It was after midnight on New Years eve, dare I say nearly 2am, when I began drafting this post. So obsessed with my new camera and editing today's shoot, I had absolutely no idea time had escaped me! New Years Eve has been and gone, however I can definitely say I am still buzzing from the excitement of the results of my first interior shoot. All of images below, bar one, were taken on auto, my lack of knowledge of manual is currently holding me back, so I am keen to attend a course in the near future.
My first interior of 2014 belongs to Kaye, who owns a soft furnishing business, Curtainalia, based in the pretty suburb of Epsom, in Auckland. It was a glorious sunny day when Kaye invited me over for afternoon tea at her home overlooking Orakei Basin, little did she know I had an ulterior motive when I turned up armed with camera and tripod. We had a wonderful afternoon chatting, eating and drinking and at one point, looking at the laden olive tree above and feeling the warmth of the summer sun, I was completely lost and convinced I was in Italy.
A typical 1940's NZ bungalow, Kaye has honoured her homes architecture by retaining the original design of its exterior, however with Kaye's clever design skills and antique French furniture, the interior of this warm and inviting home, has very much a European feel. Blending antique, French and Italian furnishing Kaye has created a relaxed interior with moments of opulence.
Kaye's love of Europe extends to the garden beyond, where she has planted olive, fig and espaliered fruit trees. A converted garage adjoins the house, its cleverly renovated interior has exposed beams and the feel of an old stone house. With a small kitchen at one end and French doors to a courtyard, it is the perfect place for entertaining. The concrete floor in this area has been cleverly 'faux' painted to appear as old stone tiles and the ceiling beams and walls have been lime washed. My favourite part of this area is the wonderful beamed ceilings where two gorgeous 5 arm chandeliers have been hung in the rafters. I don't have a great deal of photos to share as I thought it a little rude to spend the whole afternoon taking photographs when the invitation was for afternoon tea. However, Kaye has said I am welcome to go back and shoot some more images next week and when I do I will make sure I have some shots of the detail I have described above, meanwhile I hope you enjoy these few below...
My first interior of 2014 belongs to Kaye, who owns a soft furnishing business, Curtainalia, based in the pretty suburb of Epsom, in Auckland. It was a glorious sunny day when Kaye invited me over for afternoon tea at her home overlooking Orakei Basin, little did she know I had an ulterior motive when I turned up armed with camera and tripod. We had a wonderful afternoon chatting, eating and drinking and at one point, looking at the laden olive tree above and feeling the warmth of the summer sun, I was completely lost and convinced I was in Italy.
A typical 1940's NZ bungalow, Kaye has honoured her homes architecture by retaining the original design of its exterior, however with Kaye's clever design skills and antique French furniture, the interior of this warm and inviting home, has very much a European feel. Blending antique, French and Italian furnishing Kaye has created a relaxed interior with moments of opulence.
Kaye's love of Europe extends to the garden beyond, where she has planted olive, fig and espaliered fruit trees. A converted garage adjoins the house, its cleverly renovated interior has exposed beams and the feel of an old stone house. With a small kitchen at one end and French doors to a courtyard, it is the perfect place for entertaining. The concrete floor in this area has been cleverly 'faux' painted to appear as old stone tiles and the ceiling beams and walls have been lime washed. My favourite part of this area is the wonderful beamed ceilings where two gorgeous 5 arm chandeliers have been hung in the rafters. I don't have a great deal of photos to share as I thought it a little rude to spend the whole afternoon taking photographs when the invitation was for afternoon tea. However, Kaye has said I am welcome to go back and shoot some more images next week and when I do I will make sure I have some shots of the detail I have described above, meanwhile I hope you enjoy these few below...
Of course I couldn't miss out Dolph, the German Short Haired Pointer
The pretty floral linen and beautifully trimmed velvet cushions are the work of Kaye's company Curtainalia and Bel Cuscino. Kaye's lovely little shop, Bel Cuscino stocks gifts and unique pieces of furniture. These images are just a snippet of Kaye's house, however as mentioned I will be returning next week to photograph more rooms and capture more of the detail I mentioned above.
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If you don't want to miss out on the follow-up to this post, please feel free to sign up for email updates on my sidebar where you will receive each new post as it is published, direct to your inbox. Your email address is strictly kept private and you can unsubscribe at any time. Alternatively you can see links to new updates posted on my Facebook page.
If you love French style, you may also enjoy the following posts;
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A Gracious Villa in St Marys Bay - Part one
A Gracious Villa in St Marys Bay - Part Two
If Your Minimalist, Look Away - Tour a French Style Home
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