BENAH LOVES | Wes Anderson Palettes

The only thing better than a Wes Anderson movie is a Wes Anderson colour palette. Everything in a Wes Anderson movie is so detailed: every prop and every costume in every shot looks exactly the way it looks for a reason. The colours in his movies are no different: they always highlight or draw attention to something, and always come together on screen in a harmony that it so easy to watch. We stumbled on Wes Anderson Palettes today - a site that draws out the key colours in a Wes Anderson scene and matches it with a line of dialogue - and pored over some of their selections. We loved the blue and pink Mendl's boxes from The Grand Budapest Hotel, Margot lighting her cigarette in The Royal Tenenbaums and Steve about to set off in search of the killer shark in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Wes Anderson Palettes

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ART | Lisa Daria

Diagnosed with cancer at a young age, Lisa Daria started painting; one picture, once a day, every day. Five years later, she's still painting every day, inspired by the things she sees around her - flowers in vases, fruit in bowls, french press coffee makers, herbs in jam jars. These observational paintings delineate the way we live our lives and remind us to pause and take stock, even just for a moment, every day.

Lisa Daria's Painting a Day | Lisa Daria Kennedy

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IN RESIDENCE | Caroline de Maigret

Model-turned-music producer and contemporary Chanel muse, Caroline de Maigret has gracefully returned to fashion’s consciousness since her reappearance on Chanel’s runway in 2011. She is the granddaughter of Prince Michel Poniatowski and daughter of Count Bertrand de Maigret, and since beginning her modeling career in 1994 she has launched a rock music label called Bonus Tracks Records with her partner and a publishing company called Yarock Editions. Her apartment in France is the epitome of undressed glamour and effortless chic, much like Caroline’s example of androgynous edge and feminine allure herself. 

Images via the Coveteur 

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BENAH LOVES | Selexyz Dominicanen

It's no secret that we worship books. They are beautifully crafted vessels of infinite information, refined thought, stunning imagery, exquisite prose and timeless characters. It makes sense, then, to house these priceless objects in an equally important and thought-provoking setting. Enter the Selexyz Dominicanen  in the Netherlands, seriously amazing bookstore that has been converted from a church that was originally built in 1294. The thirteenth century? The mind boggles!

We're optimistic in our belief that book stores will still be a thing, regardless of growing sales of Kindles and iPads - a book with pages won't run out of battery and it ages just as we do. Maybe it's pages get a little tattered, or it's pictures a little faded, but it most certainly is a friend for life. Therefore, isn't it wonderful that there are still some existing, individual stores that truly are an experience to lose your self in... much like any good novel.

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BENAH LOVES | Up-cycling

Up-cycling is a new-age word that is taking young creatives by storm. To describe it briefly, up-cycling is the process of converting discarded and otherwise useless items into new materials of better quality or of more personal value. In more recent years it has become a way for us to get a little creative, learn new hands-on SIY skills in regards to interiors, design, art or even fashion - all in the name of sustainability mind you!

Adriana Picker is an artist and designer from Sydney who believes in the concept that injecting a little love into an otherwise forgotten product can result in something beautiful. She is most commonly known for her whimsical botanical illustrations, but on top of these delicately rendered drawings this all-round creative girl also specializes in photographic art direction and refined textile design and it is the latter that has caught our attention.

A few years ago, the young artist began adopting recycled mid-century Australian furniture (in particular the chairs manufactured by Featherston and Fler) and restoring them to her unique standards. As the story goes, Adriana saved two Wrightbuilt armchairs from a life of op-shops by inviting them into her home. She then digitally printed her own designs onto silk poplin and reupholstered the pieces to be displayed permanently in her apartment. It's always nice to bring new life and contemporary styling to pieces which would otherwise be forgotten or discarded. We say 'yes' to a hands-on project like this, and to creative girls doing it for themselves!

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IN RESIDENCE | Penelope Seidler

In 1967, Penelope Seidler and her husband, the legendary late Harry Seidler, moved into the house they had collaboratively designed. The Killara House, where Penelope has lived for over forty years, is situated on what is now called the Harry Seidler Reserve. The house is a monument to Seidler’s revolutionary architectural style, and a testament to the pair’s renowned artistic taste.

The house is built on what Penelope calls an ‘architect’s block’; it’s “steeply sloping, surrounded by trees, a creek at one end, a bush reserve at another and no immediate neighbours” being exactly what they wanted. It has a split plan over four half-levels while the machined palette remains quite visceral and expresses the fundamental structure of the house.

The house remains virtually unchanged since the 1960s with wet-look quartzite stone floors and Tasmanian oak ceilings. Also untouched is the vast collection of art that the pair shared, on display throughout the massive house. Today, the house is on the NSW State Heritage Register and is becoming a pop culture icon in itself, just as its namesake Harry Seidler indeed is!

Interestingly though, Penelope had this to say: “Funnily enough I find people like the house a lot better now than they did when it was first built. They thought it was all too stark and found the concrete too confronting. I think it’s beautiful. There’s a medieval quality to the masonry walls, and the texture of timber all around, it’s like my castle. Harry liked things tough; he always said this house was indestructible, and he’s absolutely right.”

Photographs by Max Dupain and plans via the State Library of NSW. 

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FUTURE | BrightSource

Welcome to the future of energy, and it sure is beautiful! 

Set across desert landscape like some great Anish Kapoor installation. There is no smoke, smog or fumes in sight. Just clean bright sunlight and 300,000 glorious mirrors, each 7 feet high and 10 feet wide. 

Each mirror is controlled by computers which focus the Sun's light to the top of 120m high towers, then water is turned into steam to power turbines. This is solar energy on the grandest scale, bigger than anything ever built before. 

Located in the USA in Ivanpah Dry Lake which is near the Californian/Nevada border, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System has the ability to produce 392 megawatts (MW) of solar power. That's enough electricity to provide 140,000 California homes with clean energy and avoid 400,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equal to removing 72,000 vehicles off the road.

This enormous solar plant is jointly owned by NRG Energy, BrightSource Energy and interestingly, Google. You can even take a virtual tour of the site using Googles street view technology.

It only opened for business recently and if this is the energy of tomorrow, the future sure looks bright! 

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WANDERLUST | Villa Extramuros

Wanderlust - the strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.

We are all travellers at heart. In this new series we discover amazing locations from across the globe all with the same underlying theme - Understated Luxury. First stop, Portugal.

Villa Extramuros is located in Arraiolos, a small city in the Portuguese province of Alentejo. This place is magnificent. Simply magnificent. Completely off the beaten track, the villa offers 5 rooms - 3 standard and 2 superior, all with panoramic views from their private patios.

Each area of this chic small hotel is elegantly furnished with the most lust worthy mid century and modern day pieces. Common areas include a living room with fireplace, patio with orange trees, dining room, infinity pool with deck and two terraces for lounging or dining.

You are able to book for large or small groups, either taking just a room or the entire villa. This would be a wonderful place to spend a week with a group of friends, a couple of families or just keep the whole place to yourself. 

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ART | Charles Wilkin

Since Never | Collage on paper 2013

Midnight Oasis | Collage on paper 2013

We do love collage. It's the 'craftiness' we are drawn too, the cut and paste mentality.

The way seemingly opposite elements can be brought together to create something very different to their singular meaning. Layer upon layer, leaving the viewer to decide what they want to take from it.

We discovered Charles Wilkin a while ago, and there is something that just keeps us going back time and time again. Always something to rediscover in his chopped up world. He's been quite prolific of late, you only need to check his tumblr to see the vast works from 2013. We hope to add one to our collection very soon, but at the rate he is going, deciding which one is going to be very hard. 

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