what a welcome! WE couldn't MISS THIS BEAUTIFUL BULLSEYE DESIGN BY SIMON BREITBARD FINE ARTS.  A large scale mural painting spread across this San francisco home's facade.

in the grand foyer, we felt the Spanish-Mediterranean Revival vibes.  An earthy cloudscape wall design complimented the brown giraffe-print stair runner, which lead us up  to Explore further this 15 room home.

WHIMSICAL wallpaper designed by Tracy Kendall. It was reminiscent of  A Charleston dress from the 1920's, loved the movement of the tassels.

take a close look at the vertical wood panels, they are the facade for the glass shower screen.  A SUPERB TOUCH to THis BATHROOM DESIGN by ADELE LAPOINTE. 

ENTERing THis gorgeous rose lounge by Coddington design, I instantly recognised the sofa could be a pearsall design.  I was introduced to Adrian pearsall's mid-century-style by gallery finesse, in turlock. It is worth  a visit, they ship product around the wolrd for clients.  we visited the gallery last february on the belson design tour. 

De gournay did it again! Love, love, love this hand-painted, sequin-embellished “Lemon Drop Lubally“ wallpaper. 
trend alert! perspex is back.  Look at the Perspex cot/crib, noted PERSPEX at LAS Vegas market on 2018 belson design - design tour. 

So many rooms, so many ideas. 
That’s why on my return I will host an exclusive “Design Night” for those who are interested to know more about what I believe are the design trends from our design tours that will  hit Australia.
click "design night" below to place your name on the invitation list.

BELSON DESIGN TOUR on our way to palm springs HuNG OUT AT NOAH PURIFOY OUTDOOR DESERT ART MUSEUM. A MAGICAL SCULPTURE PARK ON 10 ACRES OF OPEN LAND IN JOSHUA TREE. 
GET READY TO GO BACK IN TO THE 60’S, WE ARRIVED IN PALM SPRINGS READY FOR MODERNISM WEEK.

Albert Frey II House was on BELSON DESIGN TOUR'S agenda. an exclusive interior tour - only open during Modernism Week. How lucky we were to score these coveted tickets. frey's architecture looks simple but it’s NOT. Frey spent 5 years finding the location, 5 years planning and observing the land, then 5 years to build. take a look at this highlight video of frey's II House.

Later in the day, BELSON DESIGN TOUR hit “Palm Springs Neighbourhoods”. indulging in palm springs Mid-century modern masterpieces. Here’s two snapshots.​

that night BELSON DESIGN TOUR chilled at the most amazing Italian restaurant. We soaked up the atmosphere hanging out with midcentury modern design lovers.
the next day in Palm Springs, Can’t help but spread the news we headed to  FRANK SINATRA's “TWIN PALMs" home. Belson Design TOUR could still feel frank’s vibe in this home. Rumour has it Sinatra hosted countless Hollywood parties at this home.  

A PALM SPRINGS's MUST SEE “Sunnylands” tour. A legendary property which become a go to retreat for elite politicians from Reagan to Obama as well as royalty.
tickets are always snapped up quickly for this tour, this is why we close off the palm springs tour bookings in October every year.

So was Palm Springs worth it? Absolutely that’s why Belson Design TOUR takes this pilgrimage to Palm Springs every year. It’s perfect for Design and Architecture lovers. Modernism Week is a signature Event within Belson Design Tour. palm springs Mid-century modern  architecture is one of my favourite because it has the perfect balance of luxurious vibe with playful colours.

It’s Vegas baby!!!! I am excited to let you know a few things about my time at 2018 Las Vegas Market. This year #LVMkt had over 4000 designers and wholesalers from all around the world. this was one design destination i wasn't going to miss.

Imagine three vertical design buildings in one area, not forgetting three temporary pavilions full of a FABULOUS wide range of furniture, home décor and gifts. this is why i was so excited to be at 2018 Las Vegas Market, it's  one of my top design destinations.

One of the gorgeous design showrooms at #LVMkt that caught my attention was Peninsula Home Collection. I was inspired by the richness of texture and color of the textiles, it was unique how they mixed and matched lampshades, sofas, and ottomans.

Okay guys let me tell you something, I’m in love with "Spanish revival" style. OMG, I love everything about iT,  I can’t help it.  I love the detail, it lifts me up and it gives me a good design boost.

i  ended my time in las vegas, taking in and indulging in the night view of Las Vegas city on the LINQ HIGH ROLLER FERRIS WHEEL, it was as MAGICAL AND AMAZING as 
Las Vegas Design Market.
however, the las vegas market can be very confusing when you are visiting for the first time, if you don’t know your visit plan for each of the “buildings”. don't worry, Belson Design has got you covered, as each year we host a private design tour to Las Vegas Design Market. make las vegas market your next design DESTINATION, join us for the design EXPERIENCE you won't forget. 

Last Saturday I had an Itinerary packed full of powerful design inspiration in sydney.
Brett Whiteley
Kate Bergin
Cressida Campbell
Marion Hall Best
Modernism European

Touched down in "Sydney" at 10am, jumped on a Sydney metro train straight to one of Sydney’s best-kept secrets “The Brett Whiteley Studio”.
 
I was embraced by Brett’s   greatest masterpiece.  “Alchemy” On An eighteen multi panelled "birth-to-death journey vision." It is impossible to describe this painting in words.
IT IS BRILLIANT EXPRESSION OF LIFE. A MUST SEE.
“sorry no photography allowed”📸
 
Upstairs is the preserved studio where Brett worked during his life until his death in 1992, including unfinished paintings, art equipment, books and collection from his travels. ohh and i can't  forget to tell you about the graffiti wall.
 
Can you believe this??? Brett and I have a connection.
Brett had a preoccupation with Japanese culture and art through calligraphy. He used a Japanese seal bearing his name “BW”, which he stamped on his artwork, just like japanese art with traditional Japanese Seal.

What a perfect place to continue my Sydney Interior Design Tour
“Creative Creatures” Exhibition by KATE BERGIN.
 
as I entered Mossgreen my eyes were IMMEDIATELY  drawn to “The Three Graces”: pink flamingos, Mr. pelican and not to forget the raccoon. I can’t help myself; I have a thing for “pink flamingos”. How inspiring to see 15 new paintings by Kate Bergin.
Kate Bergin is my #1 Art Love❣️. Her trademark is the BeauTy of a white cloth and her signature swing tag within her artwork. What A Brilliant Australian artist.

Hitting my stride in the gallery on level 2 was ​“Cressida Campbell” Nothing short of breathtakingly detailed artwork.
A kaleidoscope of her artworks - Channeling Japanese Techniques woodblock style  and  exquisite mural wallpapers.
I don't know a lot about art, BUT I KNOW WHAT I LOVE ABOUT ART and these Artists have it for me. I had so much fun spending time here, exploring and finding inspiration.

Marion Hall Best  the best of the best of my Sydney Interior design tour.
 Two things that depict Marion Hall Best are “Vibrant and Bold”.
I came to the Sydney living museum to pay homage to one of Australia’s first and most influential interior designers. “A Pioneer of Australian Interior Design”
I was fascinated by the talent of her technique within the “Mary Quant Room 1967” - the vibrant use of glazed painted finishes. We are talking about a designer who practiced from the 1930's- 1970’s. BUT Her work is still current, that’s a gift from a Magnificent designer.
Again, I feel a connection here with Marion, her designs were  influenced by HER design travel which exposed her to different design perspectives.

Finishing my day with The Moderns: European Designers in Sydney within the halls of Sydney Living Museum.
 
I could have spent countless hours exploring the rich history of Sydney’s Immigrant architect and interior designers from the 1930’s – 1960’s. TheIR manuscripts and letters made an impact on me. It was a unique insight into the forgotten names that influenced Australian Mid-century architecture.

MELBOURNE CALLING - GOOD BYE SYDNEY UNTIL NEXT TIME. THERE IS STILL LOTS OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE FOR ME TO EXPLORE.
ENJOYED MY INTERIOR DESIGN TOUR BLOG?
CLICK TO JOIN THE MAILING LIST TO COME ALONG ON A BELSON DESIGN’S INTERIOR DESIGN TOUR.

Last Tuesday was my first lunch date with Tony Cardamone (finally) and it could not have gone more smoothly. The lunch date started off with Tony introducing himself, Maria and Paula, who both work closely with Tony. You all know that I can’t get enough of historical wallpaper and textiles, they are just so alluring and captivating. So, finding Tony is like finding my design soul mate. His love for textile and wallpaper jabbed my enthusiasm. There is never too much of a good thing.

but first let me take you back on how I arriveD at this luncheon. A design friend of mine FROM CATC Design school invited me to come along to view a Textile & Wallpaper Exhibition at one of Melbourne's Design Schools. my first thought was how exciting and  as I entered the room it was like a tsunami had hit me. There are "OVER 6,000 books" in the collection. I didn’t expect that. I thought it would be only a couple of books. Wow!!!

I looked everywhere chasing Historical Textile and Wallpaper Classes around the world. Which landed me in a class in NYC, I am not complaining. BUT, if only I’d known Tony before, he is (literally my neighbour) in my own backyard.
 
during the luncheon,  Tony has inspired me, not only because of his love of design but also his generosity with his knowledge and time.   I FELT LIKE I WAS IN A DREAM. His home is like a wanderlust for a design lover. Every room is filled with treasures, every wall is filled with his love of artwork, ceramics, books - all aspects of design from his travels around the world. oh and by the way did I mention about WILLIAM Morris Fabric on his sofa, Hokusai print?? OMG,  I could go on and on.

Recently, Tony has donated his personal historical collection of fabric and wallpaper design books to the Bendigo Kangan Institute's Design School. The BIGGEST private collection in Australia from Tony’s 40 years within the design industry. A HIDDEN DESIGN GEM.
 
Tony’s mission is to increase the design community's awareness of this historical textile and wallpaper collection and to utilise this as a resource tool.

Tony spoke with me about the lack of funding which has impacted in completing the cataloging of the collectionS. I asked Tony how can I help and we decided to connect again in 2018 to create a Fundraising Event.
​
what a finsih to my beautiful lunch date, which has left me with new inspirations and good memories. I honestly cannot thank him enough for his openness to invite me. I want to use my experience to support him in HIS fundraising events to continue to preserve this Melbourne-based, Australian Historical Collection. Tony needs our support.

I HOPE belson design BLOG WILL GIVE YOU MORE INSIGHTS ABOUT TONY’S COLLECTIONS AND MAYBE EVEN INSPIRE SOME OF YOU GUYS TO COME ALONG TO THE 2018 FUNDRAISING EVENT.
 
JOIN THE CONVERSATION TO COME ALONG!

William Morris was a famous wallpaper designer who was born in London. He was one of the Arts and Crafts movement founders. Not only a textile designer, he was also a poet, novelist, calligrapher and socialist activist. His vision was to link fine arts into the commercial design industry. In 1861, he founded his decorative arts company and produced his first wood block design called Trellis, inspired by the rose-trellis in his garden at Red House, London. Trellis was the first design of his wallpaper range, Morris designed over 50 wallpapers for his collection. His love of nature inspired most of his work.
 
He believed that a designer should have a working knowledge of any media. He spent time learning a range of techniques. He also founded the Kelmscott Press, which published high quality hand bound books and was very influential in the revival of the private press.
 
However, the road was not always smooth for Morris. In 1940, he went bankrupt and sold the company to Sanderson & Sons which included all art works, wallpapers and his blocks.
 
Today after over hundred years, designers are still utilizing his works, such as, Willow Boughs ~ Strawberry Thief ~ Golden Lily, Brer Rabbit ~ Acorn and Honeysukcle just to name a few. Morris’ “purest” have utilized his collections in different ways, such as an online game based on strawberry thief including digital installation using his designs. How ironic, this was exactly what Morris dreamt when he founded his company, decorative arts available for the masses.

​In 1891, Achille Brunschwig founded his company in Aubusoon and Bohain, France.  After WWI, Achille's son Roger visited America for treatment and he saw the potential within the America market, a great market but had limited access to French fabrics. Archille discussed a plan for his son Roger Brunschwig to gain USA citizenship, this enable them to open the first New York showroom in 1925.
 
In 1941, Roger went to World War II and his wife, Zelina known as Mrs. B took over the company. During this time, the company arranged the shipment of their French collections from France to America to store for safekeeping. Some of the classic collections remain in the Brunschwig and Fils range; Les Touches ~ Matin D’ete ~ Ihasa Paper Red ~ Palmette Coral ~ Mandarin Rose and Locklin Plantation just to name few.
 
Mrs. B was well known for her own documentation of American textile designs. She was a woman of great style, sophistication and inventiveness. She implemented ‘good design is forever’ that still holds until today. In 1980 a year before her death, Mrs. B wished to celebrate Brunschwig and Fils’ 100th anniversary. Mrs. B may had known she didn’t have much time left and just wanted to have a celebration. There was no historical evidence that the company was founded in 1880. But no one was about to argue with Mrs. B and the celebration was held. 
 
In 2011, the Kravet company took over the Brunschwig and Fils’ collections. the Brunschwig and Fils’ collection remains today, which is French inspired full of boldness and color. 

Pierre Frey started his company in 1935. The company was sharp in purchasing other fabric houses which has lead them to have around 25.000 archive fabrics from the 16th century to present. The company is a merger of Braquenie, Fadini Borghi and Boussac, which are the significant contributors to the decorative fabrics’ evolution. These decorative fabrics were inspired by the silk road, trades people who drew and translated the exotic fruits and vegetables into decorative arts.
 
One of Pierre Frey’s classic collections are from Christopher-Philippe Oberkampf, who started the ‘Toile de Jouy = printed cotton' fabrics. In the 1700’s there were no photographs to document life, but when you look at a toile, such as the work of the factory collection, which depict A TOTAL OF 14 different scenes from that period in time. One of the popular archived collections within the collection is Les Travaus De La manufacture, which was designed by Jean- Baptiste Huet, who was commissioned by Oberkampf to do this work.
 
After this period the fabric patterns became more symmetrical and organised. Today, after decades they are still within the Pierre Frey’s collection.

When I first entered this townhouse, one of a selection that straddles, between Finch and Belson streets in the gascoigne estate. I knew instantly this townhouse had great bones and well-founded charm within this heritage overlay area. Built in the 1970’s by Lloyd Williams, it was in need of a full interior remodel to give it the contemporary makeover it deserved all, while honoring its original bones.

This full-scale renovation over three levels screamed, “look at me” but the main hub of this upgrade was the “Double Duty” tight space of the kitchen and dining area.
 
My starting point was to sort through my stacks of inspirational books. I came upon the powerful words of Frank Lloyd Wright. Later that day after hours of pouring over magazines and websites, Frank’s words kept coming up as a mantra, “freedom lies within”. I attribute the ease of this project’s success to allow myself freedom.
 
My design vision for the kitchen/dining space:
Create balance using horizontal lines
Optimise every inch of space for family entertainment
Use plenty of white in the space to allow all elements in the room to breathe
 
With this design vision in mind, the ideas started to flow. It was as easy as 1-2-3 (three zones). I decided to push everything out to both walls of the room, which created the central zone.

I was inspired to bring the natural beauty from outside into this design. I decided on a mirrored wall to make the space look taller, drawing the eye up and carrying it around the room, making it lighter and brighter. The design for the dining setting was a built in custom-made grey linen floating banquette that is fixed to the wall directly under the mirrored wall. The sconce lighting on the mirrored wall gives the dining zone a timeless elegant finish. A simple, clean-lined oak table that measures three meters long and a set of chairs placed beneath a pendant light finished the dining space.

Next was creating the perfect storage solution, this plan allowed for many appliances and storage requirements to fit in the island that is 1.2 meters wide, which is the center mark of the design. The purpose of this storage solution was to make it a breeze for preparation as well as serve as a divider between the kitchen and the entertainment zones. The island serves a dual function; one side serves as a functional zone to the kitchen with the integrated dishwasher, built in drawer bin, a microwave that has been placed under the bench with large pot drawer. Additionally within the island is the double sink with a classic understated tap. The other side of this central mark design is nine massive drawers that serve as required storage within the tight kitchen design. Finally, I cannot forget the artwork “vanity fair” by Australian artist Kate Bergin that encapsulated the design thus completing the space.

The design of food preparation area features two tall-integrated cabinets one at each side of the room. One is the pantry and the other is the built in fridge. Centred is the elegance of the black ceramic glass 5-burner gas cooktop. Beneath are six deep drawers, each side has three drawers under the bench stove. This zone was designed to optimise work, ensuring to utilise space to enhance quality of motion and efficiency for food preparation and cooking.

Artwork: Life Underground 
Location: 14th Street · Installed: 2001​

Belson Design found this remarkable public artworks from​ Tom Otterness on route to school.

Tom Otterness bronze sculptures emerge from every corner you look. From the floor playfully working up the subway platform into this stairwell of the 14TH street subway. 

Doubtless anyone could miss Tom Otterness's unique sculptures, which took several years to complete the full installation. Can you believe the bureaucrats disputed to install Tom Otterness's public works ????

​Parts of Tom's works appear all over town ~ from Central Park to Battery Park City to Downtown Brooklyn and Pratt Institute. Keep your eyes open..

SHARE YOUR APPRECIATION FOR TOM OTTERNESS'S PLAYFUL WORKS...

Check out BD's exciting journey in NYC and LA on INSTAGRAM: @belsondesign and Facebook: Belson Design