A Sneaky Purchase For Me

I also got these lovely lanterns yesterday for me.  I think they will be gorgeous in summer, providing some twinkling light as long luxurious lunches stretch into the night.  They were an absolute bargain from Bed Bath n Table thanks to the 20% discount they were offering, I got both of them for $48.  I think they are such an inexpensive way to jazz up our outdoor area.  I've temporarily hung them with some ribbon, but I'm heading to Bunnings today to see if I can pick up some cheap chain and hooks to hang them with.

Any Excuse To Purchase

Doncaster Westfield had a Christmas shopping event on yesterday where every store was offering discounts, so not being one to miss a sale or a chance to purchase, I raced down there and finally started my Christmas shopping.  I picked up this Cotton House quilt cover and Sheridan cushions for my parents (I hope you're not reading this post mum!) from David Jones.  It will go perfectly with their light olive green and mocha scheme.  I also saw a fabulous print at Target in navy blue that would suit the room, but unfortunately the budget would only go so far (that means Alex would have a heart attack if I spent another cent!).

All That Glitters



Baby Petals Centrepiece from The Gilded Table
via One Kings Lane



Campana of Edra Pendant
via Archi Tonic



Eileen Kathryn Boyd Gilded Fretwork
via One Kings Lane



Cottonweave Goldenrod Brooke Rug
via Madeline Weinrib

The Gilded Table Set of 4 Filigree Tree Coasters
via One Kings Lane

The Gilded Table Drum Napkin Ring
via One Kings Lane

Platt Collections Iron Coffee Table
via One Kings Lane

Brass Kaleidoscope
via Kelly Wearstler

Brass Legs
via Kelly Wearstler

I've always been a bit of a silver girl so no one was more surprised than me when I started to be drawn to the glamour of gold.  Maybe I'm just tired of silver and need a break (it's not you, it's me) but whatever it is, I can't deny how much I'm in love with gold at the moment.  It started with a bracelet I got a few months ago which was a mixture of gold, silver and brassy tones which led me to a flirtation with brass, the softer version of gold but now my infatuation is full blown and any gold from glorious sunshine yellow to glittering old gold has a place in my heart.  Try something new and take a look at gold and you may be surprised at what you dig up.

Simple and Effective



Designer: Tia Zolden
Photographer: Karyn Millet
Images via Coastal Living



Keep it simple stupid (KISS) is an advertising mantra, but it can also be applied to interior schemes.  A lot of people make the mistake of over decorating with complicated schemes and the room can end up feeling confused and unharmonious.  If you're not sure where to begin, take a leaf out of Tia Zolden's book and choose two main colours (charcoal and coral were chosen here) and base your decorating scheme around these colours and then use small accents of other colours and patterns to add interest.  Another thing that I like about this house is how they have continued the scheme throughout the whole house.  Each room still has it's own identity, yet the coral and charcoal is featured throughout.

Beach House Style




From top left:
Driftwood Floor Lamp, Eileen Kathryn Boyd; Bobo Concentric Circles Pillow, Jonathan Adler; Liberty Handmade Vessel, Freedom Furniture; Stacey Garcia Lemongrass Striped Wall Sconce, Lamps Plus; Sorrento Mirror, Oz Design; Blue Horizon Print, Oz Design; Dimpled Lamp in Teal & Aqua, Kristy Lee Interiors; Haze Silk Mimosa Cushion, Aphrochic; Ecoya Lotus Flower Metrojar Candle, Ecoya; Sommerfield Sofa, Freedom Furniture; Dark Turquoise Zig Zag Cushions, Ada & Darcy; Tangten Weathered Elm Side Table, Coco Republic; 20th C Metal Barrel, Huniford

 

Whether you have a holiday home or just want to infuse beach house style into where you live, you can use these items to bring a bit of sunshine into your decorating scheme.  I like my beach house to be rustic and casual, yet colourful and glamorous.  The inspiration for this mood board was the fantastic mirror from Oz Design.  I've paired it with a driftwood floor lamp, shell based smaller lamp and casual beach friendly furniture such as the linen sofa and crate side table.  Beach houses are fun, so I've added some playful striped wall sconces.

Playing the Blues





From Top Left:

Cotton Weave Blue Indigo Rug, Madaline Weinrib; Charles Fraddin Home Custom Illustrated House Pad, One Kings Lane; Drum Pendant with Mini Roses, Stray Dog Designs; Don Freeman Blue Flower picture, One Kings Lane; Blue Resin Vase, Dinosaur Designs; Ginger Jar Lamp, Kristy Lee Interiors; Blue and Beige Teapot, Ada & Darcy; Emily Tufted Bench, Horchow; 1940's French Pouffe in Blue Charm Suzani, Madaline Weinrib; Blue Flower Magnet, Stray Dog Designs; Prosecco Votive Holder, Anthropologie; Peacock Wedding Invite, Paper Divas;

Massound Marine Striped Chair, Horchow; The Beat Pillow Cerulean, Aphrochic

  



via Rue Magazine

 



Clairbourne Swanson Frank via Elle Decor
Photo: Simon Watson
Note how fantastic the blue Madaline Weinrib rug looks in this space.

 




Bathroom at the Smyth Tribeca in New York.
Loved the blue tiles and walls.

 




Carrier and Company via Elle Decor
Photo: William Waldron

 



Jamie Drake via Elle Decor
Photo: Jeff McNamara

 



Rayman Boozer via Elle Decor
Photo: Timothy Kolk

 




Peter Lawford via The Design Files

 

My friend Kylie from school recently commented that she thought that blue was my colour and I must say that I had not really thought about it as I love all colours but upon reflection of the items that I have chosen in my house, yes, it does seem that blue is my hue!  Maybe it's my Piscean nature or just the calming effect that I get from blue, I can't deny that I am drawn to it. At the moment, I'm loving peacock blue and gold together (really anything with gold is making my heart beat a little faster these days).  Blue is very versatile and you can team it with white for a nautical look, tone it down with browns, greys and mauves or contrast it with pops of gold, silver, pink, orange or yellow.

Creative Lighting

Cartoon Hanging Pendant

Folded Paper Drum Shade

Sheet Music Hanging Pendant



Soda Tab Hanging Pendant



Straw Hanging Drum Pendant

Cocktail Umbrella Hanging Pendant

All images are via Zipper 8 Lighting on Etsy

Lighting is a passion of mine and when I stumbled across these quirky shades, I just had to share them with you.  They are the wonderful creations of New York based Allison Patrick and you can find them on Etsy which is a fantastic web site featuring hand made products.  I love the sheet music pendant and the soda tab drum shade and I adore how simple the idea is.  It just shows that with a little imagination, you can create lighting out of virtually anything!

The Ultimate Beach House

All images are from Coastal Living
Designer: Phoebe Howard
Photos: Tria Giovan

Since the weather is gorgeous again today and I had a taste for beach house decorating over the weekend, today I wanted to share with you the ultimate beach house.  It's not just my idea of the pinnacle of beach house style, this house actually won the legitimate title of Coastal Living's 2011 Ultimate Beach house.  There are so many things to love about this house but the element that seals the deal for me is that it is totally luxury, screams beach house style, yet is not obvious in the way that it does.

It's the little things like the framed thongs (or flip flops for those of you from the US snickering at the word thong!) in the kitchen nook, the oversized nautical stripes on the lounge chairs and the green grass cloth wallpaper in the bedroom.  The exposed timber beams and wood lined roof add to the coastal theme of the house, yet the formal lines of the sofa and chairs and the cabinetry in the kitchen bring some luxury to this beach side home.  I have a ticket to this Tuesday's oz lotto and if I $20 million lands on my door next week, some of it will be shoveled into a beach house like this one and you are all invited for a stay!

Bisazza Beautiful




 

  











Soho showroom



All of the above images are from the Bisazza showroom in Soho.
It's amazing what can be achieved with a mosaic tile and some creativity.

Hotel de Russie, Rome
Image via luxuryonline.it



W Hotel Hong Kong
A stunning use of these tiles as a magnificent mural.
The tiles have been used in the pool as well.
Image via luxurysociety.com



I'd heard of Bisazza tiles before my New York trip, but I had not ventured into a tile shop to actually look at them.  As I strolled the streets of Soho, I spotted the Bisazza showroom and quickly crossed the street for a closer inspection.  My excitement was contagious as I squealed with delight and ordered my mother and sister to join me in the shop.  My sister has not a skerrit of interest in anything related to interior design, homewares or house related, but even she was enticed by my excitement.  As we entered we were immediately wowed by the intricate mosaic patterns, some with  glimmering gold and silver tiles, some just amazing due to their complicated design.  The showroom was eerily completely empty so our "oohs and ahhs" were echoing around the tiled walls.  I immediately sensed my opportunity to take photos without having to explain myself and whipped out my camera and got some coveted shots of this beautiful showroom.

Since returning, I have been informed that not any old tiler can lay these exquisite tiles - they must be a Bisazza trainer tiler who has been to Italy to receive proper intensive instruction.  I'm not sure if this is folklore from those trying to impress, but if it's true, it makes sense that Bisazza don't want any bozo ruining their beautiful tiles. The W Hotel in Hong Kong is a stunning example of the brilliance of these tiles.  They have been used in the gigantic wall mural which is poolside and they have been used in the pool as well.  The Hotel de Russie uses simple black and white, but the pattern on the floor is gorgeous making this bathroom something special.

I'm off to a close friends house today to celebrate his daughter's birthday. He owns and runs a tile shop in Geelong and while I can't wait to see them and their beautiful daughter (we unfortunately don't get to see each other enough), I'm also looking forward to chatting to someone who actually wants to talk about tiles!

Summer Lovin

Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

Photo by J.Savage Gibson

Lisa Romerein

Richard Leo Johnson

All images are via Coastal Living

Finally Melbourne has turned on the summer weather this weekend.  With the delicious warm weather comes fun times at the beach.  My husband's family has a beach house at Venus Bay in South Gippsland which we lovingly refer to as "VB" (those from Victoria will get the in joke!).  The weatherboard house was originally from East Bentleigh and we literally cut the house in half, loaded it on two trucks and moved it down to the beach.  We have spent the past year renovating it and although I would love it to look like one of the pictures shown here, the reality of our beach house reno was that it involved three families, a very limited budget (no one wanted to spend anything!) and lots of difference of opinion when it came to decorating.  Nevertheless, it's still our little retreat and I am definitely looking forward to spending the summer there.

I'm a bit of dreamer, so I still like to look at these pictures of beach house chic.  Even if you can't spend a fortune on a beach house (and let's be honest, to even have the luxury of a beach house is awesome in itself, whatever it looks like) then you can still steal some ideas from these pics.  I love the idea of a swing at a holiday home as it just asks you to slow down and relax, perhaps with a glass of wine and some cheese or with a coffee and a good book.  The cheeky "Nice Tan" lettering is fun and playful, although I'm ashamed to say, my signage would probably read "Nice Burns".

If you are fortunate enough to have sweeping ocean views, you can either use large picture windows or you can frame it with architectural detail as in the picture with the arched windows.  Beach house style can be super relaxed or more formal as in the last picture.  I love the idea of white and light colours at the beach, but with kids at a beach house, you don't want to be on edge all the time over things getting dirty.  I bought some white cushions for our beach house last year and over the past year the kids have successfully ruined them (lucky they were cheap).  We have washed them about four times and they are still hanging in there, but thank goodness our sofas and dining chairs are in darker colours!

Enjoy the nice weather and remember to slip slop slap.