Art Deco jewel

Scott Weston has sent photos of his latest project. It's finished, the client is in and it's a little jewel.


Well, we have literally walked out the apartment door comfortably satisfied with that age old saying that "A place for everything and everything in its place." In this waterside apartment the client brief was to store precious objects such as this Art Deco necklace.

The list goes on and on and the apartment elegantly sits there like a grand old dame in Elizabeth Bay......................................

We have felt lined drawers to store precious jewelry.
We have raspberry lined soft closing drawers to the bedside with adjustable tolomeo lamps.
Walnut timber joinery.
Kenzo 100% raspberry linen.
Pearlescent concertina wallpaper.
Gilded display boxes to house special treasures.
Silver leaf shelves for our Client's extensive shoe collection.
Concealed doors that house silver bevelled mirrors.
Hermes orange quartz bench-top and matching overhead cabinets.
Liberty fabrics and bespoke velvet cushions.
Black laminate internal cabinetry all with soft closing drawers or doors.

These aren't stylist preened and primped photos. These are just how the lucky client will live in her Art Deco jewel box. Lucky lucky woman .... I'm lusting after that wardrobe!

Art Deco jewel

Scott Weston has sent photos of his latest project. It's finished, the client is in and it's a little jewel.


Well, we have literally walked out the apartment door comfortably satisfied with that age old saying that "A place for everything and everything in its place." In this waterside apartment the client brief was to store precious objects such as this Art Deco necklace.

The list goes on and on and the apartment elegantly sits there like a grand old dame in Elizabeth Bay......................................

We have felt lined drawers to store precious jewelry.
We have raspberry lined soft closing drawers to the bedside with adjustable tolomeo lamps.
Walnut timber joinery.
Kenzo 100% raspberry linen.
Pearlescent concertina wallpaper.
Gilded display boxes to house special treasures.
Silver leaf shelves for our Client's extensive shoe collection.
Concealed doors that house silver bevelled mirrors.
Hermes orange quartz bench-top and matching overhead cabinets.
Liberty fabrics and bespoke velvet cushions.
Black laminate internal cabinetry all with soft closing drawers or doors.

These aren't stylist preened and primped photos. These are just how the lucky client will live in her Art Deco jewel box. Lucky lucky woman .... I'm lusting after that wardrobe!

Down Under Honeymoon Experience to Remember

Australia is one of the most beautiful locations for a honeymoon. Not only the land and sea experience, but the city mixed with the wildlife, the mountains mixed with the plain, the red dirty with the blue waters, take a cruise or travel on land, no matter what you choose to combine, you will have the experience of a lifetime. The locations and activities we will be highlighting are all in Sidney.Starting here you will have plenty to do to fill your days and nights. We suggest taking a tour of the breath taking Blue Mountains. You will head west to discover a piece of Australia that never entered your dreams. You will see unusual plants and wildlife, enjoy luscious barbecue, and observe kangaroos in their natural habitat in hidden valleys and much more. When in the mountains stay at Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort and Spa. The resort is located on two acres of English-style gardens on the cliff tops adjacent to The Three Sisters. The breathtaking Lilianfels is perfect for your celebration. If you want to take a day to wine and dine we suggest a tour of Hunter Valley's Resort, Wine School, and Brewery. The resort has wine tasting, private 2-bedroom cottages, a massage center, biking and walking paths, and access to tennis courts and pool and Jacuzzi units. Stays include breakfast and dinner daily, wine school and one additional activity.A stay in Sydney would not be complete without a visit to the Aquarium and even a VIP Aquarium Tour. It is open from 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM, with tours lasting approximately 90 minutes. This is a perfect private tour, specially designed for you and your partner. You will have a behind the scenes look at the shark tanks, the Great Barrier Reef Exhibit, feed tropical fish from above the tank, and have an educational explanation of the platypus, crocodile, touch pool, seal sanctuary, oceanarium, and the Great Reef exhibits.

If you like to be swept off your feet you can pass up this next experience. Board a twin engine petite aircraft and fly low over the Blue Mountains to your first landing point. Spend half the day exploring and experiencing life on an Australian sheep ranch. After your barbecue lunch, board again to fly to the picturesque Hunter Valley for wine tasting and sightseeing. The finale is low-level flight down the coastline, over the beaches and spectacular harbor, or over the city of lights.

You can't miss red carpet treatment on your honeymoon. We welcomed on arrival and begin the evening with a tour of the Sydney Opera House , gaining insight into the amazing story of the most recognized landmark in Australia. You will then enjoy a three course dinner including wine before watching a world class performance in this fabulous Opera House. During intermission relax with a drink at one of the three theater bars.

Any and all of these are experiences that will be unique and special for you on your special occasion. They will put you to your limits as you reach across the limits of the country, flying over mountains and observing wildlife in the valley. You have plenty of time and leverage to relax and unwind with romantic trails and smoothing spas. You will instantly fall in love and insist on returning every year to remember this special time in the beginning of your lives together.

For More Information on Australia and other great destinations Click Here!

Clinton Murray - Gunyah Residence

Clinton Murray

Gunyah Residence

Solid as a rock - A challenging section on Gunyah beach in Bundeena, forced Clinton Murray to rethink the vernacular (perhaps simple) Australian beach side house and create a resilient coastal retreat. Built to last forever.

Overview
Huge boulders throughout the cliff side, would have made slapping a wooden prefab house on the top of the plot the easiest option. Choosing instead to hide the house well down the plot near the breaking shoreline, posed challenges, yet rewarded both the architect and owners with stunning results. It also appeased the planning officials and nearby residents.

"The linear site is divided midway by a massive rock face, defining two distinct levels. The natural, sheltered enclave at the base of the rock face is where we believed the building belonged."

Tucked into the hillside, the copper clad roof has set out to weather itself in the ocean green shade of the bay beyond, further minimising the impact of the building for neighbours above.

Combined with the weathered copper is the solid base of the house. The ground floor living structure, of textured off-form concrete made with horizontal board forms, gives the impression of weathered timber, which contrasts with the fresh browns of the Oregon sleeping quarters and gallery above.

Building on a series of staggered rock platforms, the logistics of site management for labour, plant & equipment was challenging. All materials had to be craned in or manhandled from the top of the site, or from the beach front below. The entry stairs and concrete bridges required innovative reinforcement and form work solutions to achieve both continuous spans and the appearance of thin concrete blades hovering above the site. These thin blades continue inside with kitchen bench tops and bathroom surfaces formed on site of ultra thin jet black concrete.

Layout
To reach the timber front door, you negotiate the rock face via timber steps that weave through the boulders. Crossing a bridge that leads to a discreet front door you push open an oversized panel to reveal the high stud gallery. Strategically orientated, the full height end window of the gallery frames a nearby palm. Everything is overscale, stretched vertically, to relate to the magnitude of the cliff face behind the building site. Here, the reused Oregon timber stands vertical, allowing the seams to disguise two door panels, behind which hide two of the three master bedrooms. Each with, en-suite, balconies and outstanding views across the bay.




Heading down the hillside, you arrive at the main living quarters, housed in that heavy masonry base of textured off-form concrete. As with the rest of the house, glass front windows bathe the room with light, yet here, in contrast, the kitchen area to the rear and cubbyhole rooms, are lined with dark black concrete floors and bench tops. The darkness providing refuge from the summer heat, and mimic the caves often found tucked into cliffs around the Australian coast.

Also taking notes from nature the orientation of each level shifts as you rise up the cliff face. Thus forming fronds like the nearby palms, and allowing the building to sit back, minimising it's visual impact from the shoreline.

Results
"The house sits with its toes touching the sea and with an exposed worn rock face at its back, both constant reminders of the power of wild storms blowing in from the north-east. And should the big seas come, this house is a safe haven, no question about it."

Slideshow

Architect Clinton Murray
Project team Polly Harbison (Project Architect), Tanja Klocker, Jeff Umansky
Project Gunyah Beach House
Location Bundeena, New South Wales
Google Location
Builder Bellavarde Constructions
Structural Engineer O’Hearn Consulting
Landscape Architect 360 degrees
Photographer Simon Kenny

Plans

via: Many thanks to Clinton Murray