E is for Etiquette
Elegant Entertaining Melbourne style
As part of our ‘Art of Entertaining’ theme, we visited the Melbourne family home of a corporate maven and a sports Journalist / Biographer where Design objects from around the world mingle amongst treasured family heirlooms, Australian Art and Ceramics.
Photography by Melissa Stewart
It is well known in the corporate world that first impressions count, and entering this 19th century Melbourne Victorian mansion through it’s arched vestibule into a soaring foyer with striking bi-colour parquet floor, massive open fireplace and the glow of a spectacular 1940s white Murano glass chandelier from Barovier & Toso Venice, lets just say first impressions soon turned into lasting impressions. What a spectacular setting in which to greet dinner guests, and offer a welcoming champagne.
To the left of the block stone fireplace sits a 100 year old cutlery console by Royal Jewellers Mappin & Webb UK [Est 1775] complete with the full original 12 piece bone handled set, each piece resting in its own velvet compartment awaiting the next dinner party.
In the living room, a ‘pinched’ urn by 1974 Victorian College of The Arts Master of Fine Arts graduate, Stephen Benwellsits on a 1940s Italian table with an unusual radial wood grain top.
A trio of oil paintings by Australian Artist Laura Jones, purchased recently from Sophie Gannon Galleries, wait to be hung, their miniature scale in contrast to the architectural mouldings.
On a custom Stuart Rattle designed sideboard, an evolving collection of hand-glazed ceramics echo the colours in ‘Solomon Islands’ by Australian human rights and environmental Artist Susan Norrie.
A sustainable P.E.T Lamp 12 shade cluster from Safari Living Melbourne branches out over the dining table. Every P.E.T. light shade is unique, hand woven by Colombian artisans using plastic bottle waste and traditional weaving techniques.
Polished brass table lamp by Swedish Designer Jonas Wagell illuminates a collection of sparkling Scandinavian glassware, too pretty to be hidden away in a cupboard.
A Vitra wooden doll ‘family’ from Space Furniture was a surprise Christmas gift from the children. Created around 1952 by American Modernist Architect Alexander Girard, the dolls, inspired by folk art from around the world,were originally imagined as part toys and part decorative objects for his Santa Fe home. The original doll Collection, of which 100s were made, is now housed at the Vitra Design Museum in Switzerland, the dolls still painted individually by hand today. A fun way to introduce children to the art of collecting.
Reading in the home library is enhanced with a Tolomeo Mega floor lamp designed in 1989 by Florentine Architect Michel De Lucchi for Artemide, a comfortable vintage leather sofa and decorative rug from Behruz Studio Melbourne, custom designed by the late Melbourne society Decorator, Stuart Rattle.
*The Private Design Objects in our stories are all privately owned. Unlike most Design blogs and magazine editorials, we don’t pay stylists to source and bring in objects for the shoot. What you see is here is a real home, the way it is day to day, authentic, like all the objects represented by Design Consigned.
