Local Heroes: Marimekko House by Ariane Prevost
This stunning multi-material home in Perth suburb of Mosman Park is by the outrageously talented Ariane Prevost. Architect's designing and constructing for themselves (with of course plenty of time, patience, money, attention to detail, great trades and an agreeable partner) can result in the most amazing homes! Her abstract use of seemingly mundane materials comes together in an exciting collection of interweaving spaces. And how great is that kitchen?! A simple palette of colours taken from the raw materials and textures of the building, layered with artwork and those amazing Marimekko fabric covered soft furnishings. These fabrics and patterns inspired the enveloping cor-ten screens that give the house its name.
{Cor-ten Marimekko-inspired cut screens to the front facade allowing privacy to this open-planned home. Image by Heather Robbins of Red Images Fine Photography via House Nerd (an awesome Perth blog you should also check out!)}
{Brick herringbone floors throughout internal spaces allow seamless blending to exterior zones. Image by Angelita Bonetti}
{That stunningly detailed monochrome kitchen! Image by Red Images}
{Creative use of typically common materials adds interest and worth beyond the actual costs}
{Love that monochrome, tetrus-like joinery patterning. Working closely with cabinet makers and joiners resulting in stunning outcomes}
{Massive front door with handle made from a piece of old bridge timber. Image by Red Images}
{That monochrome Marimekko fabric! Image by Red Images}
{Open facade and spaces blurs the line between inside and out. Image by Bo Wong}
{Landscaped roof terrace with screens from reclaimed roofing timbers}
{Deciduous grape-vine pergolas for summer shade allowing winter sun penetration}
{Roof terrace at a later date, with succulents and vines now fully established and so lush. Image by Red Images}
{Trailing concrete steps through lush succulents. Image by Red Images}
{Blurring the divide between outside and in. Image by Red Images}
It must be amazing to live in such an open and flowing home, although I must admit that my severely-mosquito-attracting skin does shudder just a little. Might just have to plant a little extra Lavender, Spearmint and Lemongrass around.
Hope you enjoyed!
xo Romona
Sustainable House Day 2014
By partaking in Sustainable House Day you can tap into local knowledge to learn how to successfully integrate renewable energy, recycling, and other sustainable practices into your home and lifestyle. This unique event is a valuable resource for anyone looking for inspiration, ideas and the key to sustainable living.
Homeowners, sponsors and local sustainable groups look forward to sharing their knowledge with you, plus I'll be volunteering at the Harrisdale home in WA for the day. There are homes and gardens open to the public throughout Australia. You can find more information about each house and its features on the webpage. This is a national event, but since I'm volunteering here in Perth, I've just highlighted a few WA ones below.
{Carla and Ben’s House, 128A Roseberry St, Bedford WA}
Terrariums and Potted Green
{Ceramic Diamond Planters on table and Petite hanging Vase on the wall, both by LoveHate and available at Cranmore Home}
Vertical Green #2
I have been through some of the benefits of green walls with some examples previously, here, but since there have been so many fantastic examples of late, I felt the need to give you all a second helping of green delights.
{The Florafelt F12 Greenwall growing panel by Fytogreen Australia as used in Kim & Matt's outdoor space on The Block Sky High 2013. The panels are made from 100% recycled PET plastic felt and are available from The Block Shop}
Orange Brights
{For a bright statement piece, The Martini side table in Persimmon from West Elm}
When highlighting orange, I couldn’t go past Greg Natale’s stunning Chevron wallpaper in Burnt Mandarin. I know I harp on about his products, but why not when they are just so special. Read on for more beautiful, bright orange delights!
{Greg Natale’s stunning Chevron wallpaper in Burnt Mandarin through Porter’s Paints}
Emerald Delights
Along with pretty much all of the design and blogging world at the moment, I am in love with all the greeny goodness popping up all over the place since Pantone announced Emerald as its colour of the year for 2013. Just for a bit of visual candy, here are a few of my favourite interiors, products and miscellaneous images featuring variations of this striking gemstone hue.
{Pantone’s limited Edition Mug and iPhone5 cover in Emerald}
{Dulux’s Empower Palette - Image styled by Bree Leech featuring Dulux Liberty, Bahaman Bliss and Misty Blue}
{Florence Broadhurst Peacock Feathers & Shadow Floral wallpapers from Signature Prints}
{Night Bird by Catherine Martin, Bansyu by Akira Isogawa, both at Designer Rugs}
{Emerald vintage Florence Knoll & Charles Eames furniture. Interiors by Doug & Gene Meyer.}
{Jonathan Adler Needlepoint pillows}
{Husque Bowl Macadamia Nut in Green}
{South Beach by Greg Natale, Jewel by Dinosaur Designs, both at Designer Rugs}
{Bianca Malachite Box by Ralph Lauren Home}
{Martinique Beverley Hills wallpaper; Catherine Martin for Mokum Imperial Pheasant in Emerald} 
{Emerald accents. Interiors by Charm Home Design}
{Interiors by Diamond Baratta. Image via House of Turquoise}
{Interiors by Greg Natale, featuring his South Beach rug}
{Pont Max Juvenal, Aix en Provence, 2008. Patrick Blanc}
Of course I couldn’t resist throwing a green-walled building in there. You can see a few more on my previous post, Vertical Green. I am hoping to do another post on green walls this year, since the last one didn’t even scratch the surface of the beauty that is out there.
These bright emerald visuals make me giddy. Yes, I’ll admit some of them are straying more into teal and turquoise territory, but that is the beauty of perception - maybe your eyes will see a whole different picture. I hope you enjoyed this quick (and a little lazy) post. Until next time.
xo Romona
Vertical Green
Since I went there, I have to display just a few examples of Patrick Blanc, the pioneer of Green walls in architecture and visual overachiever, including a few very close to home. While the scale is a little above domestic, take inspiration from his sculptural use of botany.
{Quai Branly Museum, Paris, 2005. Architect Jean Nouvel. Greenwall Patrick Blanc}
{Our own piece of Patrick Blanc at the Shot Tower, Melbourne Central, 2008}
{One Central Park West, Sydney. Architect Jean Nouvel, Patrick Blanc. Due 2013}
I love that green walls have become a prevalent cafe and commercial decoration, and that most will now try and incorporate some functionality into it, with herbs and indoor veggies. Its great to see the new ways people can develop this old idea. I like this alternative to the usual terracotta and unpainted reo mesh of the signature Vertical Garden by Joost Bakker (as seen at Grand Designs). The simple white pots and white mesh offset wonderfully against the uniform dark succulents. Maybe it is just refreshing not to see the terracotta pots again. I think it’s like a popular song on the radio - you hear it so often that you can’t tell anymore if you love it or hate it, but still find yourself singing along.
{Vertical Garden by Joost Bakker for Schiavello}
This smooth sculptural wall with rounded inserts for potted herbs suits the modern bright-white kitchen. Talk about easy access and great smells. I would love this in my house.
{Edible Herb garden wall complements this modern white kitchen. Source}
The simple draped Porthos between nine white pots on wall-mounted floating shelves are used to break up this double-height common wall in a warehouse conversion in Brisbane.
{Minimalist Vertical Garden by Lushe Urban Greening}
I couldn’t leave out the bright entry space to Fujitsu’s 6-star Green Star Docklands office (yes, mainly because it was worked on by yours truly while at Woodhead). The original designs did include using black mondo grass and having a dramatic monotone effect with the black glass walls, emphasising the Fujitsu red. I believe the black mondo didn’t survive too well so the bio-wall is now more in keeping with the bright greens of most green walls, but is still quite effective. The bio-filtration system used was designed by Umow Lai who worked with Woodhead on the project. The ground level foyer of the Gauge in Docklands, Victoria also sports an impressive green wall by The Greenwall Company
{Fujitsu Head Office, The Gauge, Docklands by Woodhead}
{Just a section of the massive foyer green wall, The Gauge, Docklands by The Greenwall Company}
There are more than a few products popping up that can be used for DIY green walls at home, ranging from the cheap and simple to the complex and often quite pricey. A few options are pictured below (or just type green wall or vertical garden into Youtube and go nuts!)
{Gro-Wall Vertical Garden System}
{Greenwall Australia’s Vertigro Home or Pro}
{Wallgarden’s DIY Vertical Garden, also available at Lushe}
Urbio Urban Vertical Garden is another Kickstarter project (like the previously blogged about LIFX globe). I love the simple design and the adaptability of this product. Swap out the plants for some magazines or books if they need a little outside time in the sunshine.
{Urbio Urban Vertical Garden on Kickstarter}
There are so many benefits to using green walls in design, including but not limited to:
▪ Improved air quality and reduction of odours; ▪ Improved well-being with the visual link to nature and the outdoors; ▪ Visual aesthetic of a living decoration; ▪ Supply of fresh, edible produce - herbs, fruit, vegetables, flowers; ▪ Protection from wind, heat and light; ▪ Thermal Insulation and shading; ▪ Noise buffering; and more I am sure.
Have you seen any green walls out there that blew your mind? Or used any products or DIYs for your own vertical green wall? Let us know below and share the love!
xo Romona
EDIT: If you liked this and want to see many more green wall, green roof and planting ideas, check out the latest post 'Vertical Green #2'!