fab new piece by WWID

I see red with this beautiful vintage Windsor

I'm calling him...... 

Dexter

The Decorator

words and images

J Watson-Evans

My Home

A little while ago I had the pleasure of inviting Sydney stylist/photographer team
Warnes and Walton, into my home for a very interesting day.  The duo were on a quick jaunt to Queensland in search of interesting interiors to photograph. 
 And I must say that I was delighted that they chose my home as one of them.

I have to say that it was such an interesting and educational experience having my interior 'styled' by someone else as opposed to doing it myself.  It really is quite therapeutic having fresh eyes coming into your home to give it a bit of a shakeup or just put a slightly different slant on things.

 From the moment Natalie Walton arrived, I was fascinated by the way she quietly and methodically went from room to room, finding various items that in some cases I had even forgotten I had.  Area rugs were swapped around in order to create a lighter more summery feel for the photo in my 'Sitting Room' area, some artwork was changed around, an old vintage Peacock chair left over from my Babalou project was dragged out of the garage, and the overall look of the interior was pared back a little.

Natalie, who is an accomplished writer, blogger, and interior stylist, whose work has appeared in everything from Elle Decoration UK, Australia's Harpers Bazaar, Real Living, to House and Garden, knew exactly the mood she was going for. An understated, casual, eclectic vibe which really captured the essence of my home and garden, and I think a quintessentially Australian/Queensland style.

 Her friendly colleague, photographer Chris Warnes, who has worked extensively throughout Australia and North America, made me feel so at ease and comfortable, in front of the camera.  The beautiful photos that they produced of my home, are testament to their collectively discerning eye and talent, and obviously how well they work together.

I also loved that I learnt new terminology (for me anyway) about setting up a shot.  There is always one particular 'hero' that a photo should encapsulate.  Being the collector that I am, I find myself often fighting the 'maximalist' from within.  I could sometimes be accused of having too many 'heroes' in one room.  Alas,  it is sometimes just as difficult to edit as it is to add!!

Natalie and Chris have put together a lovely feature and we were very pleased to see that it made the cover of the autumn issue of  Queensland Homes magazine which is out now.

We all spent a lovely day together, and Natalie who was at the time many weeks pregnant,
 just a few days later got on a plane and flew to L.A to interview
  Kelly Wearstler for Australian Harpers Bazaar!


Now that's what I call motivation!!!


Here are a few pics of the magazine

Interior Design

 Janelle Watson-Evans

Styling & Photography

 Warnes & Walton

as seen in

 Autumn Issue 2012 Queensland Homes out now


words J Watson-Evans


posted by


THE DECORATOR

Saturday Morning Vintage

I think you all know how much I love my vintage decorating books.  I just love to flick through and caress the pages of these wonderful finds. 
 I get truly inspired by these books and marvel at how much the styling has been rehashed and revitalised over the years by some of the world's leading taste makers.  
And it goes to show that good decorating, design, 
and styling does not have a 'use-by' date.

It is hard to believe that some of these pages are in fact,
 getting to be around 60 years old.

Thank goodness there are people who truly look after their books.  It is wonderful to think that these same books have somehow made their way into my life, across the seas and through the air, all the way to my library shelves.

 I really love the 'look' of some of the photography from this period.  Is it because they were all shot on 'film'? 
 Indeed I was interested to recently read in one of my favourite shelter magazines, London's seminal 'The World of Interiors',
 that they still to this day shoot their work on film.

However, with time does come progress. This morning after taking some photos on my digital Canon G11 and uploading them,
 I found myself fiddling with the special effects editing.

This photo of my sunny sitting room which is where I enjoy my morning espresso each day with my husband, and often find myself flicking through one of my aforementioned tomes, has had the treatment!

This started out to be a 'sunny Saturday morning snap' and has morphed into something which looks like it belongs in one of my old books.

What do you think?

Before

Before

After

After

These pics also fit into the 'Yellow Makes Me So Happy' category. 

 I must thank my lovely friend Julianne for sending me the very 'sunny' bunch of gerberas which really were the impetus for this little story today.

images by J Watson-Evans

The Decorator

Yellow & Blue Make Me So Happy!

You know how I really do rate the Series 7 chair by Arne Jacobsen, as the most iconic chair of the 20th Century?

Floral throw by Olivier Desforges

  Well here it is in my daughter's room in white against the dark navy blue walls. I have a number of these chairs used for dining and occasional chairs all over my home.

 I have dark brown stained ones from the early 1970's, white ones from the 1980's and cherry red gloss examples from this decade. 

 They are unbeatable for their comfort and practicality.  In my view the Series 7 will compliment any interior, and can be stacked for easy storage.

  I am also obsessed with yellow and the yellow ceramic piece on the bedhead is one of a pair of wonderful 

Italian 1970's pendant lights which have since been installed as hanging bedside lights.

Australian stylist Marcus Hay obviously feels the same way about the chair and the colours....yellow and blue. 

 Below are a few pics from his Manhattan apartment as featured in Elle Decoration.

Salon hang of 1950's & '60's  pieces including Italian calendar and metal fish sculpture.
The empty frame is also an interesting addition.

Interesting salon hang of found objects

Vignette with found objects and pieces of Italian Bitossi Pottery

Love the way the old doors have been used as a way of delineating a dining area by providing a back drop in a very small space

images via Elle Decoration

&
J Watson-Evans for WWID

Babalou Happy Snaps

Some of the vintage swag lights we sourced for Babalou......

The original doors of the Pub had glass panels replaced with mirror,
 painted and rehung on the exterior walls to balcony dining area

The Veuve Clicquot Love Seat by Karim Rashid adds an interesting sculptural element to the room and that amazing pop of pink that Rashid is so obsessed with!

The Veuve Clicquot  Love Seat by Karim Rashid

Custom Pop Art Wallpaper and copper coffee table turned wall hanging.

Porters Chairs 

The Record Library with art by Scott Redford

Pressed Metal on the Bar Front

Babalou watching over the Library

The Swan

Photos by J. Watson-Evans

Interior Design by Janelle Watson-Evans Watson & Watson in collaboration with Scott Redford

Vintage Chair Garden 'Love In'

This past weekend we had a little 'chair fest' in the garden. 


 We dragged the old Persian rug out to the courtyard, placed a few old chairs around...the 'old chairs' being part of my collection which include a Vico Magistretti 'Gaudi' chair,
 an originial Eames 'Bikini' Chair, a red lacquer Arne Jacobsen 'Series 7' chair, a Douglas Snelling webbing chair,
  a 1970's mass produced fibreglass chair, and a lovely 1950's occasional chair.

My husband made wonderful cucumber gimlets, which we enjoyed in the garden.

We first enjoyed these lovely cocktails poolside at the Chamberlain in West Hollywood,
 and I am pleased to say he was able to duplicate the recipe beautifully!

I also brought my Scott Redford Polar Bear out to play,
 and my lovely Louis repro chair also joined in for an airing!

A splash of Marimekko, Hirst, and Bombay!

Do these chairs know how to party or what?
Party of 5 including Jacobsen, Magistretti, and Snelling

Pretty Bromiliad, bergere and the Bear!

Magistretti, Snelling & Eames

What's that  Bear? You want more gimlet?

all images by Janelle Watson-Evans

The Decorator

Featherston & Florence

2 Australian design icons.. our very own mid-century modern master Grant Featherston and eccentric wallpaper maven,  Florence Broadhurst together!

One of my prized Grant Featherston chairs with a bit of lumber support from a Florence Broadhurst cushion from Signature Prints!

I know that this particular chair was supposed to have a small rectangular cushion in the same fabric in the lumber area, but I just threw my little piece of Florence on instead!

Back in the 1970's my mother who was an interior decorator, met Florence and went on a boat cruise with her on the Gold Coast's Broadwater. She remembers how larger than life she was and that she supposedly had a penchant for collecting not only men but, wait for it...fire engines!!

What a wonderful treasure from our design history!  Thanks to the passionate foresight of the owners of Signature Prints, Helen and David Lennie.  Apparently they stumbled over Broadhurst's original wallpaper screens in a disused factory in Sydney a number of years ago and I think they can be congratulated with helping to spearhead the revival of wallpaper world wide!!

Florence Broadhurst has become the worldwide design icon she deserved to be when she was alive! 

Grant Featherston furniture has become a very sought after Australian mid-century antique fetching incredible prices at recent auctions!

My home featuring Featherston, Florence and some of my West German pot Collection.

Hipsters, Helen and David Lennie from Signature Prints

Florence's silver Mylar paper in Daphne Guiness's apartment in Architectural Digest

My Featherston at home yesterday!

My Featherston with Scott Redford work shot a few years ago at my previous home on vintage wallpaper:  not Florence Broadhurst I'm afraid but left over from a Gold Coast apartment foyer from the 1970's!

The Most Iconic Chair of the 20th Century

The Series 7 chair by Arne Jacobsen is my favourite chair of all time!  I have continued to use this versatile design classic in my work since the 1980's.  Not only is this chair wonderfully comfortable, (actually I am sitting on a dark brown stained vintage version from the 1970's as I write), I find that the chair works in a plethora of different interiors. With its wonderfully curved back, it has been the most copied chair in modern design history. The Series 7 is just as happy sitting along side traditional antiques as it is in a typically modernist setting.

Jefferson Apartment Main Beach

Here are the stunning red lacquered versions which we have combined with a wonderful
 painting by Australian artist Melinda Harper.
Also featured is Phillipe Starck for Kartell Gnome stool.

View to the Pacific featuring Scott Redford's Polar Bear and Campari Light by Ingo Maurer

I simply adore this wonderful moulded plywood Danish classic designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955!

Interior Design in both pics above by Watson & Watson  2007

BABALOU at Kingscliff Australia

It was a wonderful experience putting together the amazing pieces at Babalou.  There are so many incredible vintage things to be had in this world and boy did we source them!
We successfully filled the brief of creating an "eclectic and bohemian" mix of furniture, objects and art!

Thank you Scott Redford for creating the signature art for the Record Library entitled "It's only Rock and Roll".  It was a great ride working with you on the BABALOU project!

Babalou at Kingscliff Australia

The Record Library at BABALOU

Porters Chairs, surrealist art and the table from Barramundi Street.

A nod to Ms Wearstler at the Powder room at BABALOU

Decoration and design at BABALOU, Australia by Watson & Watson