Sophisticated cities

Press, 14 August 1980, Page 12

Sophisticated cities

a LANDSCAPING YOUR HOME

Gilbert Brakey

On my recent business trip abroad I visited both Australia and the United States, and two rather sophisticated cities — Melbourne and New York.

It was interesting to make the comparisons between the latest interior design trends in both cities. Melbourne, although progressive, is still rather conservative, but chic. On the other hand, New York is as zany as ever with new and fresh ideas that the Americans do so well. On Third Avenue, Louis W. Bowen Inc. were showing the latest in their stunning collection of

wallpapers: soft beiges, printed on a mirrored background reflecting oriental themes, were breathtaking.

Meanwhile, on Fiftyninth Street, Edward Fjelds had exotic, sculptured, pure wool carpets. These were done in rather intricate designs with tone-on-tone colourings of various themes, including stylised foliage and sea shells; a nautilus was stunningly reproduced in coral, beige, and white. I also visited several fabric houses on Third Avenue — great names Boussac, First Editions, — whose fabrics and co-ordi-nated wall coverings were tremendous — Lee and Jofa, which also had lovely, country garden florals in maroons, sage green, and lilac colourings. The fabric collections I saw were all stimulating and fresh. There seemed to be a definite turning to geometric and floral motifs, almost all of which had been woven in pure cotton. First Editions had a lovely, interwoven basket

weave design executed in two colours, the plaited strands keeping the eye moving both vertically and horizontally. This was 48 inches wide, and had a matching wall covering of 27 inches wide. Lines, dots, and small florals abounded in their new collection. I saw a, lovely, chalk stripe in cotton. with a matching wall paper, which even had a matching velvet for upholstery purposes. 1 also saw some rather stunning geometric patterned upholstery fabrics in 100 per cent cotton, protected by scotchgard.

Our recent spell of warmer weather is a gentle reminder that the summer months are not far away, even though we will have a few more frosts yet. Now is a good time to sit down and plan out any ideas you may have for swimming pool construction. The methods of construction are important, but the pool’s surroundshould also be given careful consideration.

Swimming pools are available in a number of different, forms. Basically, there are those above ground. Both concrete or

in a white-on-white theme, rich in texture. It. would be difficult to find any interior that it would not compliment. On the furniture side, lacquer, showed its prominence everywhere. Assorted colours from soft beiges to chocolate browns mingled with the simplicity and elegance of black. It was nice to see this medium returning to the domestic scene. Styles were reminiscent of Art Deco with fleeting glimpses of Mackintosh, an avant-garde 1930 s designer and architect. Lacquer is an elegant,

concrete products and fibreglass are used below ground level. It is also possible to use certain makes of the vinyl lined pools in below ground level situations. Normally, however, the vinvl lined pools are com strutted above ground. Concrete pools can be constructed by pouring insitu concrete or by spraying over a formed, reinforced structure. Alternatively, prefabricated concrete slabs can be brought onto the site and then fitted into position. There are various systems employed to seal the joints of such pools. Because a concrete pool is such a permanent feature very careful thought should be given to its position in the garden scheme, as also, its relationship to the house. Consideration should be given to the requirements of sun. light, wind protection, privacy for swimming or sunbathing, the circulation of people around and about the pool area; Think about areas for such activities as barbecues, or space for relaxation away from the more active areas where children may play. Fibreglass pools are “quick result” pools because they are literally dropped into place and filled with water upon completion of the plumbing work. Pqol shapes are

hard-wearing surface if executed properly, and when teamed with raw silk from China — and I saw a lot of that — it was breat h-takingly simple.

Monochromatic interiors seemed'to steal the show. I have always been a fan of them myself, and it’s good to see them being exposed a little bit more to the public. Modular units by Erasmo of Fifth Avenue were as stylish as ever, combining textured fabrics with low-line couches of a b u i 1 d i n g-block design. They were comfort-plus.

Enough of New York, and closer to home, Melbourne with its mecca of interior design stores and studios situated in Toorak Road, was as stimulating as ever. Marly-Riddel Interiors and Palazzo were both enthusiastic about Italian furniture, monochomatic tonings, and lac-quer-ware. Sea shells seem to be the new. accessory for the living room interior. Beautiful speciments, either sitting alone or mounted on brass and perspex plinths, were interesting conversation pieces, or just made a plain statement reaffirming the beauty of nature. Although I saw some interesting wallpapers at Clunies Ross and Packmen •these were by far eclipsed i n uniqueness and spontaneity by their

American counterparts. All in all it was an enjoyable experience and I returned refreshed, tired but very stimulated. In due time many of the things I saw will arrive at our shores and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

However, the photographs of the New, Zealand products I took away with me were 4 very favourably received in the United States, 'the subtle, lustrous qualities of naN ural rimu particularly appealed to the merchants. Of course, the Americans have always been “nutty” about ethnic looks. I found the workmanship of our good quality interior design products ranked high|y, compared with those t saw« overseas. ■