Natural Beauty - Collected Interiors

Natural
BEAUTY
Life's a beach in this seaside abode, after designers
Lisa Ewart and Madeline Ehlers of Collected
Interiors brought the essence of outdoors, in.
WORDS BETH GRESHWALK PHOTOGRAPHY JOEL BARBITTA
78
79
adore home
T
he natural look –
chosen to unite and enliven the
a celebration of
terra-firma ambience, including
colours, textures
the hardwood floors, cabinetry
and harvests
and wicker baskets.
of nature. The
natural choice
when designers
Lisa Ewart and
Madeline Ehlers of Collected
"We love these elements mixed
together," Lisa says, adding,
"Plants are great softeners for
rooms."
Interiors were asked to fit and
Refreshingly homey as the
furnish a holiday home, just a
house became, it didn't cease
pebble's throw from Cottesloe
to remind guests they were on
Beach in Western Australia.
vacation. A spirit of travel lay
But adorning a house for shortterm stays also required the
décor to be practical and
hard-wearing. So, the Perthbased team went to work. The
wide awake in the bedroom
with the sliding glass door, as
evidenced by the Suzani rug,
faraway-village pillows and
Soviet-inspired artwork.
result – an ultra-stylish, eco-
Going au naturale didn't
meets-modern abode, from the
compromise on flair, either,
moment guests walked into the
with modern Scandinavian
postcard-esque entryway.
style taking centre stage in
Musing with beautiful ocean
views, Lisa and Madeline
matched an earth-hued
palette with organic furnishings,
including hemp and wool
rugs, cotton bedlinens, rattan/
wicker baskets, timber furniture,
the kitchen. Personality also
brimmed in artful yet practical
ways, from the blossoming
blue paintings in the master
bedroom, to the oh-so-quirky
thimble table and stools
adorning the living room.
leather sofas, and upholstery
"These were to be used as a
comprised of cotton and linen.
coffeetable," says Lisa, "but we
The marriage of natural tones
also wanted the tables to be
and fixtures complemented the
portable so clients could move
space while satisfying the need
them next to their seats, if need
to withstand guest traffic and
be."
beach grit.
Lush green plants were also
80
Sound like a holiday of a
project? Not entirely so, admits
Pure and social
Oh-so-chic Arthur G leather sofas
schmooze with laidback patterned
chairs upholstered in Sparkk fabric. A
Bamileke table upon an Armadillo &
Co. hemp rug ensures coffee-talk is
anything but dull.
81
adore home
the designer. Particularly when
it came to furnishing the living
room – a long, thin rectangle
shape with a feature fireplace
at one end, cabinetry on one
long side, and windows on the
other. It also required a TV and
focus on the view and fireplace.
"We thought about who would
be using this room and what
they needed from it," Lisa
explains. "The ocean view was
top priority, followed by the
fireplace and television. So, we
positioned the sofas and chairs
in a 'U' shape facing the large
windows, with views to ocean.
The sofas were also facing the
fireplace in an 'L' shape, with the
chair backs facing the fire – we
decided they were light enough
to turn and face the fireplace
or TV, if need be. The television,
positioned to the left of the
fireplace, was placed on a short
unit with wheels so it could be
repositioned around the room."
Any advice for do-it-yourselfers
wishing to try the natural look at
home?
Bedroom in bloom
Suite dreams begin with a Curious Grace woodframed bed and tree root bedside table from
Empire, the natural bedside companion.
82
"Stick to natural materials and
limit your colour palette to
three or four," the designer
recommends. "Also, select
furniture for practical and
functional reasons, not just
because they look good."
Naturally.
83
adore home
Bedtime by nature
A simple retreat by the garden calls for a
rustic Curious Grace bed and sidetable
upon a Suzani rug from Aura by Tracie Ellis.
A replica Featherston chair by Replica
Furniture adds a stylish complement only
retro can accomplish.
84
85
adore home
86
87
adore home
WANT MORE?
See more of Collected
Interior's beautiful work
on their website by
clicking here.
.
.
.
k
o
o
l
e
get th
Get back to nature with
vivid greens, sea blues
and earthy tones.
ART PRINT Seaweed II in Denim print (frame not included) by Kerri Shipp A3 size $37.50 www.driftwoodinteriors.com.au
CUSHION COVER Tangier Sea Grass cushion cover $80 www.adornhomewares.com.au PLANT Faux banana tree $299
www.lucaandeve.com.au SOFA Oxford 3 seater sofa $2099 www.ozdesignfurniture.com.au BOTTLE Teal Spanish
demijohn bottle $25.95 www.styledsealeddelivered.com.au THROW Tallie throw $109.95 www.kasaustralia.com.au
VESSEL Aegean vessel $29.95 www.freedom.com.au SIDE TABLE Bamileke side table $485 www.zohiinteriors.com.au
88
89