apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

What are those yellow ring shaped tables on your patio?

Wonderful space; it has such a happy, cheerful vibe! It does have a Scandinavian feel, with all that white and blonde wood. Love the splashes of color - the yellow especially!

not for me.

This is really cute, its simple, but with interesting pops here and there. Nicely done.

http://www.makemineeclectic.wordpress.com

i could move right in....lovely.

The art is so fantastic you are very blessed. I really like the use of seagrass throughout, perfect for that climate.

Your whole space has a nice feel and flow, using primary colors yet a very organic feel.

I have always loved that Jasper Morrison sofa it looks great in your space.

That stretch from Manly to Palm Beach is so beautiful I recall Turimetta beach (spell ?) being so beautiful and Whale Beach, lucky you mate!

I like it very much. How did you get your flooring to go wall to wall?

"Simple, fresh, playful" is right on! I sort of love the floor but can't imagine it would work in our house with our barfy pets.

I love this apartment. Very cheerful, elegant and just the right amount of "stuff".

yes! I am fascinated by the seagrass matting used in a wall to wall scenario. How does it handle about spills etc? Very refreshing and comfortable home!

Beautiful home, but the seagrass would worry me with spills and dirt. I'm such a slob, I could not live with it myself.

That Eames stool looks so perfect as your side table by your bed. It is such a beautiful form and the wood is magnificent - such a wonderful design.

There is a lesson in this apartment. I like it, but there are too many "design classics" there. Knowing what I am seeing, it gives me the impression of someone trying too hard.

I had the opposite reaction. This place has some stuff that I have, some stuff I grew up with but no longer have and some stuff I've never thought of or seen before. I think this is inspiring and pleasing on the senses. That kitchen is perfect, in my opinion.

love the bathroom...that mirror works so well.

The artwork is what makes it for me. I don't see much of the couch that is mentioned. I love the bathroom - all that white tile and then ornate wood mirror, love the contrast. I also like the look of the rug throughout but think it would be very rough on the feet.

DIVINE. Inviting, cheerful, clean, playful yet peaceful; with lovely art, very beautifully framed. No one has mentioned the framing, but I think it is an important element for creating the spacious feeling in this small-ish apartment.

NOT AT ALL "trying too hard"; classics are classics for a reason. My folks have had similar Eames pieces for nearly SIXTY years. They are impeccable, intact, and always looked gorgeous - even in the '70's, and especially (!) in the '80's, when glitz and overkill was "stylish".

Glad to see someone (else) who took a LONG time to "do" their place. Besides, if our places are "finished", what will our excuse be to spend time at this site?? :)

Brava, Sam! and thanks for the inspiration!

Whilst this is not my cup of tea, and I agree that every piece is a design cliche, it all seems to fit in. I live in Sydney too and it isn't easy to find good places that don't sell these cliches.

At least the shell of the apartment isn't mid-century.

Great space and light. Of course great design sense and personal items are reflect a creative sense and style. Luvit!

love it. :-)

I love it!
Airy, sunfilled, not trying too hard, and overall very inspiring!
Love the yellow in yellow gigant polka dot pillows against the crisp white bedding and the Lovley Rita shelf I consider to buy for myself...

Nicely done. One great advantage of spending "so much money" on these designer "cliches" is that you really have to consider everything you bring into your home and its placement. This space is very well curated, and I don't mean to say it looks like a museum.

I have started to collect GOOD furniture, and I hope that my home looks this coherent in 15 years. One thing is for sure, I never look at my most expensive pieces and think, I should have bought a bunch of stuff at target instead.

The only thing I would change about the design is the flooring. The color and texture are really nice, but I would put in a cork floor if I were lucky enough to live in this home. I think it would be easier to clean and still warm and inviting.

What is the orange side table in the first photo? I recognize most of the other pieces :)

Amazing. Would be perfect if the flooring was wood.

I like how this place is simple and modern without being cold or impersonal. The bath and kitchen are fantastic. I agree with the previous posters that there are too many iconic items - you could play Apartment Therapy bingo in there. But the more unique stuff like the art and the seagrass floors are great. The couch, which normally I'd say was entirely not to my taste, IS perfect for this house.

Gorgeous space. Positive energy flows through it.

Love your space! Good blend of mid-century and new modern furniture.

I don't understand what some people at AT have against mid-century modern classics. It is hard for me these days to see a new modern piece of furniture, for example a chair, and not see a classic from which it came. Or where an idea came from. That is what I love about the classics!

Definitely not trying too hard at all.

Sam, I really like your apartment. I am especially enamoured with the bright blue Astroturf on the patio- the colour REALLY makes the space!

i looove it! hope 15 years down the line i have aquired some great things too! your home is lovely!

hi everyone,

just thought i'd jump in and answer some questions. but firstly, thank you all for your comments. it's great to get completely unbiased feedback!

the little yellow stools that are on the balcony are sub cero stools by australian designer brian steendyk and were designed in 2003.

i laid the seagrass matting myself with a ruler and a stanley knife, the same way you'd lay carpet. it wasn't too hard to do, and it's loose laid so no fixing was required. this was important so that it can be easily lifted up if cleaning underneath is required. it was laid directly over the underlay that was left from the original carpet, and i kept the original lino flooring in the kitchen just in case there were any big spills. but (touch wood) so far there haven't been any! and to begin with i wasn't too sure how user friendly it would be either, but as it turns out it's very comfortable under foot, hard wearing, and because it is seagrass it isn't affected by water and it doesn't seem to stain. but yes, it's not for everyone.

and lastly, the orange side table is a giano drum table designed by emma schweinberger for artemide and was purchased by my parents in the 60s.

sam :-)

hi sam! lovely home! i'm curious about your terrace/balcony floor. is it painted or is that some type of carpeting/flooring? i'd love to try something like that on my terrace.
Thanks for sharing.

I like it. But the flooring, not so much.

Sam, where did you get that yellow file cabinet?

Thanks,
Ruth

hi again,

the balcony is covered with blue astroturf/synthetic grass. it's loose laid and was incredibly simple to do. underneath is just the original concrete, and once completed, the transformation was incredible! it's now been there for 5 years and still looks just like new.

the yellow file cabinet is from ikea, here's a link to it on their site http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40107872

thanks for the questions,
sam :-)

beautiful place - I esp. love the balcony and the curly bookshelf above the bed!

I lurve that clock screensaver & went-a-huntin' for it...in case anyone else is looking, you can download it here:

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/24859

Really cool.

LOVE! i absolutely love your place..
I don't think it's trying too hard at all... I think you have the perfect mix of classics and affordable stuff like ikea. I also think you have just the right amount of color and the artwork is soooo fabulous! what a talent.

Hi Sam

I love your place, definatley a great inspiration. Where did you get that orange thing on the floor of your bedroom? (Sorry, i'm not too sure how else to explain it!) I've seen it in a few magazines but no one ever mentions where it's from or what it's called. Thanks!

hi ness82,

thanks for your nice words.

the orange thing on the bedroom floor is a jack light by tom dixon. you can see more about them here; http://www.tomdixon.net/en/aboutproducts.html?Pid=1&Gid=1 and as you'll see by his description, yours wasn't far off!

hopefully from his site you can find a stockist that's close to home. mine was a gift.

it's the ultimate night light.
:-)

i love the way the sun light comes into the house.