Arent&Pyke

Get ready for a huge shot of glorious colour! When interior designers, Juliette Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke - Arent&Pyke - were asked to furnish, accessorise and style a two bedroom apartment in two weeks, they were definitely up for the challenge. It was the third and final installment in the Mirvac Belle Life Series, a collaboration between Belle Magazine and Mirvac at Harold Park, a Sydney residential precinct.

The brief was to design an apartment for a young family, and having imaginary clients meant Juliette and Sarah-Jane could have lots of fun. Their aim was to create a real home that was beautiful and stylish, but still practical and accommodating for the whole family.

Their use of bold colour and pattern brings the apartment to life. The key to working with such bold colours is to keep it cohesive by being consistent with your palette. In the main living areas the base is neutral and the colour is introduced in the art and accessories. The same colours are used in the bedrooms, but the wallpaper is the main element and the bedding is kept relatively simple.

I love both of these wallpapers. I can tell you firsthand that the Anna Spiro wallpaper in the master bedroom is exceptional quality. If you're interested in any of the Porters Paints wallpapers get in touch with me.

Urban Chic Manhattan Loft

I absolutely love the glamorous, cool style known as urban chic, so it's easy to see why I was gushing over this gorgeous Manhattan loft when I came across it on Domino. It's owner is Rita Hazan, the colourist famous for giving Beyoncé her divine shade of golden honey hair. When Rita moved into her new loft in Manhattan's NoHo neighbourhood, she enlisted the help of her friend, Nate Berkus (oh to have such friends!) and his interior design partner, Jeremiah Brent to help her decorate.

Rita wasn't sure what to do with the space and had only bought a white bed, but Nate knew straight away that he could match her personality to her home. "I know who you are", he said "you're black, white, neutral, art deco, urban chic". She hired him on the spot!

Working with Rita's favoured neutral colour palette, Nate and Jeremiah layered texture upon texture - which is the key to working with neutrals. Ivory Mongolian lamb's wool with off-white linen, black velvet with brass, rough-hewn wood with crystal - oh yes, divine, divine!

Nate describes Rita as a soft-spoken, thoughtful person with a rock-and-roll quality. He and Jeremiah (who is not only Nate's business partner, but also his fiancée) have nailed her style, I think -  not that I know Rita :) but you can just see it by looking at her. It's beautiful, sophisticated and glamorous with a bit of an edge.

Read more about the design process over on Domino. And for a similar vibe here are a few yummy products all available in New Zealand.

Milo Baughman Flat Bar Armchairs | Vintage 1970's Leather Chaise | Armadillo Twine Weave Rug (available to purchase through me) | Moroccan Wedding Blanket | French Industrial Stool | Folding Brass Stool

Reader Survey 2014

To all you beautiful people who are reading this blog post, I truly appreciate you. It's funny, I sit at my desk (often at a crazy hour) and create something that I am immensely passionate about. Sometimes I just feel like it's me and my keyboard, then I run into someone who tells me that they follow my blog every day, and love what I do, and I realise you are out there. The fact that I get to make a living out of something that I find so fulfilling is magical, but to hear that it inspires others is most definitely the icing on the cake.

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A handful of you leave comments, which I love. But otherwise it's only when I run into Cush & Nooks readers in the real world that I hear what you really think of the blog. Your feedback is golden to me, so I have put together a short survey, and I would be so appreciative if you would take the time to fill it out. 

I have lots of ideas, but your feedback will help me to know which direction to take the blog in this year. By filling in these 10 simple questions you'll also go into the draw to win a gorgeous green ikat kantha quilt worth $150 - use it as a bedspread for a single or king single bed; a throw for a larger bed or sofa; or even a table cloth.

You have between now and next Wednesday 22 January 2014, 5pm, to take the survey. I will be selecting the winner from those surveys that I find the most helpful, so make sure your answers are good and constructive :) Click here to take the survey, and you will automatically enter the draw. The winner will be announced on my Facebook page Friday 24 January, and contacted by email. Thank you!