8 minute read • Prize Home Design
How To Get This Scandi-Luxe Look For The Price Of Two Lattes
If you love minimalist Scandi style and also the current trend for luxe finishes like velvet and linen, you’ll love the styling of our Ultimate Life Changer apartment in Brisbane’s trendy inner-city suburb of Newstead.
The two-bedroom, city-view apartment in the iconic Capri tower on Ann Street, has been kitted out by the interior design team at Matt Blatt – the go-to for classic mid-century replicas and all things fresh and fabulous.
The ultra-modern prize apartment comes fully-furnished, from the gorgeous Matt Blatt sofa in the living area right down to the luxurious linen in the bedrooms.
For Matt Blatt the challenge was to create an elegant look that was worthy of this amazing location but didn’t take away from the apartment’s incredible views of the Storey Bridge and city skyline by day and twinkling city lights by night.
The design team at Matt Blatt more than delivered, creating a super-stylish and super-comfy apartment that is an escape from the buzz of the city below.
“Matt Blatt has done a fantastic job of fitting out this apartment,” said Endeavour Foundation Lotteries manager Kirsty Moore.
“We’ve gone for a Scandi feel so it’s light, bright and airy,” explains Katie, Sales and Design Consultant at Matt Blatt.
“We worked with different textures and colours throughout the apartment.”
Timeless timber with tapered lines and natural textures contrast with luxe touches like velvet cushions and metallic accents to create a relaxed and elegant feel that’s a perfect fit for the apartment’s stylish inner-city location.
Just $10, or the price of a couple of lattes, will buy a ticket in the draw for this uber-cool, Scandi-luxe pad on the 19th floor of Capri, the fourth stage of the highly successful Newstead Central development. (If that’s not enough, the winner will also receive $6,000 to go toward body corporate fees.)
With the cool village vibe of Gasworks Plaza 500 metres in one direction, and James Street boutique shopping half a kilometre in the other, it sure is hard to beat the location.
When choosing the perfect designer pieces to grace the apartment, the Matt Blatt team started by thinking about the overall size and flow of the space.
“With open plan living it’s very important that you get your zoning correct – say, with rug choices – and making sure that your table is positioned correctly,” says Katie.
“That also helps with entertaining as well, so that you have that nice flow through and that it feels natural to walk through the space – you’re not having to jump over anything.”
“But the big thing about designing a living space that was cohesive and worked together was getting a rug that was the right size for the space.”
The solution? A perfectly-proportioned, monochromatic wool rug from India which defines the living area and creates a stylish but homey vibe.
Paired with a large neutral sofa, the space provides plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy the city lights or entertain friends.
The sofa’s generous cushioned seats and minimal arm rests, make it an ideal choice for apartment living, providing maximum real estate for your bottom at the expense of minimum floorspace.
The addition of oversized velvet cushions is an on-trend indulgence and helps add the ‘luxe’ to the ‘Scandi-luxe’ look.
Another glam addition is the art-deco inspired pair of nested side tables, with marble tops and soft-gold toned iron legs. Side tables, rather than a big coffee table, are a great option if you have limited space, as they come with the flexibility of being able to move them around to suit your needs.
The Matt Blatt designers have carried the Scandi feel into the two bedrooms, with elegant, oak bedroom furniture mixed with natural textures.
“Using a natural linen texture on the bedspreads and then velvet cushions adds that extra element of warmth,” explains Katie.
Both of the bedrooms also boast the ultimate accessory – their own bathroom… perfectly styled, of course.
How to create a luxe look at your place
Like the style of our inner-city pad? Wish you could ditch your tired old stuff and create a look like that at your place? While it might not be realistic – or environmentally-friendly for that matter – to chuck everything out and start again, there are a few simple things you can do to add a luxe flavour to your home without completely starting from scratch.
To help you achieve the luxe looks you love from Insta-interiors without breaking the bank, here’s a few tips and tricks from the expert home styling crew at Matt Blatt:
Crushing on velvet
If you’ve fallen for this season’s plush velvet pieces, you’re not alone. The plush feel and texture of velvet is hard to keep your hands off. But if your budget doesn’t stretch to a velvet sofa, compromise on spend but not on style with a vivid velvet armchair, stool or ottoman. Or simply adding a velvet cushion or two to your existing sofa will take your living space from everyday to elegant.
Find a feature
Every room needs a focal point – that one fab feature that draws the eye as soon as you enter the room. However, it doesn’t have to be a major investment piece or sofa. Achieve the same effect with cleverly chosen pieces such as bone inlay side tables, a cool cocktail cart or an unusual table.
Reinvent your room with rugs
Rugs can make or break a space. We like to call it the ‘Goldilocks’ conundrum. If the rug is too small it will be lost in the room. If it’s too large it will dominate. But if, like Goldilocks, you manage to find one that is just right, and it will bring the whole room together. Sounds a bit like a case If your budget doesn’t stretch to a hand-knotted, one-of-a-kind find, there are still plenty of fashion-forward options. Choose from hand-tufted rugs, hard-wearing sisal and jute, or synthetic rugs which mightn’t last as long but will add a splash of colour and texture to your space without a huge spend.
Cushions are king
Nothing updates a room as quickly (and cheaply) as fresh cushions. Whether you choose glam velvet, indigenous styles or quirky designs, it’s a super simple way to revamp a sofa or chair and inject personality into any space without pulling on the purse strings.
Multifunctional magic
If money is tight, why buy two pieces of furniture when one can do the trick? Let multifunctional pieces work their magic, from sofa-beds (which do double duty for seating and snoozing) to ottomans that can morph from table, to seat, to footstool in a flash.
Light it up
Changing the lighting is a relatively simple way to up the luxe factor in any space, and if you’d rather avoid electricians altogether, use table lamps and floor lamps to add style on a shoestring.
Affordable art
While original artworks from established artists can be a serious investment, retro prints or works from emerging local artists are a chic compromise. Turn your artwork into a major feature by creating a gallery wall including a mix of sketches, photos, prints, hooks, maps and more.
Shine on
A touch of shine never goes astray, so add a little metallic magic with accessories such as clocks, lamps, trays and side tables to up the glam factor in a flash.
And finally…style with symmetry
By pairing up table lamps, ottomans, side tables or armchairs, you’ll nail that coordinated magazine-spread look you love – and there’s no reason the items you double up can’t be hip-pocket friendly.
What would you do if you won?
Whichever way you look at it, Endeavour Foundation’s Ultimate Life Changer Apartment will genuinely change the life of the lucky winner.
If you find yourself with the winning ticket, what do you think you would you do with the apartment?
You could enjoy the luxury of having your own inner-city pad for weekends spent exploring your new ’hood of Newstead and Fortitude Valley. If you wanted to do a spot of shopping or catch a show, you’d be just a hop step and a jump from the city or South Bank.
Or, you could keep the apartment as an investment property and rent it out for an extra income stream on the side. Units in the sought-after Newstead area generally net a pretty tidy rental return. As a fully-furnished apartment, your investment has the potential to bring in around $550 per week in rental income, or $28,600 a year less expenses. That’s what you call passive income, baby.
Of course, it’s also completely understandable if you decide that you’d rather just have the cash, thank you very much. In that case, find yourself a great agent and pop it on the market or auction it to the highest bidder.
Whichever option you choose, your life would ultimately be changed forever.
Win an apartment-full of Matt Blatt furniture, and the apartment to go with it.
Invest in a $10 ticket today for your chance to win this apartment-full of fabulous Matt Blatt furniture, not to mention an amazing inner-city apartment to go with it. To see more of the apartment, take a virtual tour or download the brochure now.
Take a virtual tour now or snap up a ticket for your chance to win this amazing holiday home.
Entering the draw can be life-changing in more ways than one
When you purchase lottery tickets from Endeavour Foundation, you help to provide opportunities for people with an intellectual disability to learn life skills, live independently, have a job they love, and be actively involved in their local communities. Find out more about how Endeavour Foundation is helping people with disability to imagine what’s possible.
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