So you want to live in a Penthouse? Interior design with knockout style.

Toni Giannarelli in her new apartment

Toni Giannarelli in her new apartment

Ever thought about ditching your house and that high-maintenance garden for the simplicity of inner-city apartment living? Interior decorator Toni Giannarelli wanted such a change and moved into her stunning Freshwater apartment in Melbourne a little more than a year ago.

 

 

It’s a spacious penthouse with floor-to-ceiling-windows in almost every room, offering breath-taking views of Melbourne and the city’s iconic landmarks.

A spacious living room

A spacious living room

Look one way and there’s all of Flinders Street and Federation Square…

A Melbourne perspective

A Melbourne perspective

…then to your right and there’s Rod Laver Arena, the MCG and grand old Government House.

Government House and the MCG

Government House, Rod Laver Arena and the MCG

It’s a stylish, fresh, modern interior which uses light tones, mirrors, silver and chrome to achieve its look of Hollywood glamour. But it wasn’t always the way. When Toni first moved in, the apartment walls were painted in dark colours, so she had it all re-done.

‘I wanted white to open up the place,’ said Toni ‘And the mirrors everywhere open it up even more. You get angles from the city reflecting in the mirrors which make it look even bigger.’

There’s a wonderful abstract painting of a grand piano in the dining room, which Toni cleverly placed at the opposite wall to the entrance, so you see the painting’s reflection when you first enter the room and can appreciate it again when seated at the table from the opposite direction.

The dining-room - look in the mirror...

The dining-room – look in the mirror…

...It's the Grand Piano painting!

…It’s the Grand Piano painting!

The Hollywood feel is also brought about by the artwork – especially the piece in Toni’s study, based on the most famous female Hollywood icon of them all – Marilyn Monroe.

‘I commissioned the paintings from a friend of mine who owns Tutti Interiors. She has them commissioned by overseas artists who live in colonies,’ said Toni. ‘I just sketched up a few ideas and asked them to base the paintings on these and it worked beautifully.’

The Marilyn painting

The Marilyn painting

Toni in her office

Toni in her office

Toni’s office is a work of art in itself, with a mirrored desk, cordless lamp and monochrome rug.

Similarly, the kitchen is decked out with minimalist trimmings and attention to detail.

The kitchen

The kitchen

In fact, it’s the attention to detail throughout the apartment that gives it its edge. Here are a couple more snaps, which are self-explanatory.

A corner to reflect...

A corner to reflect…

More than just a mirror...

More than just a mirror…

 

 

 

 

 

A coffee table with class

A coffee table with class

 

 

Corner table

Corner table

 

 

 

 

 

Toni’s taste hasn’t always focused on a modern look. Her last home was filled with antique furniture and knick-knacks. ‘Because I had an antique, timber look in my last house, I really wanted to go with a completely different design,’ she said.

‘Something more contemporary. Fresh for Freshwater,’ she said with a laugh. ‘And you can add colour to the room with accessories, like I have in one of my daughter’s rooms with the Missoni cushions. Overall, it’s a minimalist, clean look. It’s great not to have all those ornaments around which were just dust collectors.’

The Missoni edge…

The Missoni edge…

The third bedroom sticks with monochrome tones and again, mirrors to open up the room.

Third bedroom

Third bedroom

Design details

Design details

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toni’s bedroom is likewise bright and breezy, with a wide-screen TV attached high on a structural column.

A breezy bedroom...

A breezy bedroom…

Details I love include Toni’s use of a decorative tray to store and display her perfume collection…

A scent for all seasons...

A scent for all seasons…

…and the elegant chaise lounge lying outside the bathroom entrance, which beckons enticingly.

Lounging about...

Lounging about…

The ensuite itself is as big as the main bathroom.

An all-white bathroom

An all-white bathroom

So how has the change from a home with a garden, to living in an apartment been? Toni describes it as liberating. ‘I love it. There’s less maintenance and I still have a garden on the tenth floor with nearly an acre of land, a pool and BBQ. And there’s the promenade at Southbank. Plus the security gives me peace of mind.’

As I was leaving, I noticed one collectable that came from Toni’s last home that she wasn’t able to give up. It’s an antique clock that was commissioned by the city of Paris for the capital’s annual art show back in 1890. It’s the one designer nod to her past. Given its exceptional beauty, it’s a completely understandable inclusion!

Parisian Antique clock from 1890

Parisian Antique clock from 1890

As for the modern pieces, many were sourced from stores including Missoni Homewares, Kings Furniture, Luxe By Design and Philipp Starck.

If you’d like Toni to help you with any interior design advice, you can phone her on 0420 830 083.