Behind The Scenes on Vogue Living

Confession. I love Vogue Living. I really do. It's the Sydney Opera House of interior design magazines: surprising, refined, a little edgy (I love the way it always curves off in unexpected but joyous directions) and distinctly Australian. It also has a cheeky spirit wrapped inside that taut, dignified body. You could almost say it's the Hugh Jackman of glossies, but let's clear the screen of magazine analogies now.

Many years ago I did a lot of writing for Vogue Living. Correction: I did a lot of secret writing for Vogue Living. Unfortunately, I had a full-time journalism job so I had to do it under a pseudonym that was as faux as the leopard print cushions in the rooms we shot. But I didn't care. It was my dream magazine. I was just grateful for the opportunity.

I remember going along to shoots with the best photographers and stylists of the day – including Earl Carter – and seeing how the pros made magic. It was like seeing what went on inside the top hat of interior design.

So it was interesting to receive Vogue Living's email launching its new Before + After 2102 issue. In this email, VL offered a little editorial tease by (very kindly) allowing a behind-the-scenes peek at at a photo shoot of a Sydney penthouse apartment.

I have to say VL: I love you, I really do, and it breaks my heart to say this, but it wasn't your best story. Or, as they say in fashion, "it wasn't your best angle". At the risk of upsetting those involved (my sincere apologies; I know how difficult it is doing these shoots), this is what I would have loved to have seen instead...

Here's the 'before' shot of that enviable harbour view.

Here's the after:

Are you thinking it's like 'Where's Wally?' too? Okay, it's apparent that a few outdoor chairs have been moved but apart from that, I can't see much of a difference at all. 

What I would have LOVED to have seen is the space BEFORE the VL crew came over: the sports socks and coffee cups scattered here and there, the old Sunday newspapers strewn on the coffee table, the empty wine glasses from the big night before (lipstick stains still attached), and the sexy evening dress thrown over the Egg chair after that great big AFL footballer/banker/visiting Hollywood movie star carried the owner off to bed! (Can't quite see if it's an Egg chair from here, but go with me on this.) 

THEN, I would have loved to have seen how they arranged the floral display (how they even chose the flowers for this space!), how they got the wine stains off the chair, and why they choose what they did for the table scape. 

That would have been a real 'before' and 'after', don't you think? 

And what I really, REALLY would have loved to have seen is how the photographer lit that seemingly dark room and then managed to shoot it with the sunny view outside (all very difficult to do). 

Here's the crew making the bed. Now this is nice. A lovely taupe linen throw, artfully folded and draped just so. But here's what I want to know: What was on the bed before? Was it the Ikea sheets? The hand-made crochet rug? The big hairy dog? Or the AFL footballer/banker/visiting Hollywood movie star?

And what about the artwork? I've worked on shoots where the crew has come in and taken everything away. I mean - Every. Single. Piece. And then replaced the lot with David Bromleys and interesting indigenous paintings.

Also, I like how they've removed their shoes. Very respectful. I notice things like that.

Here's a shot of the crew shooting and observing. This image doesn't tell me a lot. Who chose this for the spread? It shows the bridge and the placement of the apartment, but where are the pix of everybody frantically cleaning the place, styling the corners, moving the furniture? That's what I would have loved to see.

Ah, here we go. Now we're getting there. 

But what about the next shot to this sequence? The styling of the table? The polishing of glasses. The breaking of glasses... 

That would have been better...

Here's a pineapple. 

That banana looks a bit old and cruddy. Helen Redmond (VL editor) doesn't normally allow bad fruit through the Quality Control. (Once I heard her say: "I want six perfect potatoes!" And I just knew they had to be per-fect.) Where's the shot of someone checking the mouldy old banana and taking it away?

Here's the room where the pineapple went. I know what I'm thinking. What are you all thinking?

Okay, so it's a lovely kitchen. (I LOVE a monochrome cooking space.) But not sure about the pineapple people??? It looks like one of the free fruit bowls hotel managers sometimes leave in my room... 

I would have done a tower of chocolate aubergines. Or even an artful display of white ones? 

And why can't they put people in shots anymore? I just find these spaces so empty, stagnant and devoid of life when there's no human movement through them... I know it's a signature look of another interior design magazine (which we won't name here), but can't we show some human life? Even just a pair of shoes on the floor? Just to show somebody lives here?

Apart from that, it's beautiful.

Here's some people looking at a laptop screen, probably to check the images and composition as they go along. 

I know. I'm thinking the same thing. Where are the shots of someone on their hands and knees cleaning the floor? And wiping the table? And sweeping the leaves from that extraordinarily large Fig tree in the background?

Ah, HERE we go! Look at that! Piles of cushions! Now we're seeing the dirt. 

I want to see the BAGS of cushions being brought into the apartment, the TRUCK outside, the REAL styling going on. I want to see the staff laughing, and swearing with exhaustion, and talking about the bad date they had the night before, and why is that AFL footballer still in the penthouse bedroom...???

I'm not a big fan of big, iron-and-steel, bridge-y things in my photos. But that's just me. 

And I'm thinking this terrace needs some 'fluffing'. It needs Faux Fuschia in there to overcushion it. Even one would be nice. Or perhaps some funky lemon, lime and bitter glasses? Or perhaps the AFL footballer leaning over the balcony, sans his robe? (Oh! Did I say that out loud?)

But you know what? It's still a great story, despite my tongue-in-cheek remarks. I think there should be more 'before' and 'after' images like these in magazines. But REAL ones. 

Yes, we even want to see the cleaning lady! And could someone bring that AFL footballer back into shot, please?

{All images via Vogue Living. Buy the latest issue for more insights and loveliness.}

LV, The Romance of Travel & The Best Paris Fashion Show Of All Time

They're already calling it the most beautiful fashion show ever staged. Even more spectacular than Karl's Last Year in Marienbad number for Chanel. As Ms Sarah Jessica Parker eloquently put it: "it was cinema, it was literature." Supermodel Natalia Vodianova (the girlfriend of LVMH scion Antoine Arnault) went one sartorial step further and declared it a “fashion orgasm”.

It started with a train of all things; an elegantly beautiful Orient Express-style steam train, with navy-and-gold livery and smartly dressed passengers glimpsed through the windows. There was even ornately arching ironwork overhead, and a navy LV-monogrammed station clock like the one in Hugo. When the engine chugged into the catwalk station with a romantic whistle and a cloud of theatrical steam, the crowd sensed that a truly spectacular fashion show was about to begin.

One by one the models emerged, stepping down the platform-cum-runway in vertiginous heels and 1900-style high hats, looking for all the world like 19th-century literary heroines – travelling protagonists meeting their illicit lovers on a Parisian platform. There were even uniformed, white-gloved porter to carry the model passengers' handbags, hat boxes, jewelled holdalls and LV cases; all nostalgic nods to Louis Vuitton's start as a humble luggage maker.

It was a show that had everything – references to cinema, literature, glamour, and turn-of-the-century fashion – but mostly it was a show about the romance of travel. As designer Marc Jacobs explained:"We just imagined this romantic notion. It's the idea of the trip."

It was glorious. Extraordinary. A remarkable, joyous juxtaposition of fashion and travel. Mr Lagerfeld, you're going to need to come up with something magic to top this. You can see some of the show here, courtesy of The Telegraph - All Depart at Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week {Images also via The Telegraph} 

And so, as a tribute to LV's grand, glamorous contributions to travel over the years, I thought I'd do a railway-inspired post. Yes, my dear library readers, get ready to embrace the romance of trains.

The train station as film star: Martin Scorsese’s enthralling 3D film Hugo, which was set within a Parisian railway station in the early 1930s. The station was built at Longcross Studios near London but has the atmosphere of the original d'Orsay station (now the Musée d'Orsay). London’s Victoria & Albert Museum stood in for the Parisian workplace of Hugo’s father.

The train station as fashion set: Catherine Deneuve looking like the star she is in an ad for Louis Vuitton. One wonders if this was the image that inspired Marc Jacobs to do a fashion show in the same thread?

Steam as a romance starter: The famously moving scene from Downton Abbey. Oh Mary! We feel for you. We really do.

The station as cinematic backdrop: Anthony Hopkins (Henry), Emma Thomson (Margaret) and her glamorous companion reunite on a platform in the film Howard's End. (I've always loved that white coat and hat.)

Travel as an art form: French fashion designer Paul Poiret's travel trunk, designed by Louis Vuitton. It's a particularly fitting image because Marc Jacob's collection (above) was partly inspired by Poiret's shapes. The image is from the book Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks. To see one of the most beautiful advertising campaigns ever produced, go to the Louis Vuitton Youtube video, which was produced to coincide with the launch of the book. It will make you want to pack a LV steamer trunk and start looking at vintage maps for ideas! It's here LV Video or here LV Video 2

The platform as a plot device: The 1945 film Brief Encounter  not only features a railway platform at the start and end of the story, but the setting is integral to the plot. Based on the story by Noel Coward, it was voted one of the best movie romances of all time by the British in 2010, according to The Guardian.

The waiting room-inspired interior: Look at this incredible space. Isn't it extraordinary? Conceived by designer Amitha Verma, its designed so that the panelling hides all the cabinets and shelving units. Reminiscent of a magnificent waiting room in a grand Parisian train station, it balances light and dark, height and room proportion perfectly. Just as a well thought-out train station does.

The station hall-inspired library: Anthony Hopkins' penthouse in the film Meet Joe Black. I could watch this film over and over again just to see the set design.

The Orient Express-inspired ensuite: This beautiful room is from the always-gorgeous blog by Slim Paley {slimpaley.com}. It's her own bathroom from her beach house at Santa Barbara. I think this must rate as one of the most elegant ensuites ever designed.

The Grand Central-inspired hangbag: Just had to include this Kate Spade bag! I love the design. And doesn't it remind you of the architecture and aesthetics of a great old train station such as Grand Central? The brown, mahogany-toned leather, the black and white lines, the whole simple-but-sophisticated aesthetic?

The perfect toiletry set for a private carriage: An antique travel case from Louis Vuitton featuring the original toiletry jars. Look at the snake skin finish! Exquisite.

And finally... A woman who can sing about trains like nobody else... Gladys Knight and the Pips, live at Chicago's Regal Theater.  Just watch those Pips dance!  Click here -  Gladys baby

Design Wise: Schappacher White

We're not design snobs here in the House of the Frugal Decorator. We have $300 Italian lamps beside $50 Ikea ones. We have a $400 Bose iPod speaker on a $40 chest of drawers (found at a garage sale and painted matt black to match). We have $1000 Bruno Benini fashion photographs next to my rough old amateur ones. And we have a $250 limited edition Louis Vuitton book (a gift from RR) sitting beside $1 titles found at The Strand in New York.

Interior design should never be precious, in my opinion. It should consist of the things you love. I don't want to lecture you because you're all quite capable of decorating your own homes, and you should do it the way you want to! But the moment I see a room that is styled to within an inch of its life with high-end furniture and precious antiques, I quietly shudder! (Where do they put their feet? Where do they sit their coffee cups without worrying about marking the mahogany? And where – oh where – do the poor dogs go?)

Someone else who shares my down-to-earth design philosophy is Ms Rhea White. She is the kind of woman I love: practical; innovative, creative, funny, and fond of a decorating bargain.  She is a woman who can make a flea-sale find look like an antique from a Sotheby's auction.

I spotted Rhea sitting next to Celerie Kemble in a Habitually Chic photo last week and it prompted me to do a Design Wise post on her firm. I had the great pleasure of meeting Rhea and her design partner Steve Schappacher on Shelter Island near New York when I shot their beach house (above and below) for a book on coastal architecture. Steve Schappacher is the architect of the duo; a design genius who can see possibilities where the rest of us see run-down wrecks. Rhea White is the interior designer of the family; a woman who can style a house like no one – and I mean NO ONE – I've ever met!

I'd like to show you. This, my library friends, is how the pros make over their homes!

(Note: Depending on where we end up living after The Big Move, I'm going to see if we have enough money to get these two to do our next house. That is, if they have time between all their other Manhattan commissions...)

The whimsical black-and-white dining room. The rusty old garden chairs were picked up for a song at a second-hand store on Shelter Island and deliberately left as they were. (Rhea simply put some striped cushions in for comfort.) These chairs really make this space. They are adorable. 

Notice how many of the fittings and furniture pieces are black? It's a clever move because the dark colour outlines the beauty of these pieces by silhouetting them against the white backdrop. 

I've forgotten where she picked up this fabulous vintage chair (I was too busy gawping and photographing madly to make copious notes, sorry!), but I love how it sits beautifully with the gently aged kitchen cabinet behind it. Look how Rhea has painted the back of it, to highlight the dinnerware.  Normally people paint cabinets or bookshelves black and then leave the back of them white. Rhea, however, has gone the opposite direction. I told you she was clever.

The kitchen. This is such a lovely cooking space for an island beach house. Look at how the black dinnerware makes a statement on the white shelves. And how the cupboards are like old-fashioned farmhouse cupboards. The modern twist to this room is the stove. It's black. (I desperately want one of those!) Love the geometric sink in the island bench too. And the elegant tapware with the simple benchtop. Just beautiful.

Chalkboards have been in so long they're bound to go out soon, but Rhea and Steve have given theirs a contemporary look by painting the entire kitchen wall in chalkboard paint and doodling cute pictures on it. It works because the wall beyond it is black too, while the door trims have been painted white. The layers of black and white are instantly dramatic. Even the shell hanging on the far wall has been painted white. And look at the cream sandshoes. Very cute.

This is a detail of the hallway in the previous photo. Rhea has simply strung up an old fishing rope and thrown some hooks over it. So creative. The beach bag is a witty play on words. (The house is on Shelter Island.)

The powder room. Located off the side entrance, this was my favourite room. That steel shower screen is actually VERY expensive.  (I doubt their laundry/powder room was a $30 makeover like ours!) But look at the retro-style black tapware. Isn't it beautiful? It's a lot like the bathrooms in the guest rooms of Ace Hotel in New York. And those light fittings! I love this powder room. Such a glamorous beach house ensuite. It makes you want to wear a retro-style, polka-dot black maillot, and then hang it up on a hook to match!

The living room. The top image is out of focus but it doesn't matter as many of you will have already seen this room in the blogosphere. The bottom image is the one I wanted to show you. It's home-made artwork, created out of rusty old bits of steel. Love the 4-by-3 configuration.

The bedrooms. These were ordinary farmhouse bedrooms, located either side of the landing at the top of the stairs. But look how lovely they are with a black-and-white palette?

The garden. The garden was as gorgeous as the rest of the house. Rhea and Steve built the long pergola and the outdoor fireplace, and converted the carport to a cool pool house. I'm told by another architect (a famous New York one, who knows about these things) that this pool is VERY expensive because of the long steps on the side. I'm too polite to ask how much it costs, and it doesn't matter, because it's the final exclamation design on this spectacularly clever Shelter Island beach house.

For more details of this creative duo's projects, look up their website schappacherwhite.com, or click here – Schappacher White