Old School Masters House

The Elvis

Ingridweir — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:41:32 +0000

I love rooms that have soul. There’s very few of them but you know it when you’re in one. The cafe in Huski apartments in Falls Creek always had good bones; big doors and windows looking out to the snow gums + a soft snow filtered light that would fill the room. But some how sitting there you always felt a bit perched & a little cold.

Francesco and Gus from The Three Blue Ducks

the road in … Falls Creek

Last year the Three Blue Ducks from Bronte flew south for the winter and set up the Gully Bar and Restaurant at Huski. As I was working on the interior design of an apartment upstairs, it was interesting to see how they approached parallel problems downstairs. Common to both redesigns is the key element of timber – it just works so well in an alpine setting. The Ducks bought it in by covering the existing tables with heavy honey coloured wood. The lounge seats were upholstered in cowhide, providing much needed warmth & comfort. Baskets and small timber framed pictures added a personal layer. My two favourite touches are the shiny black duck stencil on the matte black wall and the major ornate light fittings that somehow complement the snow gums outside.

love this black on black stencil

breakfast goodness; quinoa, sago and black rice porridge

But greater than the visuals is the beautiful, authentic food of the Ducks, full of textures gathered from their overseas travels in Morocco, Sri Lanka and Europe. The breads, muffins and doughnuts baked fresh every day. The homemade sausage roll sold by the inch. I have heard of real estate agents cooking batches of muffins to make a house appealing in an open inspection. Perhaps this is part of design that has never been fully explored – the impact of food on the experience of a space.

fresh baked

doughnut treat

Late one night at a group dinner – a desert turns up unexpectedly- The Elvis. A complex and delicious mix of homemade honey comb, little bacon bits and french pastry- I think The King would have approved. It has soul.

view from the Falls Creek car park

Winter Flowers

Ingridweir — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 10:46:44 +0000

The land’s turning hard and brown now. Out in the bush on long country walks, no wild blossoms are found. Yet still the garden at the old schoolmasters house generously produces flowers. Not many, not the luxuriant lilac bundles of spring. But there is something almost touching in the delicacy and the hardiness of the last flowers pushing through. Purples and mauves seem to be the ones that have held on the longest.

one of the neighbours

old ink jars and a bottle found in the garden

The containers they are in become important. Each flower so special now. A growing collection of school themed containers- low late nineteenth century ceramic and glass ink bottles. A tall skinny medicine bottle found in the garden. I’ve never really collected anything but I can see vases, especially glass vases becoming something to look out for.

last of the roses

the mist covered land

You really feel the seasons move through the country- it’s full force nature not just the trees coming up through the asphalt. The whole idea of hibernation is such an interesting one. Things growing, developing under the ground all the while it all seems like nothing is happening on the surface. A constant current of change. A deep source of hope can come from contemplating this – even if the earth seems blasted, there is fertile bounty to come…

Autumn Roadtrip

Ingridweir — Fri, 31 May 2013 10:52:58 +0000

It’s strange in a way that trees are the same colour for roughly 90% of the time, then change so radically. Become yellow, red, then lose it all. I love this time of year & I love driving in the country spotting the great runs of autumn colours. Coming down from the whiteout of the snowfields, a road trip through the Kiewa valley and along the Great Alpine Road is like driving into a technicolour movie. Or maybe a 1980s jigsaw.

snow feet

getting ready for opening weekend- the Gully restaurant

Leaving behind Falls Creek & the sound of hammers and saws as people prepare for the start of the ski season. Like the opening night at the theatre, the curtain is due to rise at a predestined time. In the valley there’s no similar tension, the coming of winter more gradual here. This is dairy country, the constantly grazing cows give a calmness to the landscape.

Trying a few thrift stores but no amazing finds for the old schoolmasters house. Despite my ever hopeful looking – the country bargain remains elusive. I am starting to develop a deep suspicion of the word “Collectibles” !

I think this is a liquid amber tree

Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel

The thing I’m coming to value the most are the stop offs along the way – the little pockets of atmosphere. Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel in Beechworth with the open fire, the checkerboard floor and the barman behind the counter shelling walnuts. The complete Swedish world of Svarmsik cafe in Mt Beauty- fresh and wonderful. The best thing about road trips is that you are absolved from actually doing anything practical; making complicated phone calls, errands, housework. You can just kind of enjoy nature and the drive and the cows and a good cup of coffee.

The lovely town of Mt Beauty

Svarmisk cafe – Swedish outpost in Mt Beauty

Designing an Interior in the Snowfields

Ingridweir — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:27:17 +0000

A lot of designers I know like going to the snow. I think it’s because of the visual clarity and purity. So much of the superfluous is cleared away- leaving white planes and blue skies and snow gums. It’s like a palette cleanser. One of the most powerful statements of nature.

looking out from the nook

Falls Creek… the road in

Working on an interior design for an apartment in Huski in Falls Creek. The drifts of snow are piling up, close to finishing now. The objective all along has to be to warm the room & to bring it closer to nature. The building possesses a striking definite modernism. You have to work with it not against it. The view’s the greatest feature- it’s like being high up in eagles nest, looking out across to mountains and down to a far away valley.

view of the ski slopes

Starting with an intensive study of alpine interiors, looking to Scandinavia for inspiration- it became clear that timber was a constant. It works beautifully with both traditional and modern styles. The major feature of the design in this apartment was to clad the ceiling and create a dining nook in timber.The wood chosen the ‘mixed creams’ from Ironwood – recycled and with marks of old nails giving an organic imperfect finish.

charcoal buildings so well defined in the snow

seating nook, upholstered bench backs in Turkish cushions

Initially the main room was all white, tiles and paint both. Experimenting with different colours it became clear that the only to work with the strong architecture was with strong tones. So a very deep charcoal became the accent,the definer of planes.

waking up in the mountains

all ready & waiting

The third major element introduced was the handmade. Embroidered and hand knitted cushions. Throws with running stitch. The bench seat reupholstered in Turkish floor cushions with a snow flake like pattern. With these elements the cosiness crept in, softening the room & making it the perfect place to spend those long snowed in afternoons.

From the Autumn Garden

Ingridweir — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:31:19 +0000

With the coming of winter, the ground gets hard and the autumn leaves flame red and amber. Everything starts to get ready for hibernation. A natural retreat to the interior.

Found: heart shaped rock

An evening sky – like a pearl

But still the garden at the old schoolmasters house is producing flowers and vegetables from its fertile, gold enriched soil. Surprising really. The colours of the flowers are rich and deep: Autumnal colours distinct from the pale freshness of spring. The front garden has seen a late blooming of echinops – the spiky architectural blue globes that seem to shoot off sparks of energy, beautiful against a background of mauves and yellows.

making a Spinach pie from a hand written recipe from Greece

Out the back the spinach has colonised the courtyard – spilling over its boundaries with a life force of its own. When I cook it up into a spinach pie, the taste is softer than commercially bought spinach yet fuller and deeper. You can feel the energy going into you, straight from the earth.

the draft catcher snake in place

Early morning garden

Inside the house, I put in place the snake draft-catcher I made several weeks ago. In a strange twist the colours, just left over scraps of fabric, seem to echo the colours in the garden. Home made + from the garden – that’s how I want things to be in this house.

Echinops, Agastache Sweet Lili and autumn leaves

Morning Mists

Ingridweir — Sat, 11 May 2013 05:25:46 +0000

Back from Europe, under big skies again. A walk to the look out through the thick morning mist, a sense of space reverberating. The closeness of the natural world in the country: the turning of the leaves, a pack of wild goats startled and running, the odd kangaroo watching intently from beside the path.

sunrise through the mist

the miniature horses

The mist flattens the landscape, turning it into a Japanese painting. The world seems more like poetry at this early hour. Ethereal and mysterious. One of my favourite poems – ‘Cold Mountain’ – a hai ku of Han Shan’s by way of Jack Kerouac comes to mind.

through autumn trees

from the top of the mountain

‘Climbing up Cold Mountain path, Cold Mountain path goes on and on, long gorge choked with scree and boulders, wide creek and mist-blurred grass, moss slippery though there’s been no rain, pine sings but there’s no wind, who can leap the world’s ties and sit with me among white clouds?’

Home Again

Ingridweir — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:32:14 +0000

Back from Istanbul and London; fresh on inspiration, creative batteries recharged. Can’t wait to get started again on the old schoolmasters house. Pulling out little bits and pieces gathered on travels. Nothing major just a few garnishes here and there…

Cushion from Folklore in London

Swan on Hamsptead Heath

In London visiting a friend in Islington, I passed a design shop window with striking Navaho style cushions. Going in the name of the shop ‘Folklore‘ seemed familiar- I realised I was following it on Pinterest! Surreal case of the real world intersecting with Internet land.

Bird cup from Lana & Curious in Shoreditch

A big movement in London for products made in England. Very noticeable at Luna & Curious; an inspired design collective shop in Shoreditch with a small barber shop attached. A British sensibility pervades their ceramics with woodland birds peaking out of cups and the “Steady as she goes” nautical collection. If I lived in London, this is the shop I would buy all my presents in. So refreshing to be among handmade and whimsical things.

Ikat cushion from Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar

Foam flower garland from Istanbul street vendor

At the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul I had to admit defeat on the first day I visited. Discombobulated by the charming but insistent vendors, the labyrinthine covered streets and the vast array of goods, I retreated into a non buying mode. Just too overwhelmed. The second time was easier. I learnt to keep my head down and move differently. When it came to bargaining – a tougher stance. Some wonderful Ikat cushions to bring home. One day I hope to return; armed with a rug buying budget and time for long negotiations and many, many cups of apple tea.

magnetised birds from a street vendor in Istanbul

Inspiration from Istanbul: in the Harem

Ingridweir — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:23:11 +0000

Visiting the Harem at the Topkapi Palace is like stepping into another world – light seems to change; become softer, bluer. The patterns that spread over the tiles seem an alternate form of plant life. Thoughts of what the concept of the Harem actually means are overwhelmed by a masterpiece of design- from the great Ottomon architect Sinan.

fireplace in the harem

tiles as a kind of wallpaper

Trying to capture little details & ideas to take home seems like jotting in a notebook while hearing a great symphony. But things do emerge. Because of the lack of furniture the space feels light, not heavy and oppressive like in those palaces designed to impress. There’s no clutter. Even though the designs on the tiles are intricate, the limited colour palette and the repetition keep it calm. The accents of gold add gleam and lustre.

always brass taps

stone pattern on path – an idea to copy

Picasso once said that purpose of art was to “wipe the dust of daily life off our soul”. Walking through room after magic room you can feel it happening…

Turkish tulip with the pointed petals

inviting seating

London Inspiration: A Study in Cosiness

Ingridweir — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:16:26 +0000

There’s a certain sort of cosiness found in the best British interiors. A sense of ease and comfort, induced by traditional design elements. A feeling that you could stay a while, linger over a drink & let everything slow down a bit.

The Anglesea Arms in South Kensington lets you do just that. Located on a corner near a lovely London Square, now starting to blossom after a long hard winter. It’s one of the few privately owned ‘Free Houses’ in London and retains the custom of serving a small selection of real ales as well as other pub basics. Dickens and D.H. Lawrence both lived a couple of doors down and I could see them sliding through a few time frames and turning up during the day to write on their laptops, drinks by their side.

a visitor at the pub

random reading material

Breaking down the design elements that cause this pleasant reverie- the first and most noticeable has to be the wallpaper, exuberant with exotic Indiennes swirls and humming birds. It has a magic patina that can only be created after a few hundred years of tobacco smoke. It’s said that if you walk into a room and immediately feel at home in it, chances are that there is wood in it. In the Anglesea Arms it there’s an abundance; scuffed creaky floors, timber panelling and well worn tables.

It’s the layers that make the place. There are magnificent oil paintings, framed photographs & objects whose special meaning is now lost. Piles of free street magazines are stacked carelessly next to antique books. So hard for a designer doing an ‘old world’ interior to replicate this unselfconsciousness. But it is just this randomness and casualness that makes you relax and feel at home.

Inspiration in Istanbul: Pierre Loti

Ingridweir — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:54:06 +0000

Visiting Istanbul, always on the lookout for design inspiration – the path leads to the Pierre Loti cafe; an eagles nest haunt high up on the cemetery hill in Eyub. Pierre Loti – the French author/naval captain/bohemian who was travelling in Istanbul the same year the old schoolmasters house was built; 1890. Famous like a rock star when he was alive, his reputation is much faded now, yet he lives on in Turkey, still remembered by the “proud and dreamy” people he loved so much.

getting lost in Instanbul streets

The entrance to the Pierre Loti cafe in Eyub

Reading Pierre Loti’s “Constantinople” you walk with him in the twilight through the streets of the old city; the modern layer of chaos, traffic jams, crowds and roadwork stripped back to reveal the magnificent and monumental architecture of several Empires. Yet amazingly, even then over 100 years ago he is lamenting the city’s ruin, bought on by the just finished Orient Express which “spews forth tourists” at an alarming rate.

one of the many cats of Istanbul

ahead of his time- the Pierre Loti ‘art wall’

Making the journey through little windy streets to the cafe that bears his name, you come across a couple of large terraces full of tables covered with red and white check clothes, looking over a magnificent view of the Bosphorous, the kind that should be reproduced in panoramas.

at the Pierre Loti cafe

view out over the city

The cafe building looks like it has been painted with black tar- almost Japanese like in scale and appearance. Inside, one of the loveliest rooms I have ever been in. Similar in proportion to the sunroom at the old schoolmasters house, and also with windows with small panes of coloured glass looking out over the view.

lingering over a Turkish coffee

intricate patterns and tones

Many design ideas to absorb here. An ‘art wall’ that would look good on a Pinterest board. The softly textured patterned rug, the shining pots and pans all share something common to Istanbul – beautiful craftsmanship. Thing are heavy to the touch here, made of real brass and leather. It gives a feeling of permanence & in a way a true luxury and comfort.