One From the Archives - 'Ohtel'

Did you know that 4 years ago, esdesign were the team who helped pull together the interior fit out of the then new hotel, 'Ohtel' on Oriental Parade, Wellington?

We worked closely with designer and hotel owner Alan Blundell to create his vision of a boutique 10 room,  mid century flavoured destination accommodation spot.

No two rooms are alike, with each featuring an eclectic range of mid century furniture sourced from all over the world. Once all the furniture had made it's way to NZ, we were responsible for specifying all the interior colours, fabrics, lighting, flooring and finishes for each of the rooms and lobby/dining area, as well as co-ordinating and carrying out the upholstery and restoration work for all the furniture pieces. It was all topped off by styling each room with the myriad of mid century ceramics and artwork Alan had painstakingly collected with the hotel in mind.

Go and treat yourself to a weekend in the coolest little 'Ohtel' in Wellington to check it out first hand!

Images from www.ohtel.com

Feature Fabric Friday: Florence Broadhurst

Many of you have heard of the fabulous Australian artist, textile and wallpaper designer Florence Broadhurst who was creating divine interiors product in the 50's, 60's and 70's, but did you know that both her fabrics and papers are still being printed today?

Even after her grizzly death in 1977, Signature Prints has continued to produce a range of her designs from their Sydney premises, ensuring her iconic Asian and nature inspired, geometric and metallic patterns are still available worldwide. There are over 500 different designs within the original collection of work, but only a small portion are currently available to the public.


The softer colours and delicacy of the nature inspired scenes in many of the fabrics lend themselves to adorning a feminine boudoir, dressing or powder room, while the bold metallic wallpapers and geometric fabrics lend themselves to use in glamorous commercial environments, family areas or even kids rooms - but of course you are only limited by your imagination!

Here are just a few of our favourite fabrics, and of course if you see something you like, let us know!

 All images from www.signatureprints.com.au.
 Images are from top to bottom, left to right: 'The Cranes', 'Peacock Feathers', 'Pagoda', 'Peacock Feathers', 'Ikeda', 'Fingers', 'Japanese Floral', 'Horses Stampede'. 

Pedro Lamp Bases

Have you seen our turned 'Pedro' lamp bases? They are reminiscent of the kind that many of us grew up with in our homes, but these ones come in slick black or white paint finishes to contrast superbly with the shade of your choice!

Pictured here is a shade in 'Rings' by Ingrid Anderson on a white table lamp base, and a shade in 'Birch' by Ink & Spindle on our black floor lamp base.

'Woodgrain' fabric - Dick Frizzell

Hot off the press from Homebase Collections is this great new print by NZ artist Dick Frizzell, called 'Woodgrain'. It is printed on a lovely basecloth mix of hemp and organic cotton, suitable for light upholstery and accessories and comes in two colourways above - grey and gold.

We plan on doing some fun things with this fabric in store soon, so watch this space!

Retro Lamps

We've recently revived some tired old lamp bases and teamed them with fantastic retro flavoured shades to create these cute babies, for sale now in the store!

Plates on a Wall

Here's a fun round up of imagery showing the many ways you can use plates to dress up your walls!
Monochrome, contrasting, bright, fun or random. Scatter them haphazardly, line them up neatly or display them symmetrically... the options are endless, but they are such a great way to inject pattern, colour and interest into a blank space! Check out the links below each image to find more inspiring images and ideas for your crockery...

http://www.fixthefield.com/decorate-a-wall-using-plates/

http://thedecorologist.com/wp/collective-soul-plate-collages-the-art-of-creative-plate-hanging

http://thedecorologist.com/wp/collective-soul-plate-collages-the-art-of-creative-plate-hanging

http://crystalestrada.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/home-decor-ideas-plates-on-walls.html

http://www.homedit.com/how-to-hang-plates-on-a-wall-to-create-an-eye-catching-look/

http://myblackbook.free.fr/?cat=22

http://jayjayne.com/author/jayjayne/

http://www.ruthburts.com/2011/09/lets-dish-again-some-visual-101.html

http://heartfireathome.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/who-else-likes-plates-on-wall.html

FAQ

We've just added a Frequently Asked Questions button down the side to your right - this should hopefully cover some of those burning questions that you have, but of course if there's something not covered in there, feel free to ask!

Second Hand Delights

Because of our love of recycling, re-using and re-purposing, we have become very accustomed to taking what others might think are hideous pieces of junk, and incorporating them and transforming them into fabulous interior schemes.

This electrical heater probably screams junk to many of you, but during one of our trips to the Wairarapa in early January, Eleanor spotted this beauty (complete with 'glowing coals') in the back of a second hand store. It is perfect for a job we are currently working on, and we can't wait to show you how it's going to fit in with our 'master plan'!

Watch this space, and keep an open mind!!

Waitangi Monday: Little Dragon 'Crystalfilm'

Found this over at one of our favourite blogs House of Aroha... Hope your're enjoying your Waitangi weekend, Kiwis!

In the Media: Dominion Post - Feb 4th, 2012

The lovely Charlotte Minty just alerted us to this neat little article in the Dominion Post this morning; it features a little bit about Eleanor and her thoughts on recycling pre-loved furniture. Awesome!

Notable Notebooks

We've just replenished our stock of Ellen Giggenbach notebooks, seeing as you guys snapped the first lot up so fast before Christmas! (Ellen has a fabulous blog featuring her cut paper art, go check it out!).

The notebooks come in two great designs, and make perfect stocking stuffers (if you're super nuts and prepping for next Christmas!) or birthday pressies or treats for yourself. At $12.50, you can't go wrong!

These notebooks plus many other goodies are made by the lovely folks at Letterhead, producers and distributors of cards and notebooks featuring the work of New Zealand artists.

Wharekauhau - Custom Furniture Design

As part of our work at Wharekauhau last year, we commissioned the manufacture of some macrocarpa stools which also double as small side tables in the accommodation cottages.

The design references a traditional milking stool which is in keeping with the coastal farming region surrounding the Wharekauhau estate.
The stool tops had the Wharekauhau branding logo laser-cut into the seats to create pieces which are truly unique to the lodge.

The stools were beautifully created by Sebastian at Splinters and Pixels.

Feature Fabric Friday: Melody Miller

We are going gaga over these gorgeous printed cottons by Melody Miller. These are perfect for lampshades, cushions, stool tops and other small projects... let your imagination run wild!
Speak to us today about ordering some of these great designs.

All images found over at Stitchbird!

Ngaio Rue Jewellery - New Stock

We've just received some new stock from the fabulous Ngaio Rue! These pieces are hand tatted into   intricately detailed necklaces, pendants and earrings and are proving to be extremely popular, so pop in today to take home your very own piece of hand crafted goodness, all the way from Waiheke Island!

Studio Sneak Peek: Esther Miro

 

Have a little sneak peek at the studio of super talented kiwi swimwear designer Esther Miro from Surface Too Deep - her sunny spot overlooking Wellington features lots of lovely bits and bobs from esdesign, and we think she got such a lovely write up by the peeps over at ASOS Marketplace... check it out!

Interior Fit Out - Wharekauhau Lodge, Wairarapa

As promised before Christmas, here are just a couple of gorgeous images of the re-fit of Wharekauhau Lodge which kept us super busy last year!

This included specification of lighting, curtaining, upholstery, finishes, colours, artwork and fittings, as well as full cabinetry and furniture design as you can see in the above image of the new library. A really fantastic job to work on!