Arsenal, and it was light.

Since the entrance hall is the first room you see entering the apartment it is quite important. A lot of people tend to not care too much, since you mainly walk through, but never spend a lot of time there. Although a first impression walking into an apartment is almost as important as the one you get meeting new people. And in my opinion it should reflect the owners personality.  In that particular case the owner of the apartment is, as mentioned before, an American photographer based in Vienna. Naturally she isn't only interested in Photography, but collects all kinds of Art. To showcase parts of her collection in the entrance hall I chose to really focus on the pictures and photos. And what better way to direct the attention to the art as with great lighting. Some focused spots will light up the pictures on the walls while a vintage lamp highlights the center table that will show parts of the African collection the photographer brought home from one of her many travels.

Arsenal, as time goes by.

Months have past since my last post, but work at the apartment at Arsenal has of course developed a lot. Let's start with the entrance hall, for which I promised a surprise treat for the floor. To remember you how it looked like before here's a photo.

After we ripped out the cupboards that lined the hall it looked quite messy. But after a new white coat of paint for the vaulted ceiling and after painting limegreen sectors that are inspired by classical wall treatments it was time for the biggest change. Since the two main rooms still have great original Viennese parquet flooring this very used wooden board floor stood out. But not in a positive way. So we got some English floor paint and just painted the floor boards in a very dark chocolate brown. The result was just amazing. The wooden structure is still visible, but the new colour gave the room a totally elegant feel, that is brightend up by the fresh limegreen of the walls. But see for yourself.

Fruth, chocolaterie pâtisserie au marché

Today I feel like posting something really sweet. It is one of my favourite pâtisseries in Vienna and I'm really happy that it is right in my neighbourhood next to Naschmarkt. It opened already some years ago, so it's nothing new any more, but already a definite highlight of Viennese pastry shops. Actually the story of Eduard A. Fruth goes a long way back when he opened a Viennese pastry shop in Japan in the 80ies. Not only those "Fruth Shops" and two Gourmet temples named "Andersen" but also his seminars where he tought the art of pastry made him well known in Japan. Some years ago he opened a shop in his hometown Vienne which has since become one of my favourite shops in my neighbourhood. His little french tartes, mousse, eclairs, brownies and lots more have delighted a lot of my guests. And the shop itself is a little jewel as well. It feels totally french when you enter the little room with its antique display cabinets and 50ies sale desk. So, for those who haven't heard of it now it is about time to go there and enjoy.

photos by FRUTH

Fruth, Kettenbrückengasse 20, 1040 Vienna, Austria

Arsenal, tearing down and ripping out

First step at the apartment in Arsenal was to get rid of the loft in the livingroom and the cupboards the lined up in the entrance. It's good to have storage, but since the apartment now hosts only one person we can reduce that a bit. Especially if we get a great open entrance hall as the result. Once the loft was removed the livingroom as well opened up and there is even light shining all the way into the entrance hall now. What a change. Next step is painting the walls and a suprise treat for the entrance floor!

A little surprise awaited us after the cabinets were gone. The children had painted the walls about 25 years ago, before the cabinets were built. One little handprint will be preserved for the future and included in the design.

Naschmarkt, styles in the mix

Two years ago I moved to the wonderful neighborhood of Vienna's Naschmarkt. It is somehow traditional and very viennese, but at the same time a place for young people, with chic bars, great restaurants and very modern. So I decided that should be reflected by the style of my apartment, since that also reflects my personal style. 

It was great fun to mix my Biedermeier desk with a table from the sixties and add a contemporary interpreted Louis XV-style chair made in plastic by Philippe Starck. I was browsing through nearby second hand and antique stores for months. The bedroom is dominated by a fabric-covered wall that devides the room into sleeping and dressing area, accentuated with golden nailing in a traditional way. That wall is complimented by a headboard covered in a Toile de jouy, an old chinese wedding trunk and a modern butlers tray as bedstands. A fun touch is added by the antler-console. 

Spread around the apartment is a lot of art. Some is the work of friends, as the great photographs of Alexandra Thompson, some just things I found on fleamarkets as the bronze harlequin from the 30's. All in all my mission is completed now and I love to live in those rooms as well as hosting parties and dinners. Enjoy the photos.

On y va - Let's go to Zurich!

Some weeks ago I was fortunate enough to spend a long weekend in Zurich, Switzerland. I've never been there before, but since a friend of mine moved there over a year ago it was time for a visit. And I have to say it was worth it. Zurich is a very nice city, although I maybe overestimated its size. It felt quite small and traditional. And expensive as well. Since it is one of the centres of money in Europe I should have expected that. So it is no surprise that Zurich's old centre is full of big brand shops such as Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, etc. But what was more interesting were a couple of tiny local stores that were very individual and cool. Not shouting out big brand names I loved one of them most. On y va is located at Zähringerplatz right in the centre. Not only theyr clothes, bags and shoes were great, but what I loved almost more was their interior design. I guess that was expectable for an interior designer ;) But enough words now, here are the pics. And don't forget to stop by whenever you're in Zurich.

On y va, Zähringerplatz 15, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
On y va

Arsenal, what I had to deal with

Coming back to the apartment itself I have to say it was in quite a used state. But after beeing home for a family of 5 for about 25 years that didn't surprise me. Lacking rooms it was even necessary to build a loft in the living room, which was home for one of the daughters for several years. 

But walking into the apartment for the first time my mind already blocked out all the old furniture an dirty walls and started to feel that these rooms could be something amazing. It is not often that you have rooms with a height of 5 meters and huge vaulted ceilings. But just look at the photos to get a feeling for what was the state I had to deal with.

Arsenal, a brief introduction

A project that started already some months ago is the redesign of an apartment of an american photographer who is a close friend of mine. Now that her children are all grown up and have moved out she felt like starting a new chapter of living there.

The apartment is located in Vienna's Arsenal, which is a former military complex built between 1848 and 1856. The particular building was used as officer's quarters, and now is used as apartments while other parts of the complex now host a military history museum, the rehearsal stage of the Burgtheater and a lot of more apartments. Just arriving at the complex and entering the building is already amazing. As soon as you step inside the building it is totally calm, although you are right next to a huge train station. The courtyard is incredibly peaceful and full of trees and flowers and the staircases and hallways are, due to their former use, totally oversized. But see for yourself.
 

Work in Progress

Since I'm working on some really interesting projects at the moment I thought I should share them here with you. I know that I've been lazy about updating my blog regularly and it would be too easy to blame it on a lot of work. I will try to take some minutes every couple of days to keep you updated about what keeps me busy and I hope you'll like what you see.

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.

Today was a good morning. When I left the house I checked my mailbox and found my copy of Fifth Avenue, 5 a.m. which is all about the creation of Breakfast at Tiffany's. It is practically a must for everybody who loved the movie, the novel, Audrey Hepburn, Givenchy's little black dress and more.

The advance reviews were great and praise Sam Wasson's book as "A brilliant chronicle of the creation of Breakfast at Tiffany's", "... juicy incide story while giving Hepburn her due as a true modern original" or "Wasson has assembled a sparkling time capsule of old Hollywood magic and mythmaking. So finally the date of publication has come and I received my preordered copy. I can't wait to start reading.

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. by Sam Wasson
available on Amazon now