James and Leila's eco-smart urban pad

For those of you who thought eco features couldn't be applied to apartment living or that colour and wallpaper were too scary, this home is a great example of how to embrace it. 

Look and learn....  
Birdlife adorns the walls. "Jimmy" is part of a series by Leila which is currently exhibiting at Iain Dawson Gallery  http://www.iaindawson.com/ 


An open plan kitchen with a table working as a room divider is a clever use of space.
James and Leila have installed energy efficient white goods - an eco dish drawer and washing machine.

Despite each room featuring a different wallpaper or paint colour, the apartment flows and feels spacious. Here in the kitchen a lovely pale blue provides a subtle contrast to the white cabinetry.

A framed cityscape by Ben Saunders shines against its dark blue backdrop."I love the photo, it was a wedding present from Ben. He's a brilliant photographer,"  says Leila.

Chairman Meow hangs out next to gorgeous native foliage from Flowers by Teresa.  Leila loves natives and had struggled to find a good supplier until she found this gem in Marrickville, Sydney. www.flowersbyteresa.com/

A custom made shelving unit by Joe Westbury of  Redrocket houses James and Leila's much loved record collection. See http://www.redrocket.com.au/ for great modernist furniture.

The target shaped painting was painted by James having "an arty moment."








A Louis Poulsen light makes it's statement against a striped feature wall.  James and Leila have been brave with their choices of wall finishes and the result is fantastic.

























The master bedroom is the one room where the walls are left pale and bare. Not quite white though!

"Suzi" is part of the series by Leila

The grass weave wallpaper in the living room has a lovely warm tone.  Leila admits it was a big decision to commit to and that she was a bit nervous about it stealing light from the room. 
Fear not Leila! It looks beautiful, adds texture to the room and provides an effective backdrop to the two Miro graphic prints on the wall.
http://www.allposters.com.au/
James and Leila have installed a 1.5kilowatt solar system, feed into the system and are pleased to announce, have received their first payment of $150 for the electricity they've created!
They also arranged ceiling insulation so the flat stays nice and toasty in winter ."It's amazing the difference it makes and our consumption has come down because we don't need to run heaters for long to warm up the flat," explains Leila.


This apartment really demonstrates how to renovate with colour, texture and green principals with great success. Thankyou James and Leila for inviting us in.