Weekend Escapades

TV console

2013-04-18T15:11:00.000+08:00

We moved into our new house about a month and a half ago, bringing a lot of our old furniture from our previous home to be used for the meantime. These furniture were mostly cheaper 'placeholders' before I find something more pretty and value for money to replace it with.

I currently have a TV console that we bought for our previous apartment from Houz Depot, and it cost us about RM200. It was relatively cheap, although not pretty (cherry-coloured, fibre board), it has been serving us for the past 2 years quite well.

Now that we have moved in the new house, my quest for new furniture begins! Okay, I've still got to wait until the baby comes out plus another 40 days of confinement. Sigh.

I'm thinking of getting the Ikea Besta cabinet, it looks great here.

Source here.

I like the 2 little baskets in the small shelf. So last night I looked it up under the Ikea online catalogue and found it. Here it is!

Ikea

It costs RM944. And that's not including castors and other stuff required. Not sure if the hubby would be willing to fork up the money. But as usual, we always prefer to see it first before actually purchasing to see whether it would be worth the money. Of course it looks gorgeous in the first photo, right?

Have a great Thursday!

Guest Post - Green and Blue

2013-04-17T13:10:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, due to the lack of posts here, I was more than happy to get an offer for a guest post by Arcadian Home blog. Just to keep everyone informed, I'm actually expecting a new member in the family, thus the rare updates on my blog! Have been resting for the past months. My actual due date is this Saturday! Hopefully the little one arrives on time or earlier. Pregnancy is tiring during the finals weeks.

Anyway, I'll let Mari take it from here. Hope you enjoy this guest post... xoxo

Hello, everyone! It's Mari here from Arcadian Home blog, a fantastic place to find lots of decorating inspiration, including winning ways with beautiful table decor, interesting wall art and lovely lighting fixtures. I'm so happy to be visiting with you at Weekend Escapades to share a guest post about spaces with wonderful green and blue color palettes. Amnah inspired me to choose this topic with her post about how much she loves blue, but is becoming interested in green. I've pulled together eight images that illustrate the versatility of the great color combo—blue and green. As you will see on our little virtual tour below, greens and blues are lovely together in all sorts of rooms, from the traditionally elegant to those with a contemporary minimalist look. Whether it's just a pop or two of these lively hues or a room saturated with vibrant blue and green, I hope you'll find inspiration for your own colorful interior or outdoor spaces. Please enjoy!

This formal dining room is kicked up a notch with a brilliant green wall and eye-catching shapely chairs with gorgeous backs dressed up in chartreuse and turquoise burnout velvet.

With a much softer background color on the wall, this living room also includes touches of deeper shades of blue and green. I love the blue sky peeking through in the canine painting.

This lofty bedroom is a restrained blend of blue and green—stylish and inviting. It's one of my personal favorites. The pale walls are painted in a perfect blue hue.

From pale blue walls in a bedroom retreat, we turn to soft green walls in a lovely dining room with watery aqua chairs. The embossed pattern on the chair backs adds texture and visual appeal to the design. Buffet lamps are pretty in a color that seems to be a beautiful blending of green and aqua.

Think green and blue rainbow. This living room and nearby office are dressed up in a lovely array of green and blue hues, from pale seafoam to a toned-down version of chartreuse. A contemporary striped rug ties
the room together.

This pretty pale corner vignette gets a bit of color with a blue unframed painting and green buffet lamps. I love the wide gold detailing against the muddy shade of green on the lamp bases.

Pale turquoise walls and apple green cabinets create a spa-like space in this large bath with marble floor and shower surround.

Green and blue is a great color combo for an outdoor space. Here a vintage porch goes for cool contemporary style with stripes, patterns and solids. The hanging ferns are fabulous and so are the contemporary floor lamps created from a classic form.

Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

What do you think of these color combinations? Leave us your thoughts below and be sure to visit our website for more home decor and lighting inspirations!

Thanks, Mari! Oh yes, due to the amount of spam I've been getting lately, I've activated the word verification in the comments section. Hope it doesn't put off genuine human beings from commenting!

My pins over the year...

2012-11-20T00:16:00.000+08:00

Hi! I'm back with a short update :-)

It's probably been more than a year since I joined Pinterest, and I was looking at my pins back then to see how my preference for decor has changed over the year. You know how when you keep a diary and read back to the days when you were younger, and thought, "really? I wrote that?"

Well, in this case, it would be, "really? I pinned that?"

Okay, my pins from last year were not bad at all. Let's take a look at a few of them, shall we?

Source here

I'm still into neutrals and blues and browns like in the photo above. This room is still pretty - clean and modern.

Elle Decor

I like the herringbone floor and again - clean and modern.

Rue

At the time, I was sourcing for inspiration to decorate my sister's bedroom. I like the image of this room. I particularly love the patterns on the bed sheet and the texture from the grey-blue velvet pillow.

Houzz

This is a nice dining room - and I've always loved lanterns. Loved and still love white upholstered dining chairs, too.

Source here

Another handsome living room made of greys, blues and browns - my favourite colours.

Though all photos above are beautiful in their own ways, I now find myself gravitating towards rooms that look less than perfect, lived-in and maybe a little under decorated?

Let me share with you some of my recent pins to show you what I mean.

Source here

This is what I call an effortlessly beautiful room. It just doesn't look decorated - the rumpled bedsheets, the aged wood of the side tables, the 'real' reading books in the niches and a cute personal photo of a baby. This could be anybody's room - and it just happens to be beautiful.

Source unknown

I love the relaxed look of this area. The patina on the frames of the two identical mirrors makes a beautiful contrast to the reflection of a more modern chandelier.

Taken from here

Another undecorated room - wouldn't you just love sitting here, doing mundane daily stuff, but it wouldn't be so mundane because everything around you is so pretty. The bookshelves are messy - but that's what brings character to the whole room. It looks like a real room.

Barefoot Contessa

The use of natural materials - the rug, the basket under the desk, the wooden stool and painted desk, brings the warmth into this little hallway. It looks so inviting, doesn't it?

From here

And this kitchen, although the cabinets are modern with no handles and a clean, streamlined look, the use of wooden countertops, antique trays and aged wooden beam just brings the kitchen back down to earth that I love.

So as you can see, after a year of collecting images on the internet, my preferences have changed from that clean, modern look to a more lived-in, undecorated look.

Have you found that your preferences have changed over the years?

Orange

2012-08-27T03:19:00.000+08:00

If you had asked me, what is my least favourite colour, I would have said "orange".

Without a doubt.

But.... I find that orange works great as an accent colour to add life to any setting. I mean, even Blogger is using orange as the accent colour for their theme! :-)

When you feel like your home is lacking in colour, throw in some orange!

Orange and blue looks great together. Here, the orange place mats bring zest in to this neutral coloured room.

House Beautiful

Or, how about some orange trinkets styled on your shelves in the kitchen? I absolutely love this kitchen and the deep blue colour with the bright orangey-red.

Helen Norman Photography

Even an orange book in a bedroom would do. Love the little birdie on it.

via The Pink Pagoda

I love the texture and look of this single vibrant orange cushion in this grey-toned sitting room. This is such a beautifully-styled room.

via Belgian Pearls

Or you can go bolder by throwing an orange cloth over your dining table like this one. I love the velvet texture of this fabric. It looks so rich.

via Belgian Pearls

This beautiful room by John Saladino uses orange and green - colours that complement each other well. Don't you just feel like hanging out here all day?

Veranda

This room, decorated by Giannetti Home uses orange cushions as an accent.

Velvet & Linen

Orange-coloured flowers brighten up this pretty little breakfast nook.

BHG

Or, you can just use oranges - and I mean the fruit - in a bowl to brighten up your kitchen!

Martha Stewart

So how would you use orange in your home?

Have a great week!

Just imagine...

2012-08-24T02:04:00.000+08:00

I've been busy.

I know, I know, I've been giving the same excuse so many times for my lack of updates.

When I saw this photo on Pinterest, I thought to myself, wow, I need a break. Work and life has been hectic.

Leo Trippi

What caught my eye was the view outside. What a breathtaking view to wake up and see that.

I also love the lines of the poster bed and the linens. Lovely.

Okay, back to reality!

Happy Eid-ul-Fitr!

2012-08-21T01:57:00.000+08:00

It's the second day of Eid, our religious holiday where Muslims all over the world celebrate the beginning of a new month after 30 days of fasting. This is the time where we spend our days with our families and loved ones over good food and laughter.

In the mood of Eid, I'd like to show you some photos of Islamic art and architecture - something I've always thought was beautiful. It's not exactly religious, rather Islamic art and architecture depicts the ways of life of its people and is influenced by many different cultures.

I have collated some beautiful photos over the internet for you to enjoy.

The below is a mosque in Semerkand, Uzbekistan. I love the turquoise colour of the dome. Surrounded by huts and greenery, it is a beautiful sight.

Source flickr

An element of Islamic art usually found decorating the walls and window screens of mosques and Muslim homes and buildings, is the arabesque, an elaborate application of repeating geometric forms that often echo the forms of plants, shapes and sometimes animals (specifically birds).

This is from the same photographer, still in Semerkand, Uzbekistan.

Source flickr

Symmetry is often used on walls of art - to interpret balance and peace. I love the bright mint of the doors.

Source here

The use of blue and whitewashed walls is beautiful here in Tunisia.

Source here

This is a hotel in Hammemet, Tunisia.

Source here

More blue and whitewash. I love this.

Source here

The garden is an important element in Islamic architecture - due to the spread of the religion in hot, arid areas, gardens were built with cooling fountains and greenery for shade.

Granada, Spain. Source here

I believe Spain has some of the most beautiful gardens influenced by the Muslim culture. Notice the symmetry used in these gardens.

Alhambra, Granada, Spain. Source unknown

The lush gardens of the Alhambra Palace.

Courtyards instead of back yards are popular in residences due to their privacy to enjoy one's own garden. This residential courtyard below is a beauty.

A residential courtyard in Qurtaba, Spain

Another beautiful courtyard to enjoy the outdoors without the heat. Lovely aged brick walls, arches and a hanging lantern complete this photo.

The courtyard of a townhouse in Cairo. Via Cultural Kiosk

Well I hope you enjoyed these photos. If you're celebrating Eid, I wish you Happy Eid and peace to you and your family!

Sheers and panels

2012-08-06T23:56:00.000+08:00

Our house renovation is almost complete, and now, it's time to think about how to dress our windows!

Personally, I like decorating room by room, so thinking beforehand on what curtains to use for all the rooms in our house is quite the challenge for me.

I have an idea of how I want my curtains to look like - a neutral colour in a natural material that I won't get bored of over time. I'm not really into patterns, as I like the flexibility of plains where it can go with any theme.

But the thing that has left me scratching my head is on how to layer day with night curtains. You see, houses here are so close together, that day curtains are a must - it keeps sunlight in, but gives us the privacy we need during the day.

I was thinking of going for sheers and pair them with panels - but I really can't find much inspiration out there. Here are a few photos of rooms that have dressed up their windows with both sheer and panels that I will refer to as inspiration.

Velvet & Linen

This is from Brooke Giannetti, I love the use of this gauzy sheer fabric, layered with linen panels for night curtains. Gorgeous.

Phoebe Howard

Phoebe Howard mentions in her blog to stay away from polyester when you use sheers, and she likes using double poles to pair sheer curtains with panels. Aren't the three photos above just beautiful?

The photos of the room below uses double poles with sheer curtains and panels. The room is just beautiful, so I thought I'd just put in all three for your viewing pleasure. :-)

The sheers bring that elegant and romantic touch to the room. I love the use of natural textures of linen, sisal, antique chairs and console.

You can better see the double poles used here in this photo. I love the stripe on these chairs.

Source unknown! Let me know if you know who the designer is!

The below room has a modern touch to the interiors as well as the sheers used. You can't really see it, but the sheers to filter in light and maintain privacy is hung as blinds and pulled all the way down to the floor. This is a gorgeous room.

via Eclectic Revisited

The below is one of my favourite photos of sitting rooms - you can't really see the curtains, but they have also used sheers and panels here.

via Mark D Sikes

A beautiful dining area uses sheers and panels here too. I love the ornate chandelier.

House Beautiful

Well, I guess I'll be referring to these photos when I'm making choices for my windows! Have a great week ahead!

simple, elegant and beautiful

2012-07-17T09:00:00.000+08:00

I found this photo on Pinterest that I fell in love with.

The designer is Alexandra Siebelink, and I visited her website and found beautiful photos. You can check them out here.

I love the look she creates - simple, clean and a wonderful mix of natural textures. Beautiful!

looking for a lantern for my dining area...

2012-07-14T23:21:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last wrote, hasn't it!

Well, work has been rather hectic, so I haven't had much time and energy to update here.

My husband and I have been busy looking for lights to decorate our new home. We've been looking for three weekends and still haven't found anything suitable for our dining area until today! I can easily say that looking for pendant lighting can be as difficult as looking for our wedding rings two years ago :-).

I've never really been a chandelier kind of girl - I like simple lighting, and I am drawn to the simple elegance of lanterns.

However, after scouring a total of... (counting in my head)... 12 (!) different lighting shops, today there was a shop that had great-looking lanterns at reasonable prices. In addition to that, lanterns are categorised under the 'outdoor lighting' section, so today, while admiring the lantern I liked, I didn't tell the sales girl that I was considering of hanging it in our dining room. I think she would have maybe laughed at me.

Anyway, we haven't bought the light yet as we were rushing off somewhere after that, so we'll probably buy it tomorrow or next weekend. I hope I can post a picture of it here and show you then.

In the meantime, here are some of my inspiration photos of lanterns in dining areas. Take a look!

Velvet & Linen

I love this sunroom with the french doors and windows! Isn't the lantern so pretty as well?

Munger Interiors

A simple, clean white dining area with a lovely, squarish lantern. Love it. Love the Roman shades with the elegant grey stripes, too.

Tammy Connor Interior Design

I am in love with this room above! I love the sheers with the thin iron rods and those glass doors. Beautiful!

Loi Thai's dining room

Now who has not fallen in love with Loi Thai's dining room yet? Well, I have. Amid the neutrals, the beautiful dark lantern makes a great accent. I love the size, too.

Sally Wheat - Better Homes & Gardens

A pair of industrial looking lanterns complete this look in this fresh and bright dining area. Check out the ghost chairs. Aren't they lovely?

So what do you think? Well, I am most certainly loving the lantern look and most likely will get one for myself!

Have a great weekend, all!

white fan

2012-06-25T09:00:00.000+08:00

You don't really see ceiling fans in interior photos, but when they do, I'll be among the first to notice. Why? Because having a ceiling fan in this hot humid weather of Malaysia is compulsory. Every room must have one. And I like to see the kind of fans decorators use for their homes so that I can make the right choices for my own.

Well, some people go for air conditioning sans the ceiling fan, but I've always preferred the good old ceiling fan. Mostly because air conditioners makes my skin dry.

Anyways... we have to start looking for fans in our new house. And I'm digging white ceiling fans. Not those contractor-chosen white fans (that is being used in my current apartment) we see often.

But something like the one in this photo.

via Elements of Style Blog

Okay, too bad that we can only see like, three fourths of the fan... well, I did tell you ceiling fans rarely show up in photos of beautiful rooms. And, might I say, this room is beautiful. Loving the window seat and the collection of blue and beige pillows.

So, if you're a Malaysian, please tell me where I can find a white fan similar to the one in this photo!

Much appreciated! Have a lovely week ahead!

small gardens

2012-06-23T02:43:00.000+08:00

So I have this really small garden in our new house and right now we've been so focused on renovating the house that I've never really thought about how I would like my garden to look like.

You see, I've never been the gardening type of girl... have always loved the decorating of the interiors of houses rather than the exterior.

But a lot of the blogs I read and the pinners I follow on Pinterest are garden lovers, and I cannot help but find myself inspired and repinning away of photos of beautiful small gardens. Something I can refer to when hopefully, one day, I get the time and spirit to spruce up our future garden.

Here are some of my inspiration photos of small gardens... or corners of bigger gardens. :-)

via Design Chic

I love topiary and a neat little garden like the one above. Okay, my garden / landscape vocab is a little rusty, so I'm not going to be narrating much here. I need my landscape architect friends to help me out.

Paul Bangay

A cute white bench to enjoy the greenery.

BHG

I would love to have a fountain in my garden. And I like the way the plants are encircled around this one.

Debora Carl Landscape Design

I love the idea of having a gravel laid path.

HGTV

And, if I could have flowers - surprise, surprise - I would want white flowers.

Shelterness

This adorable urban garden above would be more my style. Simple, a little bit modern, and low-maintenance.

via The Good Stuff

Our garden in our new home is a side garden, kind of like the one in the photo above. It's about 10 feet wide. I love how they've laid out the slabs in this diamond pattern.

via Downsize my space

I love this small garden with square blocks of different plants. Cute and contemporary.

unknown source

Black makes a great accent colour for seating, tables, chairs and planters in this photo. Note the gravel again.

Flickr

Succulents are always adorable.

House Beautiful - Chris Barrett

I love this little courtyard with the stone table stacked with green goodness.

So how would you decorate your garden? Hope you enjoyed my inspiration photos!

Have a great weekend!

niches

2012-06-18T09:00:00.000+08:00

I like the idea of having niches here and there around the house... those small spaces where you can retreat to and perhaps enjoy a good book.

Lately, I've been seeing niches used in walls to keep pretty vignettes, books and especially bathroom supplies.

Here are some of my favourite bathroom niches for you to enjoy.

via Greige

Wall niches are usually found in beautiful bathrooms, due to their streamlined look and simplicity. I love the one in the photo above. It looks so elegant.

Check out the unique shape of the niche below. Beautiful!

traditional bathroom design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

White tiled niche. Pretty.

via Furniture Fashion

This little niche is oh so cute.

BHG

Does your bathroom wall have extra space for a niche?

Have a great Monday!

desk dilemma

2012-06-16T00:59:00.000+08:00

Hey there, it's been so long since I last wrote! More than 3 weeks, I think. Life has been rather hectic for the past few weeks with family weddings, a huge launch that my department had to prepare for (yes, I have a 9 to 6 job. I wish my job was just decorating and blogging all day, but that will have to wait for now).

Anyways... now that life has gone back to normal again, I thought I'd just catch up with a short post of what's on my mind right now.

I'm supposed to be decorating my brother's room and he has this desk in there that looks like this.

I have been contemplating on painting this little desk - but what colour?

I'm really liking the blues on these wood pieces...

via Polish & Patina

I really like the worn look of the two chests flanking the door. I'm seeing this worn chalky blue almost everywhere...

via Roses and Rust

A Swedish chest of drawers is stained in blue. Isn't it pretty?

via Desde My Ventana

The bright chalky blue of the buffet table stands out in this neutral dining area.

Tim Clarke

And I adore the blue cabinet in the photo above.

Or maybe we should paint it chalky white like this Swedish desk in the photo below?

a Swedish white desk from Tone on Tone

Any ideas?

Have a great weekend!

floor cushions...

2012-05-23T09:00:00.000+08:00

I got this message from a dear friend of mine...

"Amnah, what should I do when my idea of living room decor is not materialised because my husband's idea of decor is a sleeping mat and pillows on the sofa 24 seven? I can't seem to decorate it because it just looks like a big messy bedroom... should I move the TV elsewhere so that the living room does not look like a bedroom?"

My suggestion would be to either move the TV to a bedroom...

modern bedroom design

Or if you don't like the idea of having a noisy TV in your bedroom, how about getting comfortable and pretty floor cushions for that extra comfort the husband is craving for while he watches his favourite shows?

These would be my picks for flat floor cushions...

Pottery Barn

Kaboodle

Etsy

And oversized pillows look great too like the striped one in the photo above!

Here are some images of pretty rooms that look comfortable without the sleeping mats and extra pillows from the bedroom...

Home Design

Floor poufs and cushions make hanging out on the floor as comfy as sitting on the sofa in the outdoor room above.

via American Gypsy Living

On a good day, oversized floral pillows sit atop flat floor cushions neatly.

via Home Interior Design

These two floor cushions sit beneath the coffee table and can pulled out for extra seating when there are guests.

via American Gypsy Living

Textured floor pillows look great in this eclectic room.

source unknown

Floor pillows makes a room look more casual, inviting and less formal.

source unknown

I really do like the idea of having floor pillows! It would be great for those lazy days enjoying my favourite shows on TV!

Happy Wednesday!

my recent pins on pinterest...

2012-05-21T09:00:00.000+08:00

When I'm feeling a little bit stressed, I like to indulge in some eye candy and the best place to go for that lately is Pinterest. Most of the time I'm repinning what other pinners are pinning so I can find inspiration on what I can write on this blog.

Just thought I'd share with you my 10 most recent pins on Pinterest and call this a post. Can I get away with that? :-)

via Cote de Texas - one of my favourite design blogs

I love those lovely blue lamps, all the textures used on the bedding and overstuffed pillows. Come on, don't tell me you haven't fallen in love yet?

msn real estate

I would love to have an outdoor room one day. And it would probably look like this. Loving blues, greens, browns and beiges. And those white fans. Where can I get those kind of fans here, huh? I want them for all my rooms.

via My French Country Home

My dream is to one day live on a farm and have a beautiful, big country kitchen. It wouldn't be so bad if it was in France, either I guess. I envy the owner of this kitchen.

via Boxwood Terrace

I love the clean look of this room. It has a modern feel to it, but the addition of that rustic coffee table keeps it grounded. Simply gorgeous.

Veranda - Interior Design by Richard Hallberg. Photograph by Miguel Flores-Vianna.

I love this kitchen. It's so clean and simple and modern without being cold. I love the use of textures on the wall of the stove and the ceiling. The ceiling is also curved, I love those arches. I think I've overused the word 'love' here.

Country Home

White ironstone and fresh green herbs make a beautiful collaboration.

Skonahem

This is a beautiful boys' bedroom. Clean and simple. How cute are those flags, huh?

La Brocanteuse: L'Orangerie

Burlap and stripes on an antique chair. Pretty.

Veranda - Interior Design by Pamela Pierce. Photograph by Peter Vitale.

Another country kitchen that I love. Great big windows, raw brick walls, pebble stone floors and antique chairs. Lovely.

Phoebe Howard

And my collection of pins would not be complete without the work of Phoebe Howard who I have long admired. I love this part of this bedroom. So fresh and clean.

Hope you've enjoyed 10 of my pins today!

stripes!

2012-05-19T00:37:00.000+08:00

If there was one pattern that I had to choose among all patterns, it would be stripes.

I am loving this pattern that never goes out of style - be it on furniture, walls or floors.

image from Ikea Family Live

This room has gone all out with beautiful grey stripes on the bed, the floors and even on the clothes hanging on those hooks. I love the beachy relaxed feel of this bedroom.

House Beautiful

I like large stripes on the walls - the stripes used in this room brings out a modern edge to this otherwise feminine room. I'm loving the colour palette of blues, greys and light browns.

HGTV

How about horizontal stripes on the wall? I love this bold and beautiful dining room.

la Brocanteuse: L'Orangerie

Stripes look great on upholstered pieces too. I adore this combination of a striped sofa and burlap pillows for an authentic and rustic feel.

Better Homes & Gardens

Colourful stripes look great on these wing chairs!

If you're not that bold to go big on stripes...

Washington School House

... they make a great pattern on throw pillows when paired together with plain ones.

via Luxe + Lillies

I love this breakfast nook overlooking a great view. Stripes on the throw pillows looks great.

Or you can bring in some stripes on your floors from rugs...

Tim Clarke inc

Ellen Pompeo's kitchen from Elle Decor

Ellen Pompeo's house from Elle Decor. Isn't that just gorgeous?

So what do you think of stripes? I would like mine on throw pillows and smaller pieces of furniture like a wing chair or a one-seater.

And I would totally consider using stripes in a kids' room!

Source unknown

Have a wonderful weekend!

So my style is...?

2012-05-16T21:00:00.000+08:00

The best thing about having a new home is the ideas and inspiration we can find online as we dream of how the home will be decorated.

Even though renovation has not even started yet, there are days when I'm dreaming away of what my living room would look like.

If I were to define what style I would go for, I don't think I can put my finger on it.

It's a mixture of beachy decor made of blues, greens and greys...

Velvet & Linen

I am also inspired by the use of simple lines and natural materials, and darker, accent colours like the vases in this room...

via Mark D. Sikes

I love neutral-themed rooms too...

Curated Style

My Notting Hill

And some modern elements to spice it up a little bit!

Cote de Texas

I think I will use a mixture of all the features I love in each of the photos above to decorate my living room!

Have a wonderful day!

green...

2012-05-14T23:02:00.000+08:00

I've always been a blue girl - meaning that I love using blue as accent colours of a room.

But lately, I've been seeing more and more rooms decorated with green! So now I'm torn between blue and green.

Check out this beautiful room with green as the theme colour.

Image via Green Street

I love the deep hue of green sofa. Notice how the green complements well with black accents? Gorgeous!

Have a great day!

an update and a beautiful entryway

2012-05-09T22:27:00.000+08:00

This post is still going to be about my countertop dilemma that I talked about the other day.

So I asked my contractor to quote for carrara marble. Which I hope will be affordable - so wish me luck! I'm expecting the quotation to be ready for this Thursday.

My contractor also suggested Ipoh white marble which is less costly than the Carrara, but I was not convinced. It is white with a certain pinkish tinge to it. It seems to be a local, Malaysian marble so if you're not from here, you probably would never have heard of it. I couldn't find a picture of it to show you.

From what I read on the internet, it is more porous than other marbles - I'm not sure if this is true, though.

Nevertheless, I am not making any decision until I see my final quotation. Which is getting more and more expensive each time we make changes. Sigh!

Anyway, I saw this photo of an entryway that is simply beautiful.

Atlanta Homes mag

I love the use of rich colours and textures - like the red brick herringbone floor, the turquoise blue velvet sofa, the green from the moss, the white birch logs under the pretty console. Oh, I love the lamp and the hanging pendant lamp, too.

Have a wonderful day!

bedrooms sheets

2012-05-08T22:05:00.000+08:00

When it comes to choosing bed sheets, without a doubt, I would always go for plain sheets - preferably white, for that matter.

I always feel plain sheets will never tire me and I can always dress up the bed with throw pillows and quilts of different colours, patterns and textures. I also prefer soothing rooms that I can retreat to at the end of the day - that means soft and cool colours like white, blues, and light greys.

Here I'll show you my favourite dressed beds and what I love about them.

Better Homes and Gardens

The photo above has to be one of my favourite bedrooms - it looks so luxurious and sophisticated. Bed sheets have a subtle pattern, and dressed with a frilly skirt and textured quilt. Beautiful.

via Conspicuous Style

I love whites and beiges. This bed has textured pillows and a lovely elegant pattern on the skirting. Gorgeous.

via The Pink Pagoda

If you have lovely wallpaper and patterned rugs, its best to keep your sheets plain white like the photo above. The olive green borders is a simple pattern yet pretty.

Source unknown

The photo above has to be another of my favourite rooms. Beautiful plain white sheets matched with a textured beige coverlet and grey throw.

Elle Decor

A white room - the pretty details of the headboard bring visual interest to the plain white bedsheets.

Source unknown

Plain white sheets paired with patterned throw pillows and a plain blue square pillow and blue throws. I love the casual elegance of this room.

If you like more patterns on your sheets, here are some that I find pretty...

Ruemag

The photo above was one of the inspiration photos my sister and I referred to when we were doing the makeover of her room. We love the colours used - grey-blues, white and beiges. Notice that they also use white sheets, but dressed it up with a textured, patterned quilt and throw pillows.

via Create Girl

I love this blue and the simple pattern of these sheets. They dressed it up with a white textured throw and a plain throw pillow for that pop of colour.

via The Lennoxx

I find stripes are pretty too - this coastal themed room uses blue stripes with white sheets and a cute pillow with a starfish pattern.

If you don't mind bold colours and patterns, this zigzag pattern looks great, too. Notice how everything else is kept white and simple - except for the cool aqua blue nightstand.

Urban Outfitters

So how would you dress up your bed? Plain and simple? Or bold and bright?

Granite or marble countertops?

2012-05-04T23:01:00.001+08:00

Help! I can't decide whether to go for granite countertops or marble countertops for my kitchen!

I wrote a post about this a while ago, and now, when it comes to making the final decision with my contractor, I can't make up my mind!

My dream kitchens have always featured white marble countertops with a simple square edge.

traditional kitchen design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

I love that the white marble backsplash matches the countertop. It's so simple and beautiful. The white trim above the backsplash is such an elegant detail.

Loi Thai's kitchen

I am absolutely in love with this kitchen of Loi Thai, my new blogger and Pinterest friend! Notice that the backsplash is also similar to the photo above - the same marble of the countertops.

Another view of the beautiful kitchen.

Brooke Giannetti's kitchen

This kitchen which belongs to another one of my favourite bloggers, Brooke Giannetti, also has white marble for the countertops that I fell in love with. The marble is less thicker than usual countertops which I find elegant.

House Beautiful

The kitchen in the photo above is more modern, but the white marble complements it beautifully. I adore this kitchen and its sleek and simple lines.

But, I also love the look of black granite countertops like these, and the cost is lower than marble.

i Gigi

Belgian Pearls

Notice that there's no backsplash in this kitchen, too? Just a trim of the black granite. Simple and elegant.

Katrin Cargill

The island has beautiful granite countertop. I love the pairing of the polished countertop with the aged wood from the console table beside the window. It's a perfect complement perfect and patina.

House Beautiful

Another kitchen with beautiful black countertops.

Timeless Living

This modern and simple kitchen is similar to the other modern kitchen I posted above, but this time with black countertops. Which one do you like better? I can't decide.

Or maybe a mix of both materials in one kitchen like this?

Cote de Texas

In terms of practicality, marble dulls and is more prone to stains. Black granite will not show stains and is stronger than marble against dents and scratches.

But at the same time, I adore the intricate grain of marble and I actually don't mind scratches and stains (okay, maybe a little bit). But I've learned to appreciate the beauty of patina.

If cost was not an issue, I would have chosen marble in the blink of an eye. So now I am weighing down the pros and cons of both of these stones.

What would your personal choice be? I really can't decide now. Help!

Fantasy view of France

2012-05-02T09:00:00.000+08:00

I've never been the daring type to go all-out with colours when it comes to decorating. It's not easy to make everything look good together.

This photo caught my eye.

My Home Idea

I love the different colours used in this room and somehow the antique painting of a fantasy view of France just brings the whole room together. It calms the room where there are a lot of patterns and colours in the throw pillows and the stools and curtains.

How do you inject colours in your room? Any tips and tricks on getting a colourful palette without going overboard?

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

black accents

2012-05-01T18:51:00.000+08:00

Today is 1st May and it's Labour Day here in Malaysia! For all Malaysians, I hope you're having a good holiday!

Just the other day, my rather opinionated sister mentioned that my blog features a lot of white and wicker and needed some variety. Of course I was indignant and said, "well, yeah, it's my blog, I'll post things that I like." Which happens to be a lot of white... and some wicker, too.

White walls and wicker chairs? Erm, I couldn't resist! Image from Country Home

So, if you're getting bored of white, I thought that this time I would write about the opposite of white... which is black of course. I've always liked rooms that are neutral in colour scheme, but I feel that a hint of black, as an accent, tends to ground the room and give it that little bit of edge.

Here are some examples.

Katrin Cargill

I love the black backsplash, the granite top, the lanterns and the black stools in this country kitchen.

My Home Ideas

Hints of black on the coffee table, black piano, iron railing and curtain rod. I love this room.

Katrin Cargill

The console table against the wall is black - adding some edge to this otherwise neutral room.

Decorpad

I love this white kitchen and the black pendant lamps to ground the room together.

All Things Stylish

I love the composition of black and white photos in black and white frames. Modern and stylish.

Eclectic Revisited

The beautiful black chandelier is a gorgeous accent in this neutral and edgy room.

Source unknown

I love this study room and the hints of black - the chair, the doors, the photos and their frames.

Elle Decor

Black and white stripes on the banquette - the other chairs and furniture are more traditional to complement the modern stripes of the banquette.

Elle Decor

I adore Meg Ryan's house featured in Elle Decor. White with dark floors and black accents. Her bedroom is gorgeous, too.

Elle Decor

And the black cabinets in her kitchen.

Elle Decor

So what do you think of black as accents? Is it too strong, or would you consider using it in your home?

sitting area with pastel colours

2012-04-27T10:11:00.001+08:00

Happy Friday everyone!

Just a quick update to share this photo with you.

Houzz

I love pastel colours, white bookshelves and a sitting area next to a window flooding in sunlight. Love the skirted table with the little frill as the trim.

It somehow reminds me of this show I'm currently addicted to - Revenge. I'm downloading this show like crazy as I love the set decor and the story. You've got to watch it if you haven't yet!

bookshelves beauty...

2012-04-24T09:00:00.000+08:00

I've always loved the idea of having bookshelves in the bedroom so I'm planning to incorporate bookshelves in the room that I'm decorating.

I absolutely love this photo below. A plain white bed surrounded by leather books.

Image from here

Even the windows have been kept simple with no curtains and just a simple iron rod so that it does not steal the limelight of those lovely books.

All those books reminds me of that scene of one of my favourite films of all time - Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

I digress.

Anyway...if you have a great collection of books, I would highly recommend you make them the focal point of your rooms. Keep your bedlinens simple so that the books become the main feature.

Martha Stewart Living

The room below has a whole wall dedicated to books...

image from here

Love this room made of brown and turquoises...

from here

This one is purple...

from Desire to Inspire

I like how they hung framed pictures on the bookshelves for some visual interest.

Image from here

Here's another example, using smaller framed pictures.

Image from here

One thing that I've learnt is that you can stack the books on your shelves horizontally and vertically to add visual interest. Also, a few pretty knick knacks here and there would break a sea of books with some of your personal style.

Images taken from here

The room I am decorating will not have enough space to dedicate a whole wall to bookshelves, so it would probably be just a few shelves on brackets. I do hope I can share the finished project with you all soon.

Have a great Tuesday!