If, like us, you find yourself craving a snack come 3pm (ok, 11am), you’ll know how hard it is to steer clear of the sweet treats. A few nuts and seeds suddenly turns into some fruit, chips, half a block of chocolate — hell, why stop there, we’ll start the clean eating tomorrow. It’s difficult, to say the least. So, to help those of you who also have no willpower, or would just like a healthy snack alternative, here’s a little frozen dark chocolate banana bite recipe. The trick lies in just having a couple.
Ingredients 1 block of dark chocolate (we love Whittaker’s Fair Trade Dark Ghana) 4 almost ripe bananas
Optional Crushed nuts (such as peanuts) Peanut butter
Method Break up the chocolate block into pieces and melt in the microwave or a bain-marie, being careful not to let it burn. While melting, slice bananas into 2cm thick slices. Remove the chocolate from the heat. Now, you can choose to make mini banana sandwiches with peanut butter (see pic above) or leave as single pieces. Take a toothpick and dip each banana slice into the chocolate (we like to cover ours completely), then, either sprinkle with crushed nuts or just place onto a baking paper-covered tray and pop into the freezer. Once frozen (about an hour) empty into a zip lock bag and return to the freezer. Be a legend and take them to work for your colleagues to enjoy. Or give them to the kids, they’ll be playground royalty that day.
If you arrived at one of interior designer Mim Fanning’s most recent projects blindfolded, when the mask finally slipped you would easily be able to identify your location to the authorities, but with the attention to detail in this brilliant beach house, would you really want to be found?
Perched moments from the rocky beach of Sorrento in Victoria, Fanning focused on subtle ways of referencing the raw elements of the outdoors by taking a minimalist route, where tactile furnishings and textured finishes enliven the restrained backdrop.
The generous living space, expansive dining table and substantial kitchen island, all emerged from Fanning’s long experience creating beach retreats and showcase homes in Australia. Her business Mim Design is celebrating 20 years of operation, with a strong clientele that return for her relaxed and refined approach.
“We are finding our clients also want to focus strongly on the family ‘hub’,” Fanning said in a recent interview. “Creating spaces that keep the family together, whether around a large open fire or centralised dining space; gone are the days where rumpus and theatre rooms have been added. It is all about family time and socialising together in one space.”
The flow between the inside and outdoors is regulated by sliding glazed walls, with the symmetry acknowledging the mid century styles at work throughout the home. With incredible views, inside and out, there’s no need for a blindfold ever again,
At this time of years designer Alice McCall would usually be busy putting together a knockout show for Australian Fashion Week but with the event on hiatus we asked her to reveal her inspirations and influences. A career that started with styling in London rapidly progressed to her launching her own label in Australia in 2004, which veers from sharp-edged street cool to Valley of the Dolls excess. Available at Superette, McCall’s latest collection offer dashes of disco glamour. We shimmied her out from beneath the mirror ball to get these answers.
My personal style can be defined by: My personal style is very eclectic and driven by my emotional mood of the day. Sometimes I will be an eighties power woman, sometimes I will have a Stevie Nicks seventies Woodstock vibe. The art of creative self-expression through dress is something I have always loved and is very important to me in my aesthetic and in my designs. It is the footprint of the brand’s DNA, being very eclectic and quite diverse.
The last thing I bought and loved was: Fantastic Valentino and Balenciaga sunglasses and a pair of Musier Paris Mary Jane platforms, which are very nineties Kate Moss style.
An unforgettable place I visited was: When I was around 16 years old, I visited the centre of Australia to Uluru. I would love to go back there again one day.
Next place I’d like to go to: South America.
An object I would never part with is: First I would say my children but they aren’t objects. It would have to be my crystal collection. They are energetic and spiritual objects.
On my wish list is: I am a big vintage shopper. Vintage pieces are always on my wish list. But at the moment I have my eye on a pair of Paris Texas snake skin boots.
The last thing I added to my wardrobe was: Amazing vintage pieces from Rose Bowl markets [Pasadena, US].
My favourite app is: I hate to state the obvious but it is Instagram. It allows me to directly connect with creatives that I want to collaborate with.
An indulgence I would never forgo is: Freedom, for me it is so important to have that unbounded creative freedom and it is something I never want to let go of.
If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city it would be: Brooklyn and Manhattan.
My style icon is: It changes regularly, but I’ll forever love Francoise Hardy, Lisa Bonet and Brigitte Bardot.
Francoise Hardy, Lisa Bonet and Brigitte Bardot
The best book I’ve read in the last year is: A book on psychedelics. How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan.
I can’t miss an episode of: I have recently started watching Zoë Kravitz on High Fidelity. It is an easy watch and she is so effortlessly cool.
In my fridge you’ll always find: Sparkling water and fresh veggies.
My favourite room in my house is: My bedroom, it is almost like a Parisian apartment. My bedroom and bathroom are all in one. I have the view of the ocean and it is the perfect place to meditate and unwind, it’s my sanctuary.
The people I rely on for my wellbeing are: Most definitely I rely on my children and my sisters.
The one artist whose work I would collect is (if price is not an issue): Francis Bacon.
Francis Bacon, Three Studies for a Crucifixion, 1962, 78 x 57 inches (198.1 x 144.8 cm) each, Oil with sand on canvas, three panels
I recently discovered: Facebook marketplace, a fantastic place for vintage furniture finds.
My favourite website is: I love Farfetch, we are stocked on it, but they have a really good balance between high end brands and new cutting edge international brands.
The last meal out, I had that truly impressed me was:Pace in LA. It has understated Italian American food.
The best gift I ever received was: My children and black diamonds.
The beauty product I can’t live without is: I love a blush from M.A.C, particularly their Mineralize Blush and the Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation.
The podcasts I listen to are: Russel Brand and anything he recommends, he always has guests on his show that are motivational and esoteric.
The last music I downloaded was: David Bowie, The Man Who Sold The World. I love that Nirvana covered this – it’s equally as good.
If I wasn’t doing what I am, I would be: A child psychologist.
I have a collection of: Crystals and killer designer heels.
Alongside his father Graham and brother Ollie, Andrew Wall has sold many of New Zealand’s most prestigious properties through their family business Wall Real Estate. His unerring eye for design is also applied to his work as an artist. Here, the fan of unbridled creativity and supporter of local talent shares a few of his favourite things.
My personal style can be defined by: Monochromatic simplicity. Black tees, jeans and sneakers primarily.
The last thing I bought and loved was: The Toio lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos, from ECC. It’s such a fun idea, taking a headlamp from an American car, supported by a fishing rod stem. Hilarious.
The Toio lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos
An unforgettable place I visited was: DIA Beacon. My idea of paradise.
Next place I’d like to go to: Marfa, Texas.
Donald Judd, 15 untitled works in concrete, 1980-1984. Permanent collection, the Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas.
The last thing I added to my wardrobe was: Cashmere from Doran and Doran.
If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city it would be: The golden triangle of Milano.
The best gift I ever received was: Luke Jacomb glass work.
The one artist whose work I would collect is (if price is not an issue): Glass work from Larry Bell, if I had the space, or Roni Horn. One of her glass ‘tablets’ would be amazing.
Larry Bell, Pacific Red II, 2017
The grooming product I can’t live without is: All Aesop.
The last music I downloaded was: Four Tet.
If I wasn’t doing what I am, I would be: A raconteur.
I have a collection of: New Zealand art of our generation.
Gourmet kitchen gurus Miele have enlisted leading chef Mark Rawlins to man their spectacular steam ovens and advise home cooks on nutritious and delicious meals during these unusual times. Using his experience honed in Michelin star restaurants and local eateries, Rawlins will next week appear live on Miele’s Facebook page, as well as uploading recorded tutorials to up your cooking game. Just look out for the list of ingredients required every Friday and prepare to impress the family with four recipes each week.
In the meantime we have a sneak preview of what’s on offer with a dessert recipe that focuses on tantalising your tastebuds. This steamy Banana Tarte Tatin is almost as pleasurable to say as it is to eat. Follow Rawlins’ lead, get set and go.
Banana Tarte Tatin with Milk Chocolate Sauce Serves 6 – 8 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Cooking Program: Miele Moisture plus oven, Miele Steamer
Ingredients Tarte Tatin 75g butter 100g brown sugar 750g puff pastry, store bought 6 – 8 bananas, yellow with no brown spots, sliced 2cm thick rounds
Chocolate sauce 200ml cream 100g milk chocolate
To serve Ice cream of choice
Method 1. Add butter and sugar to an 26cm ovenproof frying pan and heat on induction setting 6 until bubbling and then continue cooking for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. With pre-rolled pastry, layer the sheets on top of each other and roll to a size that overlaps the frying pan. Cut to size. Rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.
3. Arrange the bananas in the pan until full.
4. Place pastry over the bananas and tuck down into the base of the pan, make a couple of slits in the middle of the pastry for steam to escape.
5. Place the frying pan in the oven and select Moisture Plus at 180°C on Fan Plus and bake for 30 minutes, releasing a burst of steam immediately, until a deep golden crust has developed.
6. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then place a large plate that covers the frying pan on top and flip over, be careful of any caramel by using a tea towel to protect yourself.
Chocolate sauce 1. Add chocolate and cream to a glass bowl and cover with foil.
2. Steam at 65c for 20 minutes then stir to combine, alternatively heat in 30 second bursts in the microwave until melted. keep warm.
Fashion entrepreneur Jodhi Meares is adept at taking a positive view on life, meditating her way to happiness and working her way to success as the founder of activewear label The Upside available online and at Superette. Having started out as a model, Meares cut her design teeth at swimwear brand Tigerlily before branching out into patterned leggings, cool crops and more relaxed loungewear with The Upside. Here the momentarily grounded jet setter takes us through the mood board of her life in 2020.
My personal style can be defined by: Part beatnik, part boho, part rock and roll.
The last thing I bought and loved was: A pair of sandy suede Acne cowboy boots.
An unforgettable place I visited was: The Kimberley’s in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Next place I’d like to go to: Ibiza, to practise yoga and chill.
An object I would never part with is: My great grandmother’s Buddha.
On my wish list is: Anything from the new Acne collection. Their creative director, Johnny Johansson is genius.
The last thing I added to my wardrobe was: Some pieces from The Upside’s latest collection,Roma Fortuna. Inspired by the Romany nomadic people who travelled from India over 1500 years ago, they brought a rich tapestry of heritage, prints and colours to the rest of the world. Think paisley, block prints and beautiful colours.
The design (building, person, item) that inspires me is: Architecture. I love any style from Gothic onwards, and I love any super old buildings that are have been taken over by nature with crawling vines and trees.
An indulgence I would never forgo is: Champagne.
If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city it would be: Paris, the 3rd arrondissement [Northern Marais] because it’s authentically Parisian and a great place to discover new brands.
My style icon is: Jimmy Hendrix.
The best book I’ve read in the last year is:A Movable Feast by Ernest Hemingway.
I can’t miss an episode of:Curb your Enthusiasm.
In my fridge you’ll always find: Champagne and ingredients for Pasta Arrabiata.
My favourite room in my house is: The kitchen.
I recently discovered: Myself in isolation.
The people I rely on for my wellbeing are:John Prine, a country folk singer and songwriter who recently passed away at 79. I’m obsessed with his music right now.
The one artist whose work I would collect is (if price is not an issue):CJ Hendry.
The last meal out I had that truly impressed me was:Sean’s Panorama in Bondi Beach. Always impressive and one of my favourites.
The best gift I ever received was: My baby sister recently had a daughter and that has been the best gift ever. I’m smitten.
The beauty I can’t live without is: Really good shampoo and conditioner. I love Oribe and great natural vegan skincare, I recently discovered Biossance which I also love.
If I wasn’t doing what I am, I would be: I would love to have been an artist or writer.
Having grown up working for the family business ECC, founded by his great grandfather George Levett Thorburn in 1909, Andy Thorburn has his finger permanently attached to the pulse of design’s next big thing. Working with such brands as Tom Dixon, Minotti and Magis, craftsmanship and quality are an innate part of Thorburn’s life but that’s not to say that he doesn’t enjoy life’s simpler pleasures. Here he reveals his love for Milan and an unexpected preference for KFC.
My personal style is: I’m a fan of George Clooney but I would describe my own style as sophisticated, modern and classic.
The last thing I bought and loved was: Air Pods Pro – absolute game changers.
An unforgettable place I visited was: The Dolomites [Italy] for a family Christmas in 2019. It was something that I will never forget.
Next place I’d like to go to: A tour of the south island. There is so much of NZ I haven’t seen and now seems like the perfect opportunity to do so.
An object I would never part with is: My watch.
On my wish list is: A dinner out at the Engine Room with my close friends.
The last thing I added to my wardrobe was: No clothes have been purchased in iso but I have purchased a deep fryer which has got me through some pretty tough times.
My favourite app is: Nike Running app – turns out it can be used for walks as well as runs.
An indulgence I would never forgo is: KFC – I’m quite partial to a Ponsonby road drive through.
If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city it would be: Via della Spiga, Milan.
My favourite room in my house is: The pool area. It’s where we’ve created great memories with friends and family – with some Minotti furniture as a backdrop.
The best gift I ever received was: A limited edition Marcel Wanders book, Rijks, Masters of The Golden Age. It’s gigantic.
Dutch designer Marcel Wanders
My style icon is: Myself.
The best book I’ve read in the last year is: Honestly, I can’t say I’ve read a book in years.
I can’t miss an episode of: TheBlacklist – if you haven’t watched it, get watching.
In my fridge you’ll always find: Peroni. There’s nothing like finishing the day with a cold one.
I recently discovered: Circuit training. I absolutely hated it at first, but it really sets you up for the day.
The one artist whose work I would collect is (if price is not an issue):Callum Innes
The people I rely on for my wellbeing are: My Friends. I am incredibly lucky to have a tight-knit group of friends.
The configuration of two-storey houses usually follows the time honoured tradition of living and entertaining rooms on the entry level and bedrooms and bathrooms concealed in the privacy of upstairs but in-demand Australian architect Madeleine Blanchfield was not about to let convention stand in the way of her vision. Having a more than willing client, herself, helped the project proceed, with Blanchfield keen to maximise light and the views of surrounding trees for her own family home.
&Tradition Little Petra Lounge chair from Cult Design
With an award-winning practice in Paddington, and 10 years under her designer belt as associate director of the highly influential Burley Katon Halliday, Blanchfield has a refined aesthetic that balances serenity and strong visual interest, that eases the eye rather than creating conflict. On a steep block near the rough surf of Bronte Beach, that balance was achieved by placing the bedrooms on the entry level and the living space on top, offering views of the surrounding trees.
Nature is also present on the entry level, with the garden an important part of the relatively modest home, with Blanchfield having gained her reputation for creating some of Sydney’s most spectacular large houses. Vibrant creepers, hardy succulents and carefully curated garden beds can all be seen from the bedrooms.
A dynamic curved staircase links the levels, with all the bedrooms opening off the functional focal point. Blanchfield eliminated extraneous corridors to maximise the feeling of space, which is carried through upstairs, where sliding panels can repurpose the functionality of rooms.
The key furniture pieces are executed with an ease that only comes from a trained eye, with a result that immediately shows Japanese influences.
“I’m very interested in Japanese architecture,” Blanchfield has said. “The simplicity of Japanese houses – both contemporary and from the last century – is beautiful. They are honest, layered, detailed and manage to convey complexity of design with an overall purity and calmness. Spaces are fundamentally linked to ritual and beauty; they are flexible and embody a powerful and controlled relationship between the exterior, the landscape and the interior space. I believe we can learn a lot from their examples.”
Here those learnings all come into play, delivering a masterclass of contemporary refinement fit for a truly modern family.
Clockwise: Apparatus Lariat 3 pendant from ECC, Piet Boon Collection Gerrit dining table from ECC, Press tray from Tim Webber, Menu vase from Tim Webber, Novocuadro Arco artwork from Sarsfield Brooke, Flexform Astrid armchair from Studio Italia, B&B Italia Atoll sofa from Matisse
With his latest streaming hit Hollywood, Ryan Murphy (the man who gave us Glee, The Politician and American Horror Story) takes us back to the Golden Age of cinema following the end of World War II. The glossy series looks at a pack of young hopefuls who will do anything to see their names in lights and like Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, plays fast and loose with the truth while being peppered with real life characters.
“I wanted to do something where I gave some, if not all of these people a happy ending,” Murphy told Time in the US. “How do I make a commentary on the power of Hollywood to change hearts and minds? I decided to put together a fictional alternative-universe Hollywood and then populated it with some real people, and other fictional characters loosely based on real people.”
Here is who you need to know to fully enhance your viewing experience of this lavish and at times lascivious production.
Rock Hudson and Jake Picking
Rock Hudson, played by Jake Picking In Hollywood hopeful and homosexual actor Rory Fitzgerald (played by Jake Picking) is offered the opportunity of stardom if he stays in the closet, changes his name to Rock Hudson and performs sexual favours for his agent. All of this is close to Hudson’s own story (his real name was Roy Harold Scherer, Jr.) who didn’t become a star in Hollywood until the fifties. In real life Hudson, a close friend of Elizabeth Taylor, remained closeted until his death from AIDS-related complication in the eighties. Murphy has different plans for his Hudson in Hollywood.
Hattie McDaniel and Queen Latifah
Hattie McDaniel played by Queen Latifah The first black woman to win an Academy Award in 1940 for her performance in Gone With The Wind, Hattie McDaniel (Queen Latifah) becomes a mentor to starlet Camille Washington (Laura Harrier) in the series, sharing her challenging experiences in a racist industry. In real life McDaniel was forced to sit at a separate table to other guests at the Oscars Ceremony and was unable to attend the ‘Whites Only’ after party with her co-stars. During McDaniel’s lengthy career she was relegated to the role of maid 74 times.
“This is one of the happiest moments of my life,” McDaniel said in her real life acceptance speech. “And I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry.”
Dorothy Daindridge, Lena Horne and Laura Harrier
Camille Washington played by Laura Harrier The character of Washington is based on the lives of Dorothy Daindridge and Lena Horne, who were relegated to ‘race movies’ throughout their careers and saw their scenes in other movies cut when they played in the South. In the fictional series Washington is nominated for the 1947 Oscar for her role in a movie about a woman who throws herself off the Hollywood sign but in reality a black woman doesn’t take out the Best Actress Oscar until Halle Berry for Monster’s Ball in 2002.
Scotty Bowers and Dylan McDermott
Ernie (Scotty Bowers) played by Dylan McDermott Heartthrob Dylan McDermott is almost unrecognisable in Hollywood as Ernie, a gas station attendant who also works as a pimp servicing the Hollywood elite. The colourful character is based on Scotty Bowers who revealed his role as a provider of sexual satisfaction to the likes of Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in his gossipy memoir Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars. In the series Ernie takes a 50 per cent cut of the illegal action but Bowers always claimed that he never took commission from his staff’s on-the-side activities. And yes, there really were caravans out the back of the service station for speedy assignations.
Anna May Wong and Michelle Krusiec
Anna May Wong played by Michelle Krusiec Hollywood sticks rather close to the tragic story of Anna May Wong who turned to drink after being relegated to racist roles in the silent film era. Her complaints to Darren Criss’s hopeful director Raymond Ainsley mirror an interview she gave to Film Daily in 1933: “I was so tired of the parts I had to play. Why is it that the screen Chinese is nearly always the villain of the piece, and so cruel a villain—murderous, treacherous, a snake in the grass? We are not like that. How should we be, with a civilisation that’s so many times older than that of the West? We have our own virtues. We have our own rigid code of behaviour, of honour. Why do they never show these on the screen? Why should we always scheme, rob, kill?”
Henry Wilson and Jim Parsons
Henry Wilson played by Jim Parsons Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons branches out as the evil agent Henry Wilson in Hollywood. In real life Wilson moulded and manipulated a range of actors including Rock Hudson, Guy Madison, Tab Hunter and Troy Donahue, while also demanding sexual favours. Murphy has referred to Wilson, with his infamous casting couch, as one of the original Harvey Weinsteins.
Marlon Brando, James Dean, Montgomery Clift and David Corensweet
Jack Costello, played by David Corensweet Much of Hollywood‘s action is seen through the eyes of the ridiculously good looking Jack Costello (David Corensweet) who finds himself working at Ernie’s gas station to make some extra money and break into the movie industry. According to Corensweet the character is based on the experiences of Marlon Brando, James Dean and Montgomery Clift who signalled a new type of masculinity on the big screen.
Rather than eradicate the mood of this seventies penthouse apartment perched on Queensland’s Gold Coast in Australia, Cassie James-Herrick and her team at CJH Studio found the aspects they admired and ran with them. The three-bedroom apartment had been untouched since it’s construction by the original developers, complete with eye-catching brass bathroom fittings and extravagant golden details, but the Melbourne-based interior design practice decided to pick and choose their changes, to create a more sophisticated, light-filled space that spoke to the needs of today.
Naturally, the brass fittings are gone, along with all extraneous colours that would jar the creamy, textural palette which accentuates the structure’s original curves. Surfing the curves throughout the space, James-Herrick created an impressive arch in the double-height wall of the living space in the two storey-apartment. The circular table in the kitchen mirrors the curve’s softening effect which extends to the staircase, corridors and as far as the the walk-in shower, where the glass brick wall that originally dominated the foyer has been cannily and carefully repurposed.
The lovingly-restored travertine floor is another example of paying tribute to the echoes of the past while finding a new voice. With custom joinery throughout and a crisp palette that envelope the space like a Roman toga, imbuing the minimalist approach with maximum visual interest, with no hint of brass and the only gold remaining on the apartment’s address.
For more exclusive access to what the city has to offer, engaging content, excellent imagery and thought provoking commentary on the life that surrounds you, subscribe to Denizen magazine now.
