Mr Wong and Palmer & Co.

Earlier this week, we paid a visit to Mr Wong and Palmer & Co. No, they're not real people. The latter is a speakeasy style bar in the Sydney CBD, Abercrombie Lane to be exact.  The prohibition era decor was obvious when we were greeted at the door by a gentleman who showed us downstairs:

 

 

There is great attention to detail in this seat printed with the P & Co logo:

And this sign:

The Merivale bar was designed by Sibella Court, and is an example of the current Rough Luxe trend which is popular in bars and hotels in Manhattan and London. The masculine style calls to mind a gentleman's club, as seen in this cabinet of top hats:

I didn't sample the food, but they serve yummy-sounding things like matzo ball soup and a charcuterie platter:

In keeping with the "clubby" theme, the entrance foyer contains these wire lockers:

 

After a cocktail, we moved next door to another Merivale establishment, Mr Wong's in Bridge Lane. The upper level is lovely with its stripped back brick walls and vintage furniture: 

 

The lavatories are works of art in themselves with subway tiles and stained glass doors:

The lower level is just amazing, with this mural and a collection of blue willow plates on the wall:

I loved the attention to detail, with the industrial shelves holding Asian style crockery, canisters and jars full of intriguing objects which look vaguely medicinal. The beaded curtain and light fittings are gorgeous too:

I can personally recommend the Peking duck pancakes:

And the steamed dim sum, which look like jewels tucked side by side in their steamer:

From the higher level, you can see the wonderful jade green tiles and matching cane seating:

I can't wait to return to both these beautiful spaces.

Haven't Things Changed?

As promised, here is an update on the fibro beach shack reno. The Ikea bed, linen and bedside lamp really capture the beachy rough luxe look I was after:

This is the settee at the foot of the bed:

We are still waiting on some plantation shutters for the windows. I'll post about them when they are installed. Here is how the bedroom looked two  months ago:

Next is the living room. It's quite a small space, so we have kept the furniture at a minumum and pushed the table against the wall:

Here is how it was. I was initially tempted to keep the lino but I think I prefer the white painted boards. We stripped back the little cupboard and I think it looks so much better:
:

This is part of the kitchen:

Much better than its previous incarnation:

The other wall will have Ikea cupboards and butler's sink, which I'll post about soon.

Progress Report

I bet you're wondering why I've been so slow in posting about my fibro shack renovations. It's because nothing obvious has happened in the past three weeks. It's all been behind the scenes stuff like wiring and plumbing. But I'm finally able to say that the floor has been sanded and two coats of white paint applied today. And here are some pics to prove it. Firstly, the blackboard wall in the kitchen looks quite dramatic against the white floor:

And the living room looks like a white cube with only a rope, a chandelier and a TV bracket. What interesting decor items!:

I've never had a white floor before. Hope it's not too hard to keep clean. This time next week the kitchen will be in and the place will be furnished. I'll post a whole heap of photos then, I promise.



Hamptons Heaven

I've always wanted to visit The Hamptons. Once, I almost got there, except I had stupidly jumped on the train at Columbus Circle that was heading to the Bronx instead of Penn Station. So, until I make it back to the U.S., I can always drive a few hours up the road to this place:

It's very Ralph Lauren, with lots of white and timber, with seaside paraphernalia like lobster pots, fishing rods and framed marine prints. There is this amazing ceiling lined with limed boards and this gorgeous light fitting:

Blue-patterned plate anyone?

 This window frames not only the lovely sailing ship, but the boats in the marina beyond:

This stairwell is beautiful isn't it?

Couldn't you just sit here in these comfy lounges all afternoon with a glass of red?:
              

And gaze at this view of the pool and marina:

And best of all, I don't have to go all the way to the Hamptons. This wonderful place is Merrett's restaurant at Peppers Anchorage at Port Stevens on the NSW coast. The place to go for a Hamptons fix!

Please Vote for the Boatshed

I've entered the boatshed in Home Beautiful magazine's 'Most Beautiful Room' contest. It would be great if you wouldn't mind helping me out by voting at:
http://apps.facebook.com/mostbeautifulroom/contests/223366/voteable_entries/53298817

Thanks very much,
Beth xx

Fibro beach house update

Things are progressing slowly on the fibro shack. Here is how the living room looks at the moment. The floor hasn't been sanded but the chandelier is up:

And this is how it was a few weeks ago:



New Project

We're very busy at the moment restoring an old fibro cottage. Here are a couple of before and after pics. This was a section of the main bedroom a couple of weeks ago:

This is what it looks like now, with an Ikea light shade and a wall hanging from Blacklist Studio Prints :

Here is what the living/dining room looked like, complete with grey lino:

I've had some wallpaper from Deborah Bowness that I've been wanting to hang for a couple of years. I've finally had the chance to put it up:

 It make take a while but I'll keep you posted.

Boatshed Update

The boatshed's looking quite French at the moment. The French settee and chair beside it are the result of my latest hobby - attending the monthly antique auction at John Williams Auctions.

The bird mobile and pink and green cushions above are recent purchases from Ruby Star Traders.

For some reason, the past few months have brought out my pink side. But not to worry, it's easy enough to change few cushions or re-cover a chair once I get over it.

Time for a Revamp

Recently I've been looking at ways of revamping a house full of twenty-year-old furniture without a) spending a fortune and, more importantly, b) trying to recycle the old stuff so as to leave as small a footprint as possible. This process largely involved purchasing some white paint and new slipcovers. I first tackled the main bedroom which came up looking much cosier. And the white bed will provide a neutral background for any patterned bedding that I put on it in future:

The dining room dresser revamp involved installing a map of New Guinea that I found at the op shop:

In the second bedroom I replaced the chair with one I found at the op shop and recovered in black:

I also added a light shade I'd been given that came from an old pub and was still in its wrapper:

This blue sofa was a bit tired:

So I covered it with slip covers and throw from Ikea. I also remade the curtains, getting rid of all but the top 30 cm and adding adding some floral fabric and an old tablecloth:

This old blue op shop sofa was also covered by a white Ikea throw:

So for a couple of hundred dollars and a few days' work the house looks a lot fresher.

Thanks to everyone who has been putting comments on my blog, even though this is my first post for 9 months. I've been having a blogging holiday, but now I'm back with lots of projects to report on, including a house to restore. I'm looking forward to catching up with your blogs. x