my word is that a toilet in a bench that folds down? Why can't we have those in the states.

elegant and classy!! i love the wall to wall sisal or jute or whatever that is.

Very cool place. I agree with AT--this is definitely the sort of place where you'd linger longer just to take look a closer look at each thing. Just looking at the prints will take a lot of time. What a treasure trove.

When I saw the spiral staircase, I thought I wanted one until I remembered that it would be tough getting furniture up and down that thing. I think I would have decided on IKEA flat-packed furniture too in that case.

A nice home, but not getting the 'decadent' vibe...

Interesting placement of the TV.

I like this place - it's stylish without being over-the-top, despite a wee bit of overindulgence in silk-screened cushions. However, I must agree with rustypatina in finding the 'decadence' elusive. I'm also missing the 'riot' of colour we are told to expect.

hmmm. i don't agree with the 'decadence' either. I am sure there are some expensive things in that apartment, but it all just looks like naked women to me.

I love their book and photography collections. And the bathroom is really quite fun!

Well decadence would be all the interesting things, books, and prints sitting around I guess, and I love it! When 'stuff' looks this way, give me more 'stuff'. Very good job showcasing the treasures without making it seem overdone. Love the leopard on the couch! I do agree with all the other comments though...Except for the naked women and lackluster blinds at the living room windows, it's great!!!

It just looks like a collection of stuff (nice stuff, great stuff), but not a home tour. I find these "home tours" that are just collections of things baffling -- no idea of the layout of the home, just lots of close up photos of things from the same few rooms. It confuses my simple mind.

Am I the only one totally disgusted by the skin on an endangered animal displayed on the couch? And If it's fake, it is still tacky.

Riot of color though? Really? White walls, 2 red chairs and some throws / pillows = "riot"? It's a nice enough place, although all the frames on the floor and stacks of books would drive me crazy, but the description seems somewhat overdone.

I do like the use of photographs and other art and books to layer the decor. Great items... I agree it's not exactly a riot of color but I definitely like the overall feel...

I agree with melissaann - I find the leopard throw to be distasteful and tacky. I also don't understand those awful red chairs upstairs, and the row of stacked pictures along the floor looks like it needs to be hung. But the home is nice other than that. :)

melissaann and livc--

I find the Victorian porn pillows to be more distasteful than the leopard.

It's a gorgeous flat, I particularly love the loungeroom, but "decadent" and a "riot of colour" it's definitely not. Also count me in the list of people sick of house tours filled with closeups of things and also duplicate photos from a slightly different angle (1,2; 18,19; 34,40). Is there really nothing else to photograph in the house?

Love the living room, but the bedroom set-up seems odd to me... looks too much like a spectator section aimed at the bed.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

It's a riot, but not of color. I agree with Patrick about the chairs facing the bed...I'm imagining numbers placards held up like at the Olympics.

That toilet seems like it's very easy to get nasty and hard to clean. Plus, with the dark color and wood you can never be sure it's really clean.

fewer vignettes, more photos of space, please and thank you.

An artist's model hand "shooting the bird" was the last straw for me in looking at the whole sophomoric collection of skulls, nudes, animal hides and other items focusing on sex and death seemingly collected to entice fifteen year-old boys.

I suppose this could be construed as decadent in the sense of self-indulgence, but it doesn't even look that so much to me. I think it looks like a comfortable apartment (I can live without the naked lady pillows and skulls, yep) but that's about it. The description is a lot more over the top than the apartment.

By the way, is she a "Plane Jane" because she flies often? I think you meant "Plain Jane"

Looks like a comfortable lived-in place, with lots of curios, but I am missing the "decadent" sense too. All the curios and items make me wonder where they are from (travels, store, gifts). Definitely lots to talk about there.

I've been reading (and viewing) apartment therapy for a while now, and signed up JUST so I can comment on this house tour.

I have to agree with everyone else here,... I'm not sure where the "riot of color" went.

What I really wanted to kvetch about is those darn closeups. Why the heck does anyone care what you're reading? Why is there a few views of the same books? Frankly, I'm really bored with the close-ups of objects that really do not need to be center stage in a house tour. This entry was not about the home, the layout, or even the furniture for that matter.... it was about how much silk screen print pillows, skulls, books and other random belongings have been "hoarded".

At least I can understand the pillows... it appears she makes and sells them.

I can't even comment about the space itself, as I didn't really get the feel for it. Crowded? Is that a TV above the bed, with two chairs facing it? What?

Hopefully my next comment won't be as long or negative, you'll have to forgive me for this one... I'm okay now :)

The home is ok. Not my style but there are things I like. Although I do feel that some things could use a bit more room to really make an impression.

I do agree that there are way too many vignetts. I also think the text about the home is pretty awful: "curated", "riot". Art is curated, not a home. A fancy home doesnt need overly fancy words to go with it, the home should speak for itself.

Lovely striped carpet in the bedroom upstairs! also dont see anything wrong with the tv placement. (a) there may have been a lack of wall space as it is the loft (b) does anyone really manually operate the TV anymore without a remote? the only downside i can think of is a any *energetic activity* on the bed might result in damage to the tv.
love the spiral staircase.
cosy use of colour too.
yes, i agree,too many vignettes- the picture of the books was a bit too close up to be anything but indulgent.
and yes, the leopard skin is in bad taste if it is real. i say IF it is real, because we don't bat an eyelid over fake zebra or real sheepskin. so it seems the rational objection to it is that it could POTENTIALLY be the skin of an endangered animal.

No you are not, melissaann.

"Riot of color" and "decadent" are definitely the last descriptors I'd use for this house. I'd call it pretty neutral with some color accents here and there. While I'm not offended by nudes, skulls or possibly fake animal skins (Really? Fakes are offensive?) I don't get the placement of the TV over the head of the bed. I'd be afraid of it coming loose and killing me while I slept. Plus you'd have to lie with your head at the foot of the bed if you wanted to watch in bed rather than from those weirdly placed red chairs. It looks comfortable enough overall, I suppose, but I also wouldn't want to try to clean that bathroom. Give me wall-to-wall tile in my bathroom any day, and porcelain fixtures. At least the books appear to be a real library that's read rather than just a collection of books bought in bulk for their color and/or finish, like you see in so many shelter mags.

eh, i'm not a fan of this house tour. i was excited to see the place based on the write-up but then was pretty underwhelmed by the photos the home. it looks pretty undone and i'm not really into all of the nude pillows and framed photos on the floor. i really don't like the set-up in the bedroom either. it just seems strange to have a tv hung above the bed and chairs facing the bed. the whole place just looks like a ton of stuff thrown together with no cohesive theme.

The thing that smacks of 'decadence' to me are the red chairs facing the foot of the bed-- they read as audience seating!

But, a nice looking apartment.

I actually likes this house tour for the most part. Not based on the description ( i've seen so many house tours here that were described over the top), but just by looking at it.
The bedroom looks really cosy to me, and I like the furniture pieces in the living room.
I am surprised about the fuss about the red chairs and the tv. I think it's a great solution when you don't have another wall on the other side, or if you are of the philosophy of not watching tv in bed ( which I myself am, no tv in the bedroom).

What I didn't like were all those frames on the floors, and all the books on the coffee table and all over. They look like a bit of hoarding to me.

And the pillows are awesome. I think they have a sense of humor to them.

Yes, please, ixnay on the vignettes. One or two is great, but lately it seems as though some tours have been nothing but.

I'm not getting the "decadent" either. Perhaps this means that I myself am already too far gone?

Aster- agree with the tv bit!Plus London flats aren't generally huge and one needs to make walls work harder :)

So I'm alone loving the leopard throw? I dont know whether that one's real or fake, but it totally made me want a faux leopard throw on my big comfy chair. And you know what, I don't care who knows it! ;-P

Hm. The photos don't really have the oomph I expected from the intro -- it's a nice house, just didn't expect it from whatever the literary equivalent of "the vapours" would be.

That said -- Divertimenti in the kitchen? I LOVE THAT PLACE. Sadly, I did not get my Divertimenti kitchen fix, because we are apparently too focused on skulls, erotic pillows, bedroom stadium seating, and my mother's paperback collection from 1963.

P*ssy pillows do not decadence make...
...tho I do like the faux leopard.

when you are bored with the djinn chairs you can sell them to me :)

Victorian porn, yes please.

NorNor--

You are not AloneAlone.

Btw, all decadence and descriptors aside, I pretty much love everything about this place, and while I joked about the seating facing the bed, I don't mind it. I think that space in general is a bit of a disconnect from the rest of the place, but I'd still pop 'round for a spot of tea. :)

Wow. I, too, registered just so that I could comment on this house tour. I cannot believe this woman is an interior designer; the place looks like it was decorated by a recent college grad without much money and way too much crap. Pictures leaned three deep against a wall? Chairs placed so close to the sofas there is room only to squeeze a leg through? Books piled on every horizontal surface in the place? Stark white walls? The only actual personality here is old pornography and random skulls. The pornography is offensive as hell, and the skulls (of which I personally am a fan as primitive art for their connection to animals and archeological vibe) are treated as silly oddities (really? a lightbulb in the mouth?) which is also offensive. The mannequin hand and fake human skull are things I would have picked out of someone's trash to decorate my dorm room with when I was 20. In fact they are similar to things I DID pick out of the trash and....etc. I threw them away when I moved out of my dorm room.
All I can say is I would never hire Laura. And stacks of books on every horizontal surface pictures 3 deep leaning against a wall aren't decor, they're an indication you have way too much crap and need to downsize if your home is about to be photographed for a magazine/ezine spread. I should know--I have the same problem, but at least I know enough to be embarrassed by it.

"My/Our style: Texture and decadent luxury"

I can see the textures and find them interesting, particularly the floor coverings and how they relate to the furnishing and color schemes in the rooms. The "decadent luxury" is a bit harder for me to ascertain.

Would you please elaborate on this "decadent luxury" aspect of your photos? Thanks

Inspiration: Colette

Who?

What are your hopes and dreams?: A cashew farm in Brazil

Where did this come from? How does it relate to the house tour?

Biggest Challenge: Long distance decorating of beach house in Brazil

Again, I sense another disconnection with this response.

What Friends Say: It is eclectic and welcoming

Does any of them ever say, "I don't think I'll bring the kiddies over as some of your artifacts may cause them to have bad dreams and even nightmares" oder "some of your porn is not for their little eyes to see"

Biggest Embarrassment: Hard to say!

Perhaps, showing your place on AT?

Proudest DIY: Assembling flat pack furniture from IKEA

Yes, you have to be a rocket scientist to achieve this, so I'm quite proud of you. How many people did this take?

Biggest Indulgence: Pierre Herme macaroons and John Galliano candles

Not the skull and that hand?

Best advice: Store, don't hoard

Now, this is really incongruent with the pics. Where's the line drawn between hoard and store for you? From the pics, I think it some of both going on there.

Btw, I do like some of the architectural features, such as the ceiling in the master bedroom. Is there a kitchen here?

I loved this. I especially loved the nudity. You are all a bunch of prudes. Guess it wasn't your cup of tea.

My only complaint was the scale of some furniture. The place seemed too small that the furniture would not have been so cramped if she chose pieces that were a tad smaller. I still liked the furniture and decor and pillows and even the red chairs facing the bed. The bathroom is great!