What they never told you in Home Beautiful...

Sometimes, small spaces look better with dark walls.

I love dark walls!

Dark Walls

I love dark walls, and since painting my bedroom the fab Dulux shade of Stonecrop (which in my tiny dark room looks like a much darker shade of grey brown), I've been obsessed by how to decorate the room to suit the deep, dreamy hue.

Originally blogged on Bodie and Fou, the following room is part of Chateau de Latigolle. I am smitten with the use of black and white furniture against the grey walls and timber floor - it reminds me of my bedroom so much - I also have big white skirting boards and pine floors. I also have a dark brown/black timber wardrobe and tallboy which look sensational against the dark walls... now all I have to figure out is what duvet cover will match the Marimekko lamps shades and red Kartell bedside tables...

Originally blogged on Bodie and Fou.

Cute Little Makeover

Originally blogged by Anh Minh.

You know what they say - the telling is in the detail, and that is certainly true for this little gem. Completed in 2 weekends, it goes to show that a splash of colour, furniture and use of geometric shapes can really add character and turn a simple yard into a living space. The details of this cute little backyard makeover can be found at Sunset.

Inspired by Lace

I've been collecting the best pieces of design and furniture I can find that have been inspired by lace and crochet. Here are some of them (from left to right):

1. A gorgeous piece of real black and white lace to be inspired by.
2. White Lace Table designed by Marcel Wanders. If you haven't heard of him yet - Marcel Wanders is a living modern classic. Named in the 100 most influential people in Holland, Marcel Wanders is ubiquitous, designing for the biggest European contemporary design manufacturers including B&B Italia, Bisazza, Poliform, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, Cappellini, Droog Design and Moooi (which he is also art director and co-owner).
3. Black lace table designed by Marcel Wanders.
4. White lace table designed by Marcel Wanders.
5. Large white lace table designed by Marcel Wanders.
6. White lace chair designed by Marcel Wanders.
7. White lace sideboard designed by Marcel Wanders.
8. Black and white lace drawers designed by Marcel Wanders.
9. Grandma's lace chair designed by Yaron Elyasi. This lace-inspired chair is made (partly) of recycled plastic and is an example of Yaron Elyasi's one-of-a-kind work.
   
10. Prince chair designed by Louise Campbell and produced by Hay. Signaling a return of the extraordinary Danish design of the 50s, the Prince chair was designed by Louise Campbell for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Frederik. Inspired by the juxtapose of Prince Frederik - falling somewhere between new and old world royalty - in April 2006 the Prince Chair was awarded with the EDIDA – Elle Decoration International Design Award.
11. Lace Chair designed by Gam plus Fratesi (dynamic Finnish/Italian duo Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi) is a fusion of lace, steal and fiberglass. The chair is produced by L'Abbate.
    
12. T-Table designed by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola and produced by Kartell. These tables are stocked by the Kartell store and Space Furniture in Sydney and retail for around $327 AUD.
    
13. Lace bathroom fittings designed by Patricia Urquiola.
14. Lace rug designed by Patricia Urquiola.
15. Garland (lighting) designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
    
16. Come rain come shine (lighting) designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
17. Midsummer (lighting) designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
18. Thinking of You (vase) designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
19. Glassware designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
20. Until Dawn (curtains) designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
21. Until Dawn designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
22. Ivy panels designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
23. Ivy panels designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
24. Anemone table designed by duo Anna-Katriina Tilli & Mari Relander (Perhonne) and available through Selki.
    
25. Embroidery (chair) designed by Gam plus Fratesi and produced by L'Abbate.

Trends: Contrast colours

Yellow is cool. Check out the May issue of Inside Out.

The type of pillow I like

Get it? The TYPE of pillow... hehe. You can get one of these little gems made of classic Maharam fabric from here on Esty, made by Jamric. Be sure to check out Jamric's Peppermags Blog.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5063914
http://peppermags.blogspot.com/

The awesomeness that is Decor8

No one can deny the brilliance of the Decor8 blog. And here is the proof: sewing hoops. Simple sewing hoops, filled with beautiful fabric and hung for usage as an alternative to pinboards, discovered by Decor8 and made by the delectable Little Pretty Studio (on Esty).

I am smitten.

Above: A photo originally posted by Decor8 on Flickr and idea blogged on Decor8.

And yes - I just heard you all say "Now why didn't I think of that?". Well don't sweat it - you can make it yourself, thanks to Sweet Jessie's instructions on how to make one youself! FAB!

http://www.decor8.blogspot.com/

Pretty Little Studio

http://www.sweetjessie.com/

Tea with two

How gorgeous are these hand-made pillows? But it gets better - they are made from beautiful tea towels!

Above: finished pillows Originally uploaded by traciw on Flickr.

Black, Hot & White

Check out Black White Bliss, a blog by a designer obsessed with all things black and white.

http://www.blackwhitebliss.blogspot.com/

Ink Blot Plates

I'm all black, hot and white today. Ink blot plates by Kathleen Walsh. Available from Unica Home.

http://www.unicahome.com

Themes and Variations

Gorgeous 'Themes and Variations' decorative wall plates designed by Piero Fornasetti. Available from Moss Online.

http://www.mossonline.com/

Cute girls from Helsinki really do it for me

Check out the Suburban Queen. Why are Finnish girls so darn cute?

http://thesuburbanqueen.blogspot.com/

Fabric fiasco

I'm still looking for alternate fabrics to match my Marimekko lampshades. I was about to give up hope... but thankfully, Finnish designers Maija Louekari and Miina Akkijyrkka have some awesome new fabrics out through Marimekko.

ABOVE: 'Kevätjuhla' fabric by Miina Akkijyrkka. Available through Marimekko.

ABOVE: Fabrics by Maija Louekari. Available through Marimekko.

Maija Louekari actually designed the fabric I used for my lampshades. So it's really no surprise that her new patterns are my favourite of the latest Marimekko range. Here's a quick reminder of my lampshades and the Paasky fabric I used.

So I'm wondering - can I get away with a combo like this against my dark grey walls? Maybe it's too much... I think the cows and Paasky fabric are ok and will suit the red Kartell tables... but maybe the big dots are too much...

Thoughts?

http://www.maijalouekari.com/
http://www.akkijyrkka.com/
http://www.marimekko.com/

It's a bust!

Featured over at Design Milk is a wonderful 'Laced Up' Table by Ghost Furniture. On exploring Ghost Furniture further, I discovered this little gem too - the Blue Lily Bust.

http://design-milk.com/

http://www.ghostfurniture.co.uk/

The Rounds

Each Tuesday I'm going to try something I think is really interesting - but that I haven't seen anyone else do - and I'm calling it The Round. Each week I'm going to review all the best bits from all my favourite design blogs, and put them here. If you like it, let me know.

Round 1.
---
@ 2Modern
2Modern is featuring a new vendor - Orange 22. I discovered Orange 22 a while ago while looking for credenza inspiration. Designed by Brandon Lynne and Dario Antonioni, these fabulous tables are made using a single piece of laser cut aluminum.
---
@ Aesthetic Outburst
Aesthetic Outburst is featuring the fabulous coloured pencil fence originally featured on amazing design blog Monster-Munch.
---
@ Anh-Minh
Anh-Minh features the gorgeous Huset Shop. Check it out for beautiful Scandinavian designs.
---
@ Cool Hunting
Cool Hunting is featuring Orange 22 and their fab tables too - must be a trend!
---
@ Decor8
Decor8 features woven baskets - one of which I have!
---
@ Design Milk
Design Milk is featuring very beautiful equine porcelain by Bodo Sperlein.
---
@ Design*Sponge
Design*Sponge is featuring a sneak peak of Lisa Congdon's house - which happens to have my very favourite plate cluster (Domestic Voyeur: The Art of Cluster Hanging)!---
@ Happy Mundane
Happy Mundane is having a Blue Munday featuring the fab 'Sea Life Lumber Pillow Cover' (available from the Pottery Barn). Seriously loving the colour scheme in that cover!
---
@ My Folk Lover
My Folk Lover's Catherine Campbell has her artwork featured in Curvy 5 which was launched this week.
---
@ My Little Apartment
My Little Apartment uses a Miranda bottle for a vase.
---
@ NOTCOT
NOTCOT features an antler handbag by designers Tiffani Anne Williams and Todd Brooks of Rich in Craft. TO DIE FOR!!!---
@ Poppy Talk
Poppy Talk features the woodland delights that hide in the home studio of design duo Something's Hiding in There. As a lover of all things faux trophy and fairy tale... I love it.---
@ TORC
Things of Random Coolness features the Golden Egg - a remake of Arne Jacobsen's famous Egg Chair to mark the 50th anniversary of the classic design.
---

Starring in order of appearance:
http://2modern.blogs.com/
http://www.orange22.com/
http://aestheticoutburst.blogspot.com/
http://www.monster-munch.com/
http://www.anh-minh.com/weblog/
http://www.huset-shop.com/
http://www.coolhunting.com/
http://decor8.blogspot.com/
http://design-milk.com/
http://www.bodosperlein.com/
http://www.designspongeonline.com/
http://www.lisacongdon.com/
http://happymundane.blogspot.com/
http://www.potterybarn.com/
http://myfolklover.typepad.com/
http://www.yenmag.net/
http://mylittleapartment.blogspot.com/
http://www.notcot.com/
http://richincraft.com/
http://www.poppytalk.blogspot.com/
Something's hiding in there
http://www.thingsofrandomcoolness.com/
http://www.fritzhansen.com/fh/microsites/goldenegg/

How cute is this cushion made by Sew 2 Speak?

Funny shit

Make sure you check out What Possessed Me - a very funny blog. I' so inspired, I've made a link category for Funny Shit.

Street Armoir

Burke & Hazelden have been on my favourites list for quite some time, and I've been meaning to share my love of this wonderful design duo for sometime.

Not only that, but after going back for a look at their site, I started looking around and I can across Moda Collection (Italy) who also have a beautiful modern take on some classic bourgie furniture.
There's a chair at General Pants in Pitt St Mall (Sydney) that I am inspired to go and take a photo of... It's upholstered in custom fabric and I'm wondering if it was made by Moda... or perhaps inspired by. If I can get a flick, I will soon...

You MUST check out the inspirational blog My Marrakesh. Beautiful...

Delicious hues of pink, reds and plums... Part 2

Here's a little mood board I threw together as an after thought...

Delicious hues of pinks, reds and plums... Part 1

A friend of mine is moving into a gorgeous new apartment and she asked if I'd help her with ideas for how to decorate it. It is a beautiful black and white canvas. Here's the apartment:

Above: The lounge room: Nic's new apartment is beautiful - the black polished floor and picture rails make this a very desirable place to decorate!

Above: The white walls and dark floors are the perfect canvas for a romantic French apartment...

The style I think would suit both her and the apartment most is boho moco meets decor noir spiced with delicious hues of pink, red, plum and blueberry. See below:

Above: The palette

Above: The latest issue of Real Living has a story about Kylie Sutherland's gorgeous house. Real Living describes the pad as "a delicious palette of pinks, reds and plums".

Above: Continuing the theme, another delicious palette of pinks, plums and berries.

Above: a fabulous Kartell Bourgie willadd a luxe touch.

Above: A 'Like for ever' screen print by Village, hung in an oversize black frame.

Above: Nothing says 'I've got flair' quite like a bold Zebra print hide rug.

Above: A modern marrakesh bazaar filled with patterns, textures and colours.

The above combination of bold patterns and bright - a zebra print hide rug, pink candy stripes and and Turkish tea glasses - set against warm chocolate-black floors and bright white walls would be perfect in her intimate apartment.

Sneak Peek: The Ivy

1. Ivy - Ivy Bar, 2. Ivy - Ivy Bar, 3. Ivy - Ivy Lounge, 4. Ivy - Ivy Lounge, 5. Ivy - Ivy Lounge, 6. Ivy - Mad Cow, 7. Ivy - Mad Cow, 8. Ivy - Teppenyaki, 9. Ivy - The Den, 10. Ivy - The Den, 11. Ivy - Kitchen, 12. Ivy - Lawn, 13. Ivy - Lawn, 14. Ivy - Lawn, 15. Ivy - Lawn, 16. Ivy - Terrace, 17. Ivy - Terrace, 18. Ivy - Terrace, 19. Ivy - Terrace, 20. Ivy - Terrace

The question that seems to be on many a Sydney-siders lips over the past few weeks has been 'have you been to the Ivy?'. The Ivy being the huge new Merivale (think Establishment, Slip Inn, Tank) owned nightclub/complex on George Street in Sydney.

The only reason I was really interested in going was to see the unique interior decor the club is said to have. I can honestly say I haven't managed to get in yet - but after going to check it out on Saturday night and getting herded into the massive lineup outside, I didn't bother.

Thankfully, I have seen the interior thanks to these photos taken in daylight.

Although I am not a huge fan of the 'garden party' concept, there are some features I'm quite fond of - and some I am equally repulsed by.

One of the most repulsing features is undoubtably the huge yellow and white shower that hangs over the astroturf dancefloor in the 'Lawn' Bar. Apparently the shower is operated by a button in the DJ booth - turning the Lawn into a wet t-shirt contest at the flick of a button.

Althought the rich use of textures and materials is this nightclubs most redeeming feature, it seems sadly wasted on an interior that spends most of it's time being viewed in darkness or through beer googles. And perhaps for that very reason, the use of brightly coloured furniture is a stroke of genius - just like lights on a airplain runway, at least all the Saturday night wastoids will be able to see the where to sit more easily.

And although I am a fan of the 'Den' bar look - the rich black/Aqua combo, I think that throughout the rest of the venue there is far too much use of white for a place that is in constant need of cleaning. I hope they have a team of cleaners on hand throughout each night to scrub that place back to glittering white before they herd the next bunch of punters through the doors...

*end rant*

Red, Aqua & Brown

Above (L to R): 1. Aqua, Red & Brown, 2. Craftorama, 3. Domestic Voyeur, 4. Domestic Voyeur, 5. Domestic Voyeur, 6. Gruau Moulin Rouge Frenesie, 7. Bad photo, accurate colour, 8. paasky fabric, 9. hotel fox

I'm really struggling with the colours in the bedroom. I think I was a bit over enthusiastic to think it was a good idea get a very expensive pair of marimekko lampshade custom made, without thinking about almost everything else except the lamps themselves and the red kartell side tables they sit on. So now I'm trying to back-match fabric/concepts for cushions, bedspread and headboard that will work...

Latest Ikea purchase

I finally got a red Ikea PS locker to sit the TV on last weekend. Oh how I love you, little red locker. Get your Ikea PS here. The TV has found a happy (all be it temporary) home on top of tis little gem which even has holes pre-cut underneath to feed your video cables through.

Pictures of the updated lounge room soon...

Yellow Hot

Yellow is so hot right now, I gave Domestic Voyeur a new look. Enjoy.

Copy Cat

I'm reposting this photo blogged by the highly fabulous Holly Becker at Decor8. Yellow is so hot right now (all images by Mark Lund Photography + Homeroom Studio). The composition of objects is just superb and the bit I like most about the photo is that I don't now which bit I like most. I am particularly partial to the parrot plate and green kitty toy, set again the yellow wall.

Poster Love

This is the street poster I've designed my my party in June. I love it. I generally don't say things like that about artwork I do... but this one is different. I think it is perfect. The Poll Poster (I'll post later) is beautiful too... Ah.... The party is going to ROCK!

Ikea rocks rococo

Oh my god I just died and went directly to heaven - do not pass go, do not collect $200. I am so impressed by the yellow (also available in black) sideboard from IKEA (USA).

I think I need to start a petition to get this little piece of wonder known as 'TROLLSTA' to our our fair shores...