Charm school

Al e x a n d r a Po n t i n g AP Design House has the knack of aligning vintage elegance with modern sophistication.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR OFFICE? Dreamy, calming, thought-provoking. WHAT APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT THE SPACE? The location – we are away from the craziness of Queen Street, Woollahra, in Moncur Street, which is such a little community. Our treelined street view was a drawcard. The building is gorgeous and its charm spoke to me. Minor alterations were required – removing walls, rendering internal walls, lighting, an awning, custom bits and pieces, while meticulously restoring the internal period details. YOUR DESK ESSENTIALS? My laptop, a stack of references – books, magazines, fabric cuttings, clippings, etc. A tape measure, scale ruler, notebook and phone – mostly kept in a vintage glass Fontanaarte dish. And the sweetest little vintage Fendi linen and leather stationery holder I found at a Paris flea market which holds my favourite G. Lalo ‘Opéra’ notepaper. There’s nothing like a handwritten note on beautiful creamy stock. WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR WORKSPACE? Our studio is curious, warm and sophisticated. It shows off exactly who we are and what we love to do in seconds. WHAT IS THE VIEW FROM YOUR OFFICE? A row of grand old terrace homes and big old trees for days. So lovely. DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY? Exercise in some form – walk, ocean swim or yoga, followed by a greeny, lemony homemade juice. I walk to work and stop for coffee at Parterre, then we gather around the meeting table delegating who’s working on what areas of our projects – scheming, sourcing, budgets, spreadsheeting, drafting, CAD, renders, logistics, etc. We also spend time on the phone or on site with clients and our trades. I’ll usually grab a Queen Street Deli roll or sushi on the run around 3ish. By 6ish, I’m thinking about dinner and/or a wine! WHAT DREAM DESK OBJECT WOULD YOU BUY? A vintage Fontanaarte table lamp by Pietro Chiesa that I sourced for a project. WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO? We have 14 beautiful projects on the go including a house in Queen Street, Woollahra, which is a special one for AP. We are very excited to work on a very chic property developer’s office in Brisbane CBD. We are also working on a house in Sydney’s Mosman, which is a monster, and a gorgeous master bathroom in Brisbane. apdesignhouse.com.au