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Intentional Living – The Mews Carlton Featuring IN BED
Envisioned as a cocooned retreat within Melbourne city, The Mews Carlton is imbued with a natural yet considered warmth. The studio apartment features IN BED products that support the design’s approach to intentional living.
Situated in on the cusp of Melbourne CBD, The Mews Carlton was proposed as a place for shorter stays. This meant that, rather than focusing on integrating a home’s-worth of storage or manoeuvring extensive furnishings, owner Rose Onans and architects Ewert Leaf had the freedom to explore the space in its entirety. “When I first saw the apartment, I could see the potential for it to be a really concentrated experience focused on rituals of rest and bathing, because there’s really only the one room and then the bathroom and dressing space, which is comparatively generous,” Rose says. As such, the design is built upon this foundation of quality and deliberation – the notion that every activity and interaction with the space, no matter how small, contributes to the overall experience. “Everything here is an expression of my own love of materials and design,” says Rose. “All of the objects and artwork and really everything, down to the towels and the bedding and the items in the kitchen, has all been very carefully considered.”
The apartment block itself was originally intended as a motel. This contributes to its character and also explains the predominantly identical layout of the studios, “which are essentially hotel rooms,” Rose notes. “The location was probably, out of everything, the biggest draw card,” she adds. “It’s directly opposite the Carlton Gardens, which is just incredible.” This connection to such a vast green space across the way extends The Mews beyond its boundary, expressed via an external walkway that aligns with that classic open-air motel style. “Essentially everything that you would need is on your doorstep,” Rose explains. “The apartment itself is made for resting and bathing, and then you venture out into the gardens or down into the city or out into Fitzroy, and you’ve got the best of what Melbourne has to offer right there.”
Using IN BED’s products felt like a natural extension of the apartment’s intentional ethos – one that saw timeless design and tactile materiality at the forefront of every moment within. Founded in 2013, IN BED creates sustainable and elevated bedding and homewares with materials sourced from all over the globe. The company is committed to making ethically and eco-friendly products, without compromising on quality or craft. “The quality of [IN BED’s] textiles is extremely high; they feel really beautiful to use,” Rose explains. “The tones and the colours, even of the more neutral pieces, feel really rich and considered, and every item offers a beautiful tactile experience.”
There is an enduring sensibility embedded within IN BED’s products that clearly aligns with the apartment’s purpose. “It was really important that the everything – down to the pillowcases and the towels and robes – felt really, really beautiful to use and like it had been made with a lot of care,” Rose explains. “There’s an inherent meaning to something that’s been made with care,” she reflects. “Not only for how it looks and how it feels to use, but also for its impact on the environment, as once objects become meaningful, they will endure. If you’re using something because it means something to you, it’s special, and you’re therefore less likely to discard it.”
It is this commitment to intentional living that allows The Mews to elevate the everyday experience. Even if one is “doing something mundane, just making a coffee, washing your face in the morning or lying down in bed at night,” Rose says, “if the pieces or functional items that you’re using have been made really beautifully and selected with care, then those experiences can be really heightened and made more meaningful.”
