Redgate Studios-hand crafted luxury.

Luxury pet friendly accommodation in Margaret River

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Sun, 02 May 2010 11:05:00 +0000

I know I haven't posted for a while but life has been very hectic! I'm now back on track and this post is just to introduce our new venture, luxury pet friendly accommodation in Margaret River.
The house has everything you could want and more! Everything is finished to highest standard, a full kitchen with ice maker fridge, range cooker, Foxtel service in both lounges, free fast speed wi-fi and lots of covered decking so that you can enjoy the sunsets and eating outdoors. There's a huge gas bbq and we even have a trampoline and cubby house to keep the kids entertained. Here are just a few photos to wet your appetite, for more information just go to our website, www.angarrackfarm.com

The farm house

the back garden

looking down the driveway

the deck outside lounge 1

looking into the lounge from the deck

the kitchen

master bedroom

lounge area of master bedroom

another bedroom

Angarrack farm is set on 176 acres of beautiful pasture and native bush, which is perfect for those long walks and if you do want to bring your dog they can run around to their hearts content. It's just behind Leeuwin Estate which is famous for it's wines and annual concert. At the end of the road lies Redgate beach, which has to be one of the most stunning beaches I've ever come across. It has something for everyone as there are are three beaches in the same area. There's a huge sandy beach where all the surfers and boogie boarders hang out, a smaller beach with a lagoon, perfect for small children and if you are in the know, there's a path at the end of the car park which takes you to another beach which I like to swim at. It's always quiet as you really have to know where the path is.

Redgate beach

the lagoon area

There's so much to see and do in Margaret River; there are approximately 100 wineries all producing world class wines, some amazing art & furniture galleries, gourmet food producers and some great little shops in town. If you're into good food, then many of the wineries have fantastic restaurants. The area is also renowned for it's surf breaks and a growing sport is kite surfing. If you enjoy walking, then you may want to do part or even all of the Cape to Cape track. A fantastic walk which takes you along the coast between Cape Leeuwin to cape Naturaliste.

I hope you've enjoyed this taster of our accommodation and what there is to do in Margaret River, I will be covering more of what's happening in the region on our blog on our website. I hope that you'll come and stay and make use of our great winter specials, we are currently offering 3 nights stay for the price of 2 and 7 nights for the price of 5, just email or give us a call, all the details are on our booking page.

David Miles Hand Printed Wallpapers

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:09:00 +0000

In 2007 I was awarded an overseas fellowship by the ISS institute. This enabled me to research the techniques, both traditional and modern, of printing wallpaper. For my report I was lucky enough to get to talk to David Miles in length about the industry in Australia in the 70's 80's and 90's. David was very generous with his time and sent me some great photos, which I will share with you all and explained how Signature Prints came to have some of his designs!

In the 1970’s there was a very small group of individuals designing and producing wallpaper.
The two most prominent were Florence Broadhurst and David Miles. David was trained as an architectural draughtsperson and was a talented artist. He was working for a flamboyant, high society interior decorator, Merle de Boulay and designed murals for private clients and mosaic
tables. David met Florence Broadhurst in 1965 when he was only twenty years old. Merle
de Boulay had sent him to Florence’s studio to get some wallpaper commissioned.

Another person linked with Florence was David Miles. He was trained as an architectural
draughtsperson and was a talented artist. David was working for a flamboyant, high society
interior decorator, Merle de Boulay. He designed murals for private clients and mosaic
tables. David met Florence Broadhurst in 1965 when he was only twenty years old. Merle
de Boulay had sent him to Florence’s studio to get some wallpaper commissioned

David set up his own business in 1969 and continued to render architectural drawings,
mosaic tables and some design work for Florence Broadhurst. In the late 1960’s Florence
commissioned David to create a large mural for a restaurant in Kings Cross, Sydney. A price
was agreed upon, but on completion of the design David noted that she refused to pay him
the agreed price!

David Miles' print factory

Following a road trip around Australia, David returned to Sydney, and decided to set up in
opposition to Florence, and with his partner (whom he married in 1970) developed a range
of wallpapers. They entered the market with their range named ‘David Miles Handprints’.
Unfortunately the venture suffered a set back when their premises was ransacked.

It took some time to recover from this, but they did with encouragement from people such
as Lady Marion Hall Best and Tom Harding from Décor Associates. After some months they
were ready for business. Their company benefited from an investment by Arthur G Wilson of
Wilsons Fabric and Wallpapers. The Miles’ retained twenty five per cent of the business and
the couple were sent on a world trip to look at some of the world’s best design studios.

In 1976, after twenty six design awards and countless front covers on Australia’s interior
design magazines, Wilsons was bought out by James Hardie. James Hardie renamed the
business Signature Prints.
The Miles’ felt that the business would change and decided to go their own way. They started up ‘Cherie Miles Wallpapers Pty Ltd’ in August 1977. In May 1979, the business was re named ‘David K Miles Handprinted Wallcoverings Pty Ltd’.
They traded until 1986 when the business was sold to Baresque Pty Ltd. Baresque continued
to produce the Miles’ designs until they closed the screen printing side of the business.
Production ceased in August 1991.

Don't you just love this total co- ordination?

This is where it gets interesting - Richard Blaiklock, owner of Baresque, "gave a heap of stuff to David Lennie. It was tough times for him then too so some of the inks, screens and grounds may have been of some benefit". Without doubt, some of David Miles designs would have on those screens.

Not sure if I could live with this, but I love the metallic silver and coral

this would great in commercial applications

When Florence died in 1977, her son took over the running of the business. Production ceased until the company was bought by a syndicate in 1989. This syndicate included David Lennie, now CEO of Signature Prints. The main attraction of this purchase was the library of Florence Broadhurst designs. The library had been purchased by James Hardie in 1978, a year after her death. It was also through this transaction that David Miles' designs have ended up in the Signature prints collection.
Look at the photos and see if you recognise any!

I love all of these, but especially the birds, so now.

Florence Broadhurst has been the most documented person in the Australian wallpaper world. This is due to an aggressive marketing campaign by Signature Prints. To begin with, the campaign was launched to a European market. As the profile of Florence Broadhurst was raised overseas, the Australian market became interested in the product! This is fairly typical of what goes on here unfortunately.

The Power House museum in Sydney is going to hold a retrospective of David and Cheries' wallpapers which will be great to see. I'll keep you posted.

Lastest creation

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:53:00 +0000

I just picked this up from the upholsterer. I made the base at woodwork and then took it along with the Nguni skin, [Zulu cow], I bought in South Africa. This is the result!
I was going to put some legs on it, but the upholsterer just put gliders on and I think I'm going to leave it as it is for the moment. It's approximately 1 metre across and 36cm high, so a good size. I meant to take a photo of the base I made before I got it covered, but forgot! my wood work wasn't wonderful and I had great fun with a nail gun, but as it was all getting covered it didn't matter too much.
It's a real statement piece and I LOVE it!

Vintage Furniture

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:44:00 +0000

I found this great site the other day - it was mentioned in Home Beautiful, an Australian magazine. Like many others, I love the Bond & Bowery site which I discovered via Studio Annettas blog, [thanks Suzy!], but shipping to Australia is very expensive.
Although 506070 hasn't got as much selection and they start at the 1950's, it's still good to find something like that here.
I've found a couple of goodies I really fancy...........

mushroom chair by designer Pierre Paulin, manufactured by Artifort. It's sitting on a Verner Panton rug.

love the look of this Arne Jacobsen Swan sofa, upholstered in chocolate leather. Hasn't got a price on it though!

Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:11:00 +0000

The reason I haven't done a posting for so long is because I have been in Bali - part holiday, part business.
This was the fourth time I have been to this beautiful Island - the majority of the population are Hindu and everywhere you go are "offerings"; every house has its own temple ranging from a very simple one to elaborate buildings. Each night the owner of the land our villa was built on came round with her children and put beautiful creations made up of banana leaves filled with frangipani, various other tropical flowers and incense sticks outside all of the rooms. We looked forward to her visit every evening, it was a very beautiful and peaceful time.
These are just a few of the many photos I took over the weeks - hope you enjoy them.

view from the villa

life still goes on as it always has done

took this in a garden at a villa I visited

entrance to a Balinese house

another entrance

loved this pink combo!

off to temple

end of the procession

silks at the market

shoppers paradise at the markets in Ubud

there are beautiful gates everywhere

stunning sunset

the garden is full of beautiful features

Helaconia - aren't they gorgeous?

flower petals for the offerings

evening offerings

making more elaborate offerings - these are all carved from coconut leaves

the work that goes into these is amazing

driving in Bali is like being part of the Wacky races! the good thing is that there is no road rage and plenty of calming statues to look at!!

I got very healthy in Bali - overdosed on mangoes though

another beauty outside an outdoor shower

Suggestions Please!

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:18:00 +0000

This sofa and two chairs belonged to my husbands Grandparents. They were New Zealanders and I believe they were made around the early 1900s. The cane work has been restored about 30 years ago and they were reupholstered. As you can see they are badly in need of a revamp!
I would love some suggestions or information on them-
I am thinking that I may just have one large seat cushion and two back cushions on the sofa???? Also favouring a velvet to reupholster them with.
If you've seen my website you'll know that I work with velvet a lot! unfortunately it's silk velvet and I don't think it will withstand a lot of wear and tear- shame as I would have loved to have used that it has such a vintage look.

so, suggestions please!

What a great idea!

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:51:00 +0000

Just a quick post - had to share these photos of the Comme des Garcons shop in Kobe, Japan. The feature was in an old issue of World of Interiors, [Sept 06] and I had bookmarked it as I think it was such an innovative idea. Typical of Rei Kawakubo. Photos of grand palaces from past issues of the magazine were blown up to life size images and papered onto the walls. The rooms are linked by irregular shaped openings through which one can see other images. Love it!

ballroom at the Palazzo Gangi in Palermo, Sicily.

Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul with a views of the Palazzo Gangi in the background.

The entrance is papered with images of the Dolmabahce Palace Schloss Favorite, Germany.

Another view of the Dolmabahce Palace with a view of the hall of mirrors, Palazzo Gangi , Palermo in the background.

My first piece of furniture!

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:19:00 +0000

Our local high school in Margaret River has a fantastic woodwork department and teacher! Ian, the teacher, gives up his wednesday night to run a wood work class. No prior knowledge is needed and you can make what ever you like! Ian will help you with the construction plan, setting up with the machinery etc. Nothing is a problem, it's great!
My daughter, Anna & I decided to go and bought a large slab of Marri, which is a native timber, otherwise known as Red Gum from our local salvage yard. We decided to do a couple of console tables as they aren't too tricky. I should have taken photos as we went along, but here are a couple of the finished product. The wood has a black grain running through it and is very knotty, but I love it and am feeling very pleased with them. Now my head is buzzing with what I will make next........

one of the pair

close up of the grain

Joesph Ettedguis Chelsea flat

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:37:00 +0000

I've been a fan of Joseph Ettedguis clothes for many years, so it was no surprise that I love what Gilles & Boissier have done to his flat in Chelsea.Although I adore colour, I am always drawn to this look of understated elegance and I especially love the oak panelling. Joseph and his wife , Isabel have taken over Connolly Leather, an old firm known for the interiors of Aston Martins and Rolls Royces.

I particularly like the console table and the bronze sculpture by Demal and the candle holders and well, everything actually!

so simple, but achingly chic.

understated elegance in the master bedroom

two of my favorite things - marble and white orchids

beautiful oak panelling and those fabulous candle holders

beautiful and functional, yet still liveable. The roses everywhere in the house gve it a "homely feel", if you know what I mean!

all photos courtesy of House & Garden June 2008, English edition.

Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:57:00 +0000

As I was trawling through the net looking for a villa to rent in Bali, I thought I'd share some of the images with you all, enjoy!

what a view!

Love this pool

wish I was there right now!

love the infinity pool

I just love open air bathrooms

How wonderful !

Getting Away From It All ………………..

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:20:00 +0000

Thought you may enjoy some photos I took recently whilst in Exmouth, a small town which sits on the Ningaloo Reef. This reef is, at 260 kms, the longest fringing reef in the world. The majority of it is in National Park, which means that it is protected. Just walk off the beach into an underwater world teeming with fish, amazing coral gardens and further out, Whale Sharks. I swam with turtles, reef sharks and had a close encounter with a Wobbegong shark that was lazing around on the sea bed! The beaches are full of washed up corals, shells and other treasures from the reef.

Early Morning Visitors!

Osprey Bay

Another deserted beach……….

And another!

The beaches are full of washed up corals

Coral fossilized in rocks on the beach… about 30 million years old.

More washed up inspiration

While I beach combed, my husband Tony surfed

Yardie Creek, the Pilbarra region is full of amazing Gorges

Another amazing sunset

Swedish Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:10:00 +0000

I thought I'd share some of the photos I took last summer whilst visiting Halsingland in the north of Sweden last year. The trip was organised by Nordiska Museum as part of the International Wallpaper Conference. We visited a number of 18th century farmhouses which all had roomfuls of beautifully preserved wallpaper. This was due to the fact that many of

the farmers became wealthy because of the value of their crops of flax.

They built separate "summer houses" for parties and family events and this was where they hung the wallpapers. Because these summer houses were only used for special occasions the wallpaper has remained relatively undamaged.

Everything has stayed the same,with nothing thrown away over the years. A rarity these days in our throw away world!

Visiting Halsingland was a highlight as only a few months previously I had been intrigued by some photos in the March 07 issue of World of Interiors showcasing fabrics in some of the farmhouses.

I hope you enjoy the following photos,

I want this china!

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:58:00 +0000

I love Paul Smith stuff, especially his range of china! It's gorgeous!

The ultimate dog bowl!

All photos from www.paulsmith.com

Handwoven Silks in Stockholm

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:08:00 +0000

The Nov/Dec issue of Selvedge magazine last year ran an article on the Almgren Silk Mill in Stockholm, which was founded in 1833. Sadly, it closed in the 1970's but was turned into a museum. I visited the museum last year and had a lovely few hours wandering around the old mill.

loom with silk being woven

Jacquard Loom

Nothing has been changed, apart from the top floor, which is now the actual museum, and you can walk around and see all the machinery as it would have been up until it closed. Weaver, Sonja Enbuske, talked me through the whole process of weaving from the winding of the silk onto the skeins to showing me how she worked the 140 year old loom. The silk she produces is stunning -

handwoven silks - love the purple & yellow

reels of silk for the ribbons

I opened up drawers and found all these beautiful ribbons,

mouthwatering colours

more ribbons!

I especially like this one

I had to show you this photo of some traditional Swedish boots which were part of an exhibition on at the Nordiska Museum - they are so gorgeous!

Hand made wallpaper

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:32:00 +0000

Last year I was lucky enough to be awarded an ISS institute Fellowship to research printing techniques for wallpaper. I spent a week at Allyson McDermotts studio in Gloucestershire learning about hand made wallpaper. Her studio is set in the grounds of her beautiful Tudor house.

Allyson McDermotts House

I only found out about her work when I read an article in the December 06 issue of World of Interiors, [I love that magazine!] and she was happy to let me work in her studio for a week.

It was a great week and I learnt so much. Early wallpapers were actually just sheets of paper stuck on the wall, this progressed to pieces about 3 metres long, [this was because the paper was hung above the Dado], and was made up of smaller sheets of hand made paper stuck together with rabbit skin glue.

hand-blocked wallpapers

These sheets were then "grounded" with hand made distemper.

This is wonderful, it has a life of its own, so different from modern paints. Apparently it's to do with the amount of pigment in it.

sheets of wallpaper grounded with distemper and hung to dry.

Allyson has developed her own paint range based on historical colours. The colours are lovely and contain 4-5 times more pigment than normal, so look amazing.

beautiful colours!

Next came the hand blocking- it's pretty physical and very time consuming! The majority of blocks are still hand carved in the traditional way from pear wood, which makes them very heavy.

hand carved printing blocks

While I was here Allyson was sampling for a paper for Temple Newsam in Leeds. This was a

flocked paper, which is even more tricky as the design has to printed on with a special glue and then immediately put into the flocking box before it dries out.

block ready to print with

There is something very special about hand printed wallpapers as opposed to machine printed. They have a texture made by the ink sitting on the surface rather than being part of the paper which happens with most machines, apart from the Surface Print machines, [more about that in a future post], of which there are only a couple left in operation in the world.

Allyson also undertakes a lot of conservation work and this is one of a pair of antique panels, dating to around the 17th century, [from what I can remember].

love the chalky colours.

After experiencing the whole process of creating hand made wallpaper it became very obvious as to why it's so expensive, but so worth it!

Africanissiomo!

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:28:00 +0000

I brought a May issue of House & Garden South Africa back with me recently as I love the way animal hides, leather and indigenous pieces are used together. Liz Morris, the editor, calls it "Africanissiomo". It makes for a very eclectic look but sophisticated look.Just a couple of pieces can make an ordinary interior become interesting .

This is a house in Little Venice, London decorated by Hubert Zandberg Interiors. A lot of the art was bought in South Africa.

Photograph is by Pieter Hugo whose work you can see at the Michael Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town. Have a look as It's fantastic.

Also love the table in the style of Gio Ponti.

Beautiful Brazilian Art Deco leather couch and chairs.

The paint finish on the walls is apparently like Chinese lacquer work, giving them a"glazed" look. The walls are all painted in a grey with aubergine undertones. Works well as a back drop to artworks. Love the Etro cushions and citrus ottoman.

Aren't these antique mirrors beautiful? More lovely cushions, this time from Paul Smith.

Great combination

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Love the combination of leather & velvet on this chair, taken in the library at Serra Cafema, Namibia.

photo from May edition House & Garden South Africa.

Beautiful Imagery

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 06:59:00 +0000

I found these postcards in Knysna, South Africa, when I was there for a wedding last month. They're so different from the usual touristy ones. The colours and textiles are beautiful, and I especially like the one below. The indigo of the fabrics the girl is wearing and that hibiscus pink look great.

I wished that I had bought more and then noticed that they were taken from a book called "Shack Chic, Art and Innovation In South African Shack Lands" with the photography by Craig Fraser. I'm going to add it to my ever growing list of books I want! If you go to www.quivertree.co.za and click on images you can preview the book and some others which also might have to go on my list.

The beginning of Redgate Studios.....

noreply@blogger.com (Redgate Studios) — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:05:00 +0000

Looking at the pilot for my website today, I found myself thinking back to how I first started on my creative journey.I had always been interested in crafts and had been taught to embroider at nine by my Grandmother, but I always wanted to create everything myself,fabric,threads, clothes, anything which could be made.
My epiphany arrived when I attended a workshop called "Fantasy Fabrics" held by Vivien Prideaux, a highly respected textile artist in the UK. I was introduced to the basics of dyeing and "Shibori", the Japanese art of fabric manipulation.
With no technical training I was often stuck, but all my questions were answered by Peter Ledbetter of Kemtex UK, who gave me all the help I needed to achieve the results I wanted.
One day Vivien showed me a cross dyed 1930's devore waistcoat. I was fascinated by the technique and decided that I wanted to produce that fabric. This was 1995, silk velvet was only just being rediscovered as a fashion fabric and the devore technique had yet to become mainstream. Now I would just google a technique,but as I didn't have any idea about the internet then, I called Peter!
At that time, believe it or not, there wasn't an exact recipe available, but he did have an old one which he gave me. Then the fun began, the quantities had huge variables and after I had painted the devore paste onto my velvet, I baked it in my gas oven! I still remember the amazement when it actually worked! Without thinking, I washed the leftover paste down the sink which promptly blocked the drains.
That was a long time ago and there are always hitches when printing meterage with such an exacting technique, but when I look at the pure luxury of the finished piece it is all worthwhile.
Now I have another "Peter", Graham and Bonnie from KraftKolour, the Australian counterpart to Kemtex. Later this week, [hopefully!] the website will be fully operational and then the hard work of marketing it begins, another journey! I also have another project underway, wallpaper, more about that later!