Celebrity Insider: Naomi Watts’ New York family apartment
From the big screen to magazine spreads, Naomi Watts exudes style, and now we know her home does too. Watts’ New York apartment is intimate, eclectic and a perfect balance between boldness and grace.
Watts shares the apartment with husband and fellow actor Liev Schreiber and their two sons. It’s no surprise therefore that the space has a homely and warm feel to it, with its bleached-walnut banquette in the kitchen, which the family huddle around for meals.
In the playroom, a Living Divani sectional sofa sits atop a custom-made John Robshaw rug, while hanging above are Flos pendants. And of course there’s the kids’ room with upholstered bedheads and photographs taken by Watts’ brother hanging above the twin beds.
Yet, there are distinct grown up spaces too. The Master bedroom features opulent wallpaper by Clarence House, Ralph Lauren Home bedside tables and a vintage Italian bench, while the living room is finished with a 19th-century Gabon mask, velvet covered sofas and a custom, hand-crafted Robert Pluhowski cocktail table.
Tucked further into the home is the most impressive use of space of all: the green-lacquer bar styled with its own artwork. It’s a tiny space that delivers plenty of impact and function.
Step inside Naomi Watts’ stylish, family-friendly New York apartment…
Images from here.
Celebrity Insider: Meg Ryan’s New York Loft
Actress turned director Meg Ryan has a lesser known passion: the world of interiors. Ryan recently completed the renovation of her ninth home – this time with the help of designer Monique Gibson and architect Joel Barkley.
Her sprawling New York loft was once Cindy Sherman‘s photo studio. Now, light floods through the huge windows and the former darkroom is Ryan’s cloakroom.
A neutral colour palette runs throughout the home, with texture and interest added in the way of intricate light hangings, Ryan’s collection of art and an eclectic mix of furniture gathered from many vintage stores.
The kitchen area sees an industrial light from a second hand store in Maine illuminate the area, while fabrics by Rogers & Goffigon wrap the living room’s sofas. These are complemented by a Stéphane Parmentier lava-stone stool, a painting of Ryan by John Mellencamp and a Pablo Avilla wire tree sculpture.
The dining room features a striking custom-made bronze table by Maison Gerard, which is surrounded by Bentwood chairs from Lee Calicchio. Overhead hangs a high impact, salvaged lantern and mantel from United House Wrecking.
Through to the monochrome bathroom and a Water Monopoly stand-alone tub sits above a tiled platform. Matching Urban Archaeology vanities are customised with Grigio Carnico marble tops creating a sophisticated space.
Take a look…
Images from here.
Celebrity Insider: Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen’s Manhattan Loft
With floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, including the bathroom, the views are just as spectacular as the apartment itself in this celebrity home.
Moving into a larger home, sports star Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen are selling their 48th floor Flatiron home, designed by architect Peter Marino.
Framed by glass walls, the 4 bedroom home boasts views of the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty, and the Hudson and East Rivers. The 3,310 square foot space even includes a floating marble tub in the master ensuite – perfect for looking out over the New York skyline.
The building’s four uppermost floors are owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and house an around-the-clock doorman, a private screening room, a private dining room with a full catering kitchen, and a gym fitted out with a lap pool and steam room.
Take a look at this loft-like space, which was listed for $17.25 million…
Images from here.
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Celebrity Insider: Kim Kardashian’s $40 million Airbnb penthouse
Being a Kardashian, Kim certainly doesn’t hold back when it comes to travelling. She, husband Kanye West and their two daughters are staying in a five bedroom, six bathroom, three storey penthouse, overlooking the Hudson River in New York. However, this stay isn’t costing them a cent. In a clever PR stunt, international rental company Airbnb is putting up the Kardashian-West family in this $10,000-a-night triplex penthouse as Kanye travels the country on his Saint Pablo Tour.
With an outdoor kitchen, private rooftop pool, home gym, sauna and state-of-the art, marble-topped kitchen, the pad is worth $30 million. The 7,200 square foot triplex also features floor to ceiling windows to take in the New York’s signature skyline, while the kids can keep themselves entertained in the play area complete with a teepee, art easel and mini dining set. Take a look…
The new Pantone colour designed by six brands: Single Malt
Not only has the leading international institute on colour, Pantone, released a new colour to its collection, but it was created through a first-time collaboration of six brands.
Designers from the ELEVATE Design Collective – a group of six home accent brands (Delta Faucet, Formica, Hunter Fans, Jeld-Wen, KitchenAid and Schlage) – met with the Pantone Colour Institute earlier this year.
Their aim was to create a colour that would be “both modern and stylish, with soothing and reassuring qualities that had the ability to work in a variety of settings from contemporary to traditional”.
Delta Faucet’s Judd Lord explains, “We split up in teams and scoured New York City to find inspiration for the color. We scraped rust off a beam in Chelsea and even found inspiration in the colour of a belt. Everything we liked came from a very organic palette, and after working on variations with Pantone, we settled on a hue we liked. The interior designer helped us bring it all together.”
The result? ‘Single Malt’: a rich rustic neutral, that Pantone describes are “one whose comforting warmth blurs the line between nature and the manufactured world. Luxurious yet sedate, unfussy yet sophisticated.” It references leather, coffee and cognac.
Each of the six brands integrated Single Malt into a unique selection of products resulting in a suite of signature accents to outfit the loft space. For instance, in the kitchen, countertops were made from a large-scale 180fx® by Formica Group in a custom Bourbon Trail marble design, while each interior door was outfitted with Schlage’s decorative Northbrook Lever in Matte Black with a trim in ‘Rose’ to carry the design theme in every detail throughout the home.
The Single Malt fixtures were all created specifically for this showcase but larger releases for each brand may be coming next. Take a look…
Celebrity insider: Gianni Versace’s former New York townhouse
One of the most ornate townhouses in New York’s Upper East side is up for rent – and it retains many of its former owner’s touches. It’s not hard to believe that this home once belonged to the world famous fashion designer Gianna Versace, with its interiors mirroring the style of many of the icon’s designs. From leopard prints, to rich, clashing colours and luxe materials, it’s a palatial townhouse fit for a style icon.
Versace bought the 14,000-square-foot home in 1993 and it’s now owned by Swedish hedge fund manager Thomas Sandell, who is asking for US$120,000 per month in rent. The 17-room neoclassical home was built in 1950 by architect Irving Margon, and was later renovated by Versace in true Italian luxe style.
Spread over six stories, which are connected by an elevator, the floors throughout are all unique, from marble to Australian parquet, to mosaic with classical motifs. In the foyer, a sweeping staircase with leopard print carpet is paired with a glamerous chandelier and an oversized piece of modern art. The animal print continues in the living room, where it is paired with a burgundy velvet lounge and an open fireplace.
The larger entertaining room has a wall of full-length windows, a fresco-ed ceiling and lounge suites upholstered in gold and burgundy material. This colour scheme continues in the master suite with the velvet canopy bed and full sized animal print rug, while the adjoining ensuite features a sunken Jacuzzi tub. The TV room is dressed in a Moroccan-style and gives access to the rooftop garden.
Take a look…
Images: The Corcoran Group.
Read moreCelebrity Insider: Charlize Theron’s Hollywood home
Celebrity actress Charlize Theron has always been known for her style in the fashion stakes. So it comes as no surprise that her home is equally as glamerous. Recently sold for a reported $1.75 million, Theron’s one-bedroom, two-bathroom home is far from your average single bedroom apartment.
Covering 2,350 square feet, it features a floating staircase that connects the living space with the master suite and outdoor terrace. Stand-out design features are the large steel-framed windows, glossy ebony wood floors and the high ceilings.
Theron has opted for a feminine, somewhat retro style throughout, with white and black as her base colours, offset with small touches of orange in the form of upholstered chairs and cushions. Ceiling to floor white curtains and shaggy rugs add softness, while an oversized clock, large exposed piping and an angled-shelf bookcase add quirk.
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Inside Cameron Diaz’s Kelly Wearstler-designed apartment
After a full renovation, Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz has put her New York apartment on the market.
When Diaz bought the apartment it had “all-white rooms done up in a vaguely nautical theme”.
Diaz worked with American designer Kelly Wearstler to transform the space into a feminine, glamerous and chic space.
It features lots of salmon colours, pastel yellows, dove grey and lashings of metallic details, particularly gold, while the de Gournay wallpapers, chairs from Milo Baughman and Vladimir Kagan and vintage furniture pieces create an eclectic and opulent aesthetic.
The kitchen is a statement in itself with a bold and unique combination of unsealed brass bench-tops paired with emerald-green cabinets.
The 1,400-square-foot, two bedroom, two bathroom Greenwich Village apartment is priced at $4.25 million.
Take a look…
Images from here.
Read moreCelebrity Insider: The Megan Hess-designed Melbourne penthouse
Megan Hess has applied her creativity to the glamorous interior of a $8 million Melbourne penthouse, positioned in the Docklands.
Tasked with creating an elegant, contemporary and chic penthouse that cannot be replicated, the Melbourne-based creative sourced all of the penthouse’s artwork, furnishings and homewares.
Sitting 39 levels high, the building itself is a crystalline structure inspired by morning light on the Yarra River. Yet it’s only upon stepping inside that the the true ‘wow’ factor is delivered.
The double-height living space features wraparound walls of glass, with each Hollywood-esque room wrapped up in its own colour palette – be it gold, pink, navy or bronze.
There’s even a specifically-commissioned illustration by Hess of woman clad in a detailed black gown adorning one of the walls.
The Melbourne-based illustrator – brought to fame for her illustrations in the ‘Sex and the City’ books and since commissioned by Cartier, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Chanel, Fendi, Tiffany & Co. and Dior – started off by sketching her ideal aesthetic for each of the rooms.
She then called upon the likes of Fendi, Versace and Robert Cavalli for bespoke furnishings. Her vintage theme was brought to life with prints from 1950s films, collections from travels and one-off wallpapers. The result? A luxe, inviting and fashion-forward home that at the same time is timeless.
Take a look…
Images from here.
Read moreA look inside Canberra’s Hotel Hotel
Every so often, a hotel captures and maintains the spotlight for all the right reasons. The 68-room, 28-apartment Hotel Hotel in Canberra is one of these.
Hotel Hotel occupies three floors of the Nishi residential building; a sustainable ‘vertical village’ with a cinema, independent book store, pop-up shops, cafés and bars.
Designed by Australian architectural firm Fender Katsalidis, in close collaboration with Japan’s Suppose Design Office, the hotel is a mix of thoughtful design and sustainability.
The suites are built from recycled timber and off-form concrete, which creates a huge interlocking geometrical structure.
The interior design of the hotel was spearheaded by filmmaker Don Cameron. His love for colour and texture meant that bespoke joinery, 20th century furnishings and natural fibre wallpaper have taken centre-stage, creating a dramatic, eclectic and worldly aesthetic.
The hotel’s website says it’s rooms have:
“taken inspiration from the Australian shack. Clay rendered walls, salvaged oak beds, overhead rain showers, and (oh my) windows that open. Each room has been dressed with carefully chosen artworks, objects and restored furniture. They reflect our love for the well made, the curious and the comfortable.”
Guests are treated to local produce and wine in the mini-bars along with Aesop skincare in their bathrooms.
Hotel Hotel is the brainchild of Molonglo Group’s co-directors, Nectar and Johnathan Efkarpidis. The brothers work with the philosophy that buildings can be a vessel for delivering cultural and social development. That’s certainly the result of this unique hotel in Australia’s capital.
Photos from Hotel Hotel’s website.
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