A daunting project for any upholsterer, but John (of Modern & Antique Furniture Upholstery) rose to the challenge of restoring a mass of chewed-over, shredded fibres back to a fantastic Featherston Dining Chair (the 1953 A310H, to be exact).

The chair was one of Paul’s finds, neglected in a shed while awaiting the Cinderella treatment, but now earning ‘favourite reading chair’ status in the Graffin collection.

It was bubbles, sushi & macaroons at Studio Bomba for Melbourne Cup merriment today.
“How does it work?” asked one Bombette about The Race, while sipping daintily from her champagne flute.

Being a summery 31° in Perth today, I donned my brand-new pineapple summer dress sewn from a vintage pattern, and a feathered 50s flying saucer hat (blending seamlessly with my hairdo!). And of course the Bomba girls were pretty & poised in coral pink (Ang) red/white/blue (Leah) ruffles (Felicity) and flared frock (Michelle).

Thanks for a lovely luncheon girls! My horse missed winning by a flared nostril.

My favourite is the 1957 Kiernan House (top). It’s been (sympathetically) extended and its clean modern lines complement the roofline of its next door neighbour, the McMillan House, designed by Jones in 1956. A great little midcentury niche amongst the surrounding Tudor-esque mansions.

The original splendor of the Lisle House, City Beach (above), is a little obscured, but hey – it has survived! It sits high on the hill with the semi-circular frontage facing the ocean. My kind of house.

Well it may seem day-trips to the Hills are becoming habitual. Yesterday we joined the German Car Club for a cobweb-blowing exercise and the chance to revisit the pinnacle of architectural hero Iwan Iwanoff’s work – the Northam Public Library and Council buildings.

The early-70s buildings remain largely intact, although a small side balcony had an alarming lean to it, unfortunate retro-fit conduit tubes line the outside, and ugly Government Sports signage mars one entrance. But I followed the age-old optimism of photo buddy Frith “we’ll shoot around it”! The BreastScan bus proved a slightly distracting imposition – who could dream-up a more contrasting image: girly pink with brutalist grey concrete?

More local Iwanoff’s here.

UWA has recently celebrated the work of Raymond Jones. I managed to visit the exhibition at the Cullity Gallery and grab a copy of the fantastic catalogue last week.

Mr Jones is one of my (new) heroes – a star of the modernist scene. He has designed a vast range of homes and public structures, including our local landmark, St Cecilia’s Church, with the rocket structure out front.

Jones integrated buildings with their natural environment, had a fondness for feature rock, skillion roofs, walls of glass and flowing spaces, and hates airconditioning and modern residential monstrosities. His early drawings are beautiful – try and get hold of a $20 catalogue from the UWA Architecture dept. if you can.

UPDATE: there’s a Raymond Jones house at 139 The Boulevard, Floreat, for sale right now. View here.