HOME DECOR

High on Style, Low on Water

noreply@blogger.com (hazel) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:38:00 +0000

When we drooled over luscious online images posted online of Beachmour's interior – which looked good enough to use in a high-end home decor magazine – we also formed the impression that the house was right on the sand at Duesbury's Beach, near Narooma, making the water a mere bare-footed stroll from the back door.

When we got there, however, we were disappointed to find a road between the house and the beach car park.

It's possible we felt more annoyed by this than was fair because we were at the tired and cranky end of a six-hour drive.

The property is too far from Sydney for a two-night getaway. A much better plan would be to stay there for a week, as most holidaymakers who raved about the house in the visitor's book had done.

High on style, Beachmour's interior palette of neutrals, chocolate and blue makes an instant impression.

Three flat-screen televisions, two iPod docking stations, a modern kitchen with a basics-filled pantry and drawers full of fancy accoutrements, a spa bath and comfy, contemporary furniture made for a thoroughly modern home away from home.

We were pleased to find a good selection of books, toys and games, too, as both days of our stay were too cold and windy for the beach.

Just outside the back door is a top-of-the-line barbecue, extra-long dining table and a huge outdoor fireplace, making alfresco eating a year-round prospect. The backyard also adjoins a wetland and the visiting ducks were a hit with the children. Your own pets are welcome, too, and a concierge service is available if you want deliveries of fresh seafood or bread.

Beachmour sleeps up to eight, configured as two king bedrooms with ocean views and one small double-bunk room into which we crammed the little ones.

The house is a five-minute drive to the pretty seaside town of Dalmeny. The weekend we visited this tranquil spot, the mighty Narooma Devils had won the local rugby league premiership and, by Monday morning, their sleepless celebration had progressed to Dalmeny's Oasis Cafe. The boys were still pumped, if a bit bleary eyed, and the language was colourful.

The Oasis is the only place in town for a coffee and we soaked up the local culture as we waited. “This is the best bacon-and-egg roll ever!” exclaimed one player, in a ringing endorsement of the cuisine.“F---ing oath,” agreed his mate through a mouthful. Acting on this culinary review, we had breakfast there, too. The courtyard has ocean glimpses and while the service was slow the brekkies were indeed f---ing excellent.

Just 10 minutes south from the house is the resort town of Narooma. The Visitor Information Centre on Narooma's main street has brochures and great ideas for just about everything there is to do in the Eurobodalla region. When the weather is good, it's all about water activities.

The area is home to more than 100 kilometres of coastline and 80 beaches. In Narooma itself, the Wagonga Inlet is a lovely azure colour and beckons young explorers with charter or boat hire available. Surfing, kayaking, fishing and diving adventures are not far away and whale watching is a staple in spring.

Our rather more tame bike-riding mission started at a local petrol station, which had a supply of old and battered cycles, rented for $20 a day. Sadly for our little ones under seven, the servo didn't have any children's bikes so the family trip had to be abandoned.

The grown-ups left behind braved the nearly-completed Narooma-to-Dalmeny cycleway. We were told by locals this gorgeous six-kilometre coastal path had been built largely with local money and volunteer expertise – mainly because people got tired of waiting for the government. A highlight of this lovely seaside ride, also popular with walkers, is a scoot around the Mill Bay Boardwalk, where we saw seals playing in the shallows.

Luxury Hotel Interior Decorating Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (hazel) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:27:00 +0000

The Vine hotel is one of luxurious 5 stars hotel in Madeira Portugal. Designed by award winning Portuguese designer Nini Andrade Silva and the architecture designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill. This hotel has an ultra luxury interior with modern decoration style includes the lighting, colors, furniture and layout, the main concept is of this hotel is how to create Contemporary elegant design with a warm touch designed for guest needs characterize. Grey, green, purple and brown are the dominating colors of the hotel, representing the four different seasons and the maturation of a grape throughout the year. Complete hotel interior photos after the jump.

A Bench Inspired by a Korean Style House

noreply@blogger.com (hazel) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:17:00 +0000

The beautiful bench by Cho Hyung Suk is inspired by a Korean style Han-ok house. The bench is gorgeous from end to end. The sinuous curves of the piece of furniture seem to be perfect for the curves of the human body.

The general shape of the object looks like a house but it is definitely not strong enough to house people. However, it is certainly strong enough to sit on.

Design Floors for the Perfect Room

noreply@blogger.com (hazel) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:08:00 +0000

Home design typically begins in the imagination before it ever makes it to reality. Flooring in a home often stems from a visualization of how you want your entire home to feel. Do you like hard woods? Tile? Carpet? Stone? Decorating floors in a home is extremely important because the surface area is so big, so the entire living space revolves around it. In recent years, modern interior design trends are shifting us toward natural flooring elements like wood and tile.

To create the perfect living environment, you must combine the wall and flooring elements in a room to create a modern design plan. Wall to wall carpet is warm and subtle, but it can also be allergenic and outdated. Choose flooring that is natural and basic in its design, so it will not detract from the other elements of your home decor. In addition, you must consider what types of elements and accessories you are planning to incorporate on the walls. For example, stone and tile floors don't typically match a country motif. The wall art, fabrics, and curtains must remain synonymous with the floor décor.

Install flooring that meets the needs of your family. If you have certain rooms like kitchens and living rooms that have a large amount of traffic, choose tile and durable types of hardwood. Over time, flooring tends to look worn and faded, so use mediums that will hold up in the long run. Bathrooms do especially well with tile because the humid environment requires a solid and slightly textured flooring.

A common mistake when considering flooring is to focus on the texture without considering the architectural elements of your space. Unfortunately, many rooms are not designed to accommodate all flooring options. For example, you may love marble, but marble stairs may seem too outlandish or formal. Possibly, small tile fits your taste, but your room is too large to accommodate a small tile.

Home Decor Store Betting Cautiously on Downtown

noreply@blogger.com (hazel) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:21:00 +0000

Another retail store is taking a chance at finding a niche in downtown Tooele during the current recession.

Real Deals Home Decor will be opening this Thursday in the old Dave’s Drug building at 30 West 100 South in Tooele.

Jennifer Baird-Hebdon, of Grantsville, is bringing her favorite home decor store to Tooele along with the help of her friends, Brittani Lots and Vickie Benincosa. Lots and Benincosa own a Real Deals franchise in Bountiful and are partnering with Baird-Hebdon in the Tooele venture.

“I used to go shopping at the Bountiful store all the time,” said Baird-Hebdon. “We don’t have anything like this in Tooele.”

The Real Deals franchise has 60 stores nationwide. The Tooele store will be the eighth in Utah.

The trio of owners scouted all the downtown locations in Tooele and settled on the old Dave’s Drug location.

“We wanted to be in the older part of downtown,” Lots said. “In other cities that is where out stores are located. Rent is cheaper and the older part of town matches our mom and pop store theme.”

The Dave’s Drug building was also the only downtown store where they could get deliveries from the large trucks that bring new merchandise each week, according to Lots.

Baird-Hebdon is hedging her bet on downtown, however, by only opening the store two days a week initially — Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Although a discount store, Real Deals sells only new merchandise, according to Lots.

“We even design our own lines of some things and then import them,” Lots said. “So much of what we have is unique to our store.”

Along with home decor, including traditional Americana to more exotic items, Real Deals also carries seasonal items.

“We aim to make shopping in our store fun,” said Lots.

The store has a “man hole” with a large television and a couch to entertain the men while the ladies browse, Baird-Hebdon said. They also have a children’s play room.

Opening a new store during the recession doesn’t phase Baird-Hebdon.

“We are in the right place at the right time,” she said. “We are really happy to offer a decor alternative that our customers can afford.”

Living Room

noreply@blogger.com (hazel) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:54:00 +0000

Our living room designs are crafted for today's more casual lifestyles. From the sink-in comfort of our classic Baldwin Collection to the easy-care slipcovers of our Vintage Vogue collection, we've got the looks in living room decor you've been looking for.

Della Robbia Tabletop Centerpiece

noreply@blogger.com (hazel) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:42:00 +0000

I came up with a few ideas to help with you Holiday Decorations. I tried to make them simple projects so you don’t have to spend a lot of time on them.

My Della Robbia Garland is not just for festival anymore. Here’s an idea for your any events. It is simple, fast and most of all looks spectacular!

Items Needed for Project:

* Della Robbia Garland
* Wire cutters
* Silk Fall Flowers
* Pillar candles
* Raffia or natural string
* Scissors

Directions:

1. Line the Della Robbia Garland down the center of your table. You can place a table runner or cloth underneath if you wish.
2. Cut the Silk Fall Flowers into individual stems (leaving about a 4 to 6” stem).
3. Place the individual flowers all through the Garland.
4. Place candles on either side of the garland.
5. As an added touch, I took one of the Fall Flowers and tied a napkin with raffia string and slipped a flower into the bow to finish my project. It really looks festive (with very little effort) without disrupting your guests’ views across the table.