4 possibilities to use natural materials in your home

The use of natural materials in our interiors helps us in achieving elegant and timeless design.

These materials have the ability to take our breath away, and often transport us to another place and time.

In today’s journal entry we take you through the 4 possibilities to use natural materials in your home.

Let’s get you inspired.

Linen in the bedroom

Bondi Terrace | Lara Ette Design

Including as much fabric as you can into a bedroom is always a great idea, through curtains, bed linen, pillows and rugs. It really softens and calms the space and the mind.

Built Elements

Pretty In Pink Paddington | Lara Ette Design

Timber is an incredible material, there’s something about it that immediately transports you into the natural world. It’s versatility means it can be used in so many applications, and in our Studio we can’t go past using it on floors and in built in cabinetry.

Loose Furnishings

Bondi Terrace | Lara Ette Design

Even in small doses, natural materials can make quite an impact. Marble can evoke a feeling of wonder, and let’s not forget the tactility of wool and silk on our skin.

Benchtops

Bondi Beach House | Lara Ette Design

Using a natural stone on a large scale such as a benchtop lets us appreciate the full drama of the material. It simply takes our breath away, and the beauty will simply never fade.

Are you excited by these possibilities?

If so, get in touch today, we would love to hear from you

4 shifts for interiors in 2021

Without a doubt, the global pandemic has changed the way we want to live in our homes.

With this renewed sense of clarity, we are beginning to see powerful shifts in the aesthetic, tactility and functionality of interior spaces.

In today’s journal entry we take you through the 4 shifts for interiors that we see becoming prevalent in 2021 and the years ahead.

Let’s get you inspired!

Flexibility

A Humble Home Reimagined Lara Ette Design

Over time we will see a shift from open plan to separate rooms, but for now people need their existing spaces to work hard and perform many functions.

Escapism

AEAND Studio

With opportunities for travel seemingly in the distant future, art, objects and materials that transport us will become more common.

Modern Vintage

Tigmi Trading

There’s been a strong movement towards vintage homewares and furnishings, and this will no doubt accelerate as more people turn their back to fast furniture and towards making sustainable choices.

Shop Local

Lucy Montgomery

There are so many reasons to specify products from local suppliers, and 2021 is a great time to refocus this effort.

Are you excited by these possibilities?

If so, get in touch today, we would love to hear from you

4 clever tricks to get the most out of a smaller space

Small spaces are a reality of inner city living.

When tackling this design challenge at our studio, we begin with spatial planning - essentially making sure each function is accounted for and that there’s enough space for circulation around these tasks. After the planning has been resolved, there are a few tricks we can do to increase space visually without sacrificing style.

In today’s journal entry we take you through these 4 clever tricks to get the most out of a smaller space.

Let’s get you inspired!

Tonal Palette

Rose Tree House Lara Ette Design

In this bedroom, restricting the colour palette was the technique we used to increase space visually. The dresser and the walls are tonally similar, and this has helped to blur the corners and create depth in the room.

Materials and Details

New Beginnings Lara Ette Design

Even in a small space, it's a good idea to use a mix of materials as this creates interest and keeps the eye moving from point to point taking it all in. In this open kitchen and dining space, we have a marble, veneer and crisp white cabinetry. It’s so important not to forget the small details, as they can make all the difference. The leather shelf brackets, and the colour, pattern and texture of the wool rug and linen table cloth are all eye-catching elements.

Fine Profiles

Randwick Residence Lara Ette Design

At our Studio we are very partial to a slim profile, and when applying this feature to cabinetry it elongates the entire room. In this kitchen of our latest project, we have applied this style to the upper cabinets, as well as using thin profiles to frame the timber wall of joinery.

Floating Elements

Bondi Beach House Lara Ette Design

Whenever possible, we like to float our elements. In this bathroom, we floated the vanity. Say tuned for more snippets of this recently photographed project!

Are you excited by these possibilities?

If so, get in touch today, we would love to hear from you

4 elements to elevate your outdoor setting

This year more than ever before, we are looking for our homes to better serve us.  By creating an outdoor setting that is comfortable and practical, we can feel satisfied that every available millimetre has been taken advantage of.  As you would when designing an interior, be sure to consider the zones for dining, reading, cooking and entertaining and the flow between. 

Having just completed our first landscape renovation with the help of the brilliant team at Outdoor Establishments, today’s journal entry will guide you through the 4 key elements that will elevate your outdoor setting experience.

Dynamic material selection is the first element, be sure to use every surface as an opportunity to contribute to the scheme.  What do we mean by dynamic?  It means to consider the tension between materials and to understand that successful combinations come together through selecting ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ finishes.  For example in this courtyard, the natural limestone of the flooring sits triumphantly alongside concrete used for detailing around the pond and the BBQ setting.

In many urban homes, a rectilinear geometry is inherent in the garden, and so the second key element becomes to find an opportunity to insert a curving line.  Why do we need a curve?  There’s something powerful about curves, with people displaying a strong bias for roundness.  In this courtyard, the organic shape of the crazy paving as well as the arc shaped sandstone seating, bring balance to the angular lines of the boundary walls, the pond and bbq.  

And so we come to the third key element, which is about framing the view from inside the home so that an individuals’ experience with nature can be curated.  When an outdoor setting is perfectly framed as a backdrop to the interior, it can feel as though a painting has come to life. 

Lighting is our last key element, and its effect cannot be under estimated.  As well as serving a practical function of illuminating dining and cooking areas, lighting can create drama and give an illusion of infinite depth thanks to shadows and blurring corners.  

Select the images to click through the gallery!

Are you excited by these possibilities?

If so, get in touch today, we would love to hear from you

4 bright ideas to light up your interior

We are passionate about lighting at our Studio, and we really believe that the right selection can have an immediate effect on the personality of a scheme as well as strongly influencing the atmosphere.  In the design industry we call lighting a ‘Fixture’, which means it can be very difficult to change at a later stage so it is important to consider and select lighting at the early stages of a renovation.   

In today’s journal entry we show you 4 bright ideas to light up your interior space.

Let’s get you inspired!

Task Lighting

Pretty In Pink Lara Ette Design

When we need focused bright illumination, we use task lighting which can be beautiful as well as practical. Above a kitchen island is a great example, and in this project we used the Industrial Pendant designed by Workstead which has the option to angle the disc giving us an opportunity to direct the light to the task on hand.

Ambient Lighting

New Beginnings Lara Ette Design

Ambient lighting is used when a more general illumination is called for, and though the usual way to provide this is with downlights, sometimes this isn’t possible in more traditional homes such as in this Paddington terrace. Instead we used the IC Floor Lamp designed by Michael Anastassiades which delivers an incredible amount of soft diffused light into the rooms.

Decorative Lighting

Hideaway Home Lara Ette Design

There are other times when we want the drama that only a Decorative light can bring to an interior space, and this was definitely the case in our Bondi project. We used the Bailey Pendant designed by Tom Federay and the light that it casts thanks to the fluted hand made glass is truly dazzling.

Direct Lighting

Pretty in Pink Lara Ette Design

When lighting up a specific area, object or piece of art, Accent lighting is used with the beam directed to fall in a specific place. In this bedroom we selected the Popper pendant designed by LAAL directing its light to fall on the opened pages of a book.

Are you excited by these possibilities?

If so, get in touch today, we would love to hear from you

4 approaches to introduce colour into your home

Today’s journal entry is all about colour, a topic close to our heart here at the Studio because we absolutely can’t get enough of it in our interiors!  Though most clients are drawn to the idea of using colour in their homes, at some stage in the design process uncertainty will set in and the temptation of a neutral palette prevails. 

The solution to this dilemma is to understand yourself and your own preferences.  Are you bold or cautious?  How do you dress, do you wear coloured clothing, or do you prefer colour only in accessories or not at all?   Do you admire colour in fashion or interiors but aren’t confident in selecting a palette? 

It’s also important to keep in mind the longevity of certain items - cushions, throws and art prints can be updated more often.  A painted or wallpapered surface will likely need a refresh every few years.  Small furnishings are versatile and can be updated or moved around as desired.  Joinery is more permanent and will likely be a feature that remains in the house of many years to come. 

In today’s journal entry we show you four products that will be sure to inject some colour into your space. Which of these approaches resonates most with you?

Happy browsing!

Arnold Circus Stool

Available from WORN STORE

Uilas Terra Rug

Available from HALCYON LAKE

Northern Ombre Lamp

Available from LightCo

Joinery

Custom Design Fabricated by faf woodwork

Robinson Crusoe Hideaway by Lara Ette Design

Are you excited by these possibilities?

If so, get in touch today, we would love to hear from you

4 combinations to dress your windows

At our Studio, we love to dress our clients windows for both aesthetic and practical reasons. It’s only once the curtains and blinds are up that a house begins to truly feel like home. Window treatments can make such a strong strong impact in a space, and we often liken them to artwork made from textiles.

If beginning a new build or renovating, it’s so important to consider how each window will be dressed ahead of construction. Will it be a roller blind, roman blind or curtain? Concealing the tracks and brackets is possible by creating pelmets or nooks, and being able to operate a blind or curtain with a remote control from the comfort of your bed or sofa is a true luxury. Both features are easily achieved with planning!

Whatever you decide, be sure to engage a specialist - we often will use Marlow & Finch who are true professionals. For that extra level of service and fully customised solutions, we would love to help here at the Studio.

In today’s journal entry we show you 4 different combinations to dress your windows.

Happy browsing!

Roller Blind

Custom translucent fabric

The Beach House by Lara Ette Design

S Fold Curtain

Custom sheer fabric

Pretty In Pink by Lara Ette Design

Pinch Pleat Curtain

Custom silk/linen fabric

New Beginnings by Lara Ette Design

Roman Blind

Custom linen/polyester fabric

The Beach House by Lara Ette Design

Are you excited by these possibilities?

If so, get in touch today, we would love to hear from you