Different Types of Furniture Styles

enovators. Based in Gold Coast’s Leichhardt, their sprawling warehouse and showroom, Architectural &
Antique Elements, is filled with exquisite antique and vintage doors, shuttered windows, grilles and
fireplaces from around the world.
Keen travellers, the pair picks up items on trips around Australia and during visits to France, India and
South America. “We came back from a holiday in France to find that our photos consisted solely of
pictures of doors,” laughs Brooke.
The shop is a renovator’s paradise – and is particularly popular in light of the current trend for infusing
contemporary interiors with unusual vintage pieces. Here you’ll find huge decorative doors from a French
chateau, stunning Venetian windows and imposing cast-iron fireplaces. But what takes the shop from the
fantastical to the practical is a comprehensive restoration and modification service, which takes place in
the on-site workshop or is outsourced to a network of specialist craftspeople. Doors and grilles can be
levelled and trimmed to size, re-finished and re-painted using traditional methods, and refitted with new
handles and hinges that match the originals. Tables and cabinets can be modified with new tops, shelves
and drawers, you can bring in your old mirrors to be re-gilded, or even have a front door or fireplace fully
restored.
The process of incorporating older fittings and furniture into a contemporary setting is not always
straightforward, and as Tim admits, “There’s a fine line between rubbish and a beautifully aged piece.”
But it’s certain that this team will continue to be driven by their enthusiasm, and to search for seductive
items that will stand the test of time.
Updating design
When David Page studied industrial design in London, he couldn’t picture himself “designing washing
machines and colostomy bags”. It was his love of antique and classical furniture that led him to his true
vocation – redesigning classic pieces with a contemporary twist – and so davidmetnicole (named after his
Australian-born wife and business partner, Nicole) was born.
The two met while working at a chain of antiques stores in London, and brought their design concept –
and list of contacts from the Notting Hill antiques mecca, Portobello Road – to Sydney in 1992. Most of
their pieces are sourced in the UK, and they still can’t contain their delight when a container of furniture,
fabrics and accessories arrives on our shores. “It’s just like Christmas morning,” says Nicole.
Fans of David and Nicole’s imaginative designs flock to their Surry Hills shop for desirables such as
1930s wing chairs backed with Union Jack flags, mid-century cabinets lined with vintage wallpaper and
maps, and imaginative lighting. While reconditioned vintage pieces account for a significant part of the
stock, David also produces contemporary versions of classic designs, such as traditional leather armchairs
and Chesterfield sofas. “Chairs invariably come in leather or cream,” he says, “but to us, they can be as
exciting as a fabulous coat.” To prove the point, newer pieces can be upholstered in everything from
tweed and pinstriped suiting fabrics to textured linens.
Many items can be tweaked to suit your scheme, whether it’s by way of colour, decoration or material. “I
want people to fall in love with my designs,” says David, “and still love them in fifty years’ time.”
Soft style
In every interior designer’s address book there are a few secrets they’d rather not divulge, and Decorating
Recycled is one of them. This one-stop decorating shop run by Jill Casey offers used soft furnishings
from all the big names – Jane Churchill, Colefax and Fowler, and Warner Fabrics, to name a few – at a