SALON DE LA SIRÈNE - THE IDEAS & INSPIRATION BEHIND IT

THE IDEAS AND INSPIRATION BEHIND THE

SALON DE LA SIRÈNE

T H E J O U R N E Y

CAN A ROOM TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY?

That’swhatIhopedourSalonwoulddoforourguests.

FromtheoutsetIwantedtocreatesomethingdarkandsexy Iwantedtomaketherooman escapeandsomethingcompletelydifferenttowhatmostofuslivein.Myfeelingwasthatmy littleroomwouldnothaveabigviewsoIneededtoworkhardatcreatingsomethingwith enoughgorgeousnesstodelightmyguestsandtakethemsomewheredifferent

LookingbackIthinkitstartedwiththetiles Thisisoftenthewayforme Iamvery“earthy” andfeelaplacebeginsfromthegroundup SoIbeganlookingtoseewhatIwasdrawnto I foundanewloveofZelligetiles.Thesearemorrocanhandmadetiles.Iwassodrawntothem anddecidedtheymustformthebackboneoftheroom

IthenreachedouttoanartistinParisthatIhavelovedsince2014 Isawthatshehadmuch interestinmythologicalanimalsandthroughthisresearchIthenfoundhermermaid ButI amjumpingaheadhere.

L E G R A N D C E R F

( T H E B I G D E E R )

When I was much younger I was an au pair in France and the gorgeous family I worked for owned a deer farm It was a very wonderful experience to live in the french countryside with such gorgeous people So the deer who magestically guards the front door and holds your keys takes me back to the farm in Maurpoirier, Jublains France and the sweet family I lived with

The Deer came from Paris and we had found him back in 2014 roaming around the 11th Arrondissment I already have one of his family members in our home along with other bulls and gazelles

These creatures give us such pleasure It’s remarkable how much happiness I get from opening the pantry doors inside our place by a gentle tug on the gazelle’s horns

Cow horn handles were brought from Paris too I love that they look like mini watercolour paintings

The Gold Tiles

Possibly the heros of the room are the sublimely beautiful gold motif tiles Hand painted in Paris I pitched the idea to our artist friend and indicated our Salon was going to be a perfect home for these gorgeous creations. The little box arrived soon after and we proudly offer them a home by the sea. There are two mermaids in this collection One resides in the bathroom and the other in the main room Le Sirène means Mermaid and so the Salon de la Sirène was christened

The Black Zellige Tiles

These teamed beautifully with the hand painted tiles and these were from Morocco Every one of them is different, but every one is perfection Handmade by artisans in Morocco, these exquisite tiles are each individually cut and hand-glazed, resulting in a subtle shade variation across the surface of each tile.

Bejmat Tiles on the wall of the entrance

The sand coloured tiles on the wall I fell in love with and didn’t quite know where I could use them Eventually it was decided to treat them like the work of art that they are and to hang them on the wall like a work of art. No grout was needed – the shadows between them and the exquisite irregular texture and feel is enough. More than enough to take you somewhere new The colours is so subtle, and the slight variations in the hues create a warm and welcoming overall effect

above:- The Bejmat tiles at the entrance to the salon below:- The handmaid gold leaf tiles that were commissioned for the salon

The Tiles under foot in the doorway

The plank ones are Italian and are in our other studio. The blue ceramic tiles are total favourites and we have used them in our home. I had a couple of dozen tiles left over and always hoped I would find a great spot for them. They are no longer made so I guess that makes them even more special.

A dilemma

When it came to the bathroom there was a challenge. I have never liked shower screens as I find they never look that pretty.There was not enough space to utilize another tiled wall but then there was a brilliant discovery. Whilst indulging my new interest in mermaids I came upon a stunning painting by John William Waterhouse (British, 1849-1917).The Salon colours were already settled on and my tiles were chosen and this mythological Mermaid painting just worked so beautifully so I sourced her in the form of a shower curtain. She is so hauntingly beautiful and I am so happy to give her a home in the Salon de la Sirène.

The Sink

I was so bored when I began the search for a sink. That was until I found this hand painted Mororccon sink. I had to commission it and hold my breath until it arrived.Buying on the internet was like a big gamble but it definitely paid off and the sink sits so proudly in our bathroom commanding much more than a wipe over.

I wanted something lovely in the bathroom to catch your reflection. I needed something with a heart and a story.Luckily a treasure was found. The origins are sketchy except to say its owner told me it came from an antique shop in Country NSW so we can hope that before it switched hands in the backstreets of Surry Hills, it saw many a lipstick painted girl’s smile before her first B&S ball.

Wall Tiles

Count them.There are 1200 100mmx100mm tiles hand laid on these bathroom walls. They are Spanish tiles and in some lights they look like chocolate velvet. They are a crazy splurge.

Floor Tiles

Not often do you find navy blue in a tile but these beauties were made to order in Victoria. They took quite some time to arrive but I am happy to give them a home in Byron Bay.

The Kimonos

Batik is something that I have always loved The history of it and the simplicity and repetition of the shapes calms and is so easy on the eye I sourced these beautiful deep blue kimonos in Indonesia I love the elegant sleeve, the relaxing and flattering cut and did I say the colour? Deep blue and black are happy friends

The French Sconces

We love the antique store Lunatics which is in Sydney. There on a wet Sunday afternoon we found the French sconces. I knew they were gorgeous and needed to find them a home in the Salon. So we picked them up and made them ours and sent them to our sparkie to get working.They are much more than “task lighting”.Old elegant lights such as these were never made for tasks, they were expected to be confidantes to mistresses skipping through velvet clad corridors.

The Cage Light Shades + Gold Shower Caddy

These lovely shades reminded me of fishing baskets and I loved their simplicity.The gold shower caddy was also attractive and all came from The Society Inc which the very clever Sibella Court owns.

The Amaretto Tin

Another glorious find from Lunatics. The colours were a reference for me all along. Whilst the blues and black didn’t feature I knew they had to hold the opulence of the tones in this tin and always referred back to this.

The Two Paintings on the Loft

I like to think that one of my babes stole these from the Louvre. That when my son dropped his Scotty Prince teddy in the Presidential Rooms that this teddy got busy, saw an opportunity and did what he had to do to secure two priceless paintings As we continued on the tour of the Louvre leaving Scotty on the floor, it was not until we got back to the little apartment in the 14th Arrondissment that we realized to our horror that teddy was missing. Steps were retraced but no teddy was found. Check the camera (yes it was a camera in those days, no phones) Look at all the photos we took Zoom in on the bag – Scotty is in that picture and that one but wait, no he is gone He must have fallen out when we went through that long corridor with the massive chandelier. A telephone call was made. Did we really just get through to the Louvre? Brilliant. They will check. Monsieur should call back in the morning. He did Teddy found Come fetch Avec pleasure!

Now what must be understood is that this is not just any Teddy. This one has been all over the world. He knows art and culture and my feeling is that when an opportunity like this arose it isn't surprising that he made the most of it I know of no one who has slept in the Louvre in modern times No one except Louis’ Scotty Prince Teddy So it just makes sense that he was behind the job. Perhaps it was when Louis spoke with Scotty about the night he spent in the Louvre that the idea of stealing the paintings was borne. All I know is those paintings on the mezzanine certainly look like the ones we saw in the Louvre

pictured left is Scotty Prince wearing his Titan's gear with lifelong friend, Gibbon

pictured above is the room in the Louvre where Scotty stayed and probs found the pictures