Not just throwing the ‘matchy-matchy’ rule book out the window but burning it, for Eternally Yours we meet Yasmine Ghoniem of YSG who creates interiors the designer describes as 'cohesive clashes and unpredictable conclusions’ that are riffing with colour and texture and bursting with personality.
More Space: Yasmine, furniture is such a strong form of personal expression, what is your selection process for a new interior?
Yasmine Ghoniem: My process starts with imagining how I want a space to feel: its mood, its attitude and references. It also begins with a long series of questions that are never about how a client wants a room to look, or what pieces of furniture they may already have in mind. It’s never that conclusive. I like to discover people’s individual quirks and daily patterns, the kind of info that can determine where they’re likely to spend most of their spare time, what they like doing in particular rooms, how they move around the home and, for families, where they tend to all congregate. When it comes to furnishing homes, people are now craving the cult of personality and are becoming more experimental, especially with colour. When I do eventually take clients to furniture showrooms to look at pieces I have in mind, I try to get them to rely on their gut instinct and throw the ‘matchy-matchy’ rule book out the window. It’s my job to make sure the final selection really sings.
The Dream Weaver penthouse apartment in Darlinghurst by YSG overlays colour, texture and materials with amped up artistic expression that is anything but 'matchy-matchy'.. All photos © Prue Ruscoe.
What is a favourite piece of design and how did it capture your attention?
I came across the Ovington Table Lamp by Revised a few years ago when furnishing my own bedroom. Naturally, it sits on my side of the bed! Its child-like mushroom profile meets trippy UFO saucer integrated shade grabbed my eye. Made of glass, the luminous cream honey tone has a beautiful soothing quality about it. I can’t stand fumbling for a cord or reaching under a shade to flick a switch, so the dimmable brass sensor on the top makes for easy and silent control, and also means I can stay up reading when my husband is desperate to sleep.
If we were to look inside your little black book, what would we find on your furniture go-to list?
Baxter can do no wrong. I’m coveting their leather Milano Revolving Armchair by Paola Navone, it’s the ultimate Dame of Thrones! With its inviting exaggerated cushioned seat base and backrest, it is such a temptress. The added kicker is that it can swivel 360 degrees. The devil is in the details with this one, with ruffled adaptations of dimpled buttons unstitching its luxe status with a cheeky wink.
"I came across the Ovington Table Lamp by Revised a few years ago when furnishing my own bedroom. Naturally, it sits on my side of the bed! Its child-like mushroom profile meets trippy UFO saucer integrated shade grabbed my eye."
Yasmine Ghoniem, founder and director, YSG
I’m a fan of using terracotta pavers and travertine floors in homes given their ease of maintenance and both textual and tonal appeal. It means you can play around with rugs too. I’m drawn to colourful, patterned selections that are like artworks for the floor. Bertjan Pot’s The Magic Marker range for Moooi tickles my inner child given the enchanting naïveté of their optical texta-like markings. They’re happy landings I’d gladly welcome into my home.
The Acerbis Storet chest of drawers by Nanda Vigo are instant eye magnets. On profile, the woodgrain of the Walnut timber has a warm, grounding appeal, but the rhythmic rounded edges of the protruding lacquered drawers, ten to be exact, make my heart skip a beat. The 1970s sunset orange shade is pure gold, whilst the powdery pink shade has a sweet, ‘confectionary for adults’ appeal.
Beyond trends, furniture has a way of defining the moment, making us happy and influencing the way we live. Can you describe a recent project that has had a transformative affect?
It would have to be Dream Weaver, a penthouse apartment in Darlinghurst overlooking Rushcutters Bay that is up amongst the clouds. The clients, whose family home I designed years ago, were downsizing (given their new empty nester status), but wanted to amp up the artistic expression inside.
Portrait of Yasmine Ghoniem © Prue Ruscoe.
The Dream Weaver penthouse apartment in Darlinghurst featuring the iconic pink Cipria sofa by the Campana brothers for Edra. All photos © Prue Ruscoe.
"I’m drawn to colourful, patterned selections that are like artworks for the floor. Bertjan Pot’s The Magic Marker range for Moooi tickles my inner child given the enchanting naïveté of their optical texta-like markings."
Yasmine Ghoniem, founder and director, YSG
What we created is ultimately a funhouse, pushing the concept of celebrating the ‘mature’ phase of life as it should be! There’s a warm nod to Pedro Almodóvar’s cinematic eccentricity with the liberal use of wall tiling and Surrealist touches given an escapist fantasy literally floats within. It’s a Pantone party with oversized soft landings, deep piled custom rugs and stone surfaces with planetary swirls sprinkled about. Combined, they counterbalance the sobriety of the box-like frame shrouded in glass, while demarcating zones within the expansive living area given there are no internal walls.
The strong architecture really influenced futuristic elements. The ceilings aren’t super high so the furniture pieces are generally wider than they are tall, all carefully selected to create what I refer to as ‘complimentary clashes’ in regard to tonal selections. Every chair and sofa is like a cloud throne, from Edra’s Grande Soffice Sofa by Francesco Binfaré, THE comfiest sofa ever, configured differently within the main lounge area and vestibule lounge/study, plus Edra Cipria’s fuzzy musk armchair.
James Bond moments also dial it up from the entrance door near the lift defined by a trippy amber porthole that slides open at the press of a button, to the kitchen’s kinetic counter. Facilitating the couples flair for hosting, an angled floating plinth with a curved return sits on drum legs beside the main work counter. A plum-toned fulcrum supports a 360-degree rotating oversized granite ‘platter’ (an entertaining device for canapés or cheese) connecting the two structures. Nearby, a custom mobile drinks trolley with an integrated lamp can be wheeled into action to follow the party across the open living area, or out to the balcony.
Thanks Yasmine, great to catch up with you.
