House Home Garden

Red and White Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 21:54:00 +0000

If you like quiet drama then this will appeal on so many levels. It is loud, yet quiet. The restraint
used is admirable. Do you love it as much as I do?

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Shower Seat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 21:49:00 +0000

I love the practicality of shower seats. Not the plastic fold-ups but a solid seat which enables you to repose whilst rubbing your legs and feet with a good body scrub. I spend many more minutes in a shower with a shower seat.
Have you got one? Do you hanker after one?

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Red Galley Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 02:14:00 +0000

Here's an example of a statement kitchen. Bright, optimistic and fresh. If you lack space but don't want a bog-standard kitchen then a shot of colour can work wonders. Even squeeze in a seating area at the end.

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Outdoor African Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 20:47:00 +0000

Clearly this is a dream bedroom for some and a nightmare for others! I love it for the sheer simple beauty and the chance to wake up with glorious nature all around you.

This bedroom does have windows and sliding doors which gives the illusion of being outdoors.

I lived in a similar environment a few years ago and decided to move the bed onto the verandah. This lasted for a few hours before the darkness started to creep in with all the critters! Very romantic but in reality one just could not sleep. The possibility of jaguars or other large creatures wandering around whilst you slept just didn't appeal. Beautiful in the day. In the dark? -oh, mind the snakes!!

Do you like this look?

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Bedroom Ideas 1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 13:14:00 +0000

Although I'm not a great fan of patterned wallpaper, in fact wallpaper in general, this could just pass in a small, uncluttered bedroom. The padded, quilted headboard blends well, adding texture and enhancing the translucent glass and lace pillows. I've checked on Ebay and you can find many plain brown old bedside consoles/ tables for not much and transform them with retro paint. A light touch has been used here and I think it works.

As I am moving again shortly, the creative parts of my brain have fired up again and I am looking for new ways of sprucing up a fairly plain house.

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Shabby Chic Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:49:00 +0000

This shabby chic bedroom has such appeal at first glance. It induces peacefulness.Yet, taking a closer look it appears too 'staged' for me to consider it a truly practical room.
Where shall I start?
The mirror with the knick-knacks above the bed is not a good choice. Are you supposed to light the candles? How safe would it be to have multiple lit candles above your bed?
The waste basket is a messy addition - basically adding texture and a link colour to the equally unnecessary stand with scarfs and clothes draped over it.
Plus the central light fitting is too low enables you to bang your head as you change the bed clothes.

In short, the individual pieces are interesting but not as a composition as presented here.
So, what do you think?

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Art Deco Doorway

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:10:00 +0000

I have commissioned builders to build, carpenters to create beautiful furniture and I have first hand knowledge of working with those who work 'with love'.
I chanced up this beautiful Art Deco doorway and just had to share it with you. Just beautiful. This example costs in excess of $7k USD but having such a wonderful work of art as part of your home is a small price to pay if it is within your budget.
Want to know who made this? Here's the link to their site - only because I love this so much! (And no, I am not being paid in any form for this. Tut tut!!)

Beautiful or not?

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Original Victorian Kitchen Range

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Now having become quite nostalgic in the previous post I thought I would give you an idea of the kitchen range we had in the cellar of the house I grew up in. This is almost the same range!
The fire would roar and the heat travelled up and away through the house plus it also heated the hot water!
Needless to say we did not use it often but occasionally on cold winter nights the whole family would descend into the cellar and play games in front of the warm flames.

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Quilted Comforter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:35:00 +0000

I cannot think of anything that evokes my childhood more than a handmade quilt or a quilted comforter. This is an example of simple, classical elegance which could fit most types of decor except the futuristic modern.
This reminds me of the large Victorian house I grew up in with the original cast iron stove in the cellar, complete with bread prover. The high ceilings, fireplaces and huge surrounds which were 5ft tall! The winding staircase all the way up to the rooms at the top of the house which were clearly used by the servants of old. I never failed to be out of breath once I reached the top!
Sounds rather romantic but it was a big old draughty house and cost a fortune to keep the wind, rain and snow out plus the garden was far too small for such a grand house. Still it did make a great place to play hide and seek in with my siblings and friends!

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Wood Burning Fires

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 07:26:00 +0000

My sister-in-law lived in a beautiful cottage with a woodburning fire which stamped its authority on the room! Big, bold and pumped out an impossibly high level of heat on a cold, frosty day.
I have yet to see another one as striking.

This example is from a company that specialises in all types of fires/stoves. They can be contacted here and I love this one for its sheer simplicity which would suit most types of rooms.

Throw down a beautifully soft rug, wine at the ready and dim the lights...!

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Shades of Purple

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:05:00 +0000

Purple can be quite a strong, overwhelming color if used without careful thought. Here is a good example of using the palette with grey and chrome to create a cosy boudoir feel.

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Green Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:43:00 +0000

Hold onto your sunglasses! This room has attitude and although the coffee table should be placed onto the nearest skip, the room is thoughtfully created. The high ceilings and recessed books are similar to the home my parents live in. I would tone down the color every so slightly but it is a bold statement, nevertheless.

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Shower Power

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:28:00 +0000

I do try to highlight gems, fixtures and fittings of particular interest to me and this epitomizes all that this blog is.
I showered in a friends home who had something very similar to this (he wouldn't allow me to take pictures, shame!) and what a treat! I closed my eyes and suddenly I was under a mini-waterfall. Beautiful. I would like to recommend his particular model but he bought it in Germany on his travels many moons ago.
In short, it was the best showering experience I have ever had.

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Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:42:00 +0000

This room has echoes of the 60s and 70s - low simple seating, earthy tones with splashes of muted pastels all add that slight retro feel. I don't particularly admire the light feature, but it all seems to fit in a rather haphazard way.

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The Living Room Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:14:00 +0000

Simply does it. Just moved house and have a decent fireplace? Then make it a feature by placing 2 (inexpensive) sofas facing each other, a small coffee table or even have end tables (if the space between is limited), add 3 or 5 photos or art work, fling a cushion or 2 on the sofa and add a colourful throw. If the fire isn't ready, willing or able to be fired up then add candles or wooden logs (not both at the same time, of course) and then step back and admire your handiwork.Voila!
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Homely Porch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:06:00 +0000

I love this porch as it is clearly lived in and does not have an air of being 'for show'. The natual wood, artifacts and family of rocking chairs tells me that people who enjoy being close rock away together as the sun goes down.
Splendid!

Yellow Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:24:00 +0000

click the image to enlarge
I love the simple honesty of this kitchen. For once it isn't trying too hard and you must be able to see yourself in this space!?
A melding of old and new with 2 swathes of a beautiful color - more mustard than yellow, would you say? Add splashes of black, stainless steel and white. Yum!

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Holiday!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:45:00 +0000

That is it. I am honestly sick of the cold and am now planning my escape to somewhere hot.

Many moons ago I stayed in a wonderful thatched cottage with simple rustic furniture deep in the jungle. The early morning mist would rise in the valley and engulf me whilst I swung in a hammock drinking my early morning brew. Wonderful!
Holidays where you are herded from A to B to C does not appeal to me and so my wanderlust spirit loves this kind of unscripted environment where the animals are all wonderful and sometimes dangerous.
Just thinking of it makes me feel a little less cold!!!

How do you plan to escape from the dreary weather? - (assuming you are experiencing that where you are.)

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Spring Clean

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:24:00 +0000

Yes, I know it isn't spring, but I use the new year to evaluate the 'things' I have around me and if there are items that could be cleaned, used, thrown away, given to relatives/friends or to the local charity shop.
It just seems an opportune time to clear the cobwebs of the previous year away and embrace the new with a clean slate. Plus, changing the window dressings, wiping down walls, vacuuming behind places that can be easily overlooked, rearranging furniture, throwing out chipped or cracked items, old bedding and that chair that has been in the shed for x number of years which one has not got around to repairing... - is good mind and body exercise.
Why don't we try it together?

Sorry I was away for so long!

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Red Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:13:00 +0000

Continuing the red theme, here is a bedroom which is so over-the-top it is untrue. Click the image to increase the size - the details show up more.
Throw things together and then some more! You either love it or hate it.

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Red Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:14:00 +0000

Red can be quite a scary over-powering color but here, in a kitchen, it is shown off beautifully. This kitchen has a lot of natural light flooding in through the windows, the dark worktops help to ground the high color and the chandelier...is just great!!

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Red Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:43:00 +0000

If you have just moved into new accommodation and your sofas appear to have seen better days then here's a tip. Measure your sofas without the cushions, length, breadth and width ways. Add on a few inches up to 6 inches either way to allow for tucking in, etc.

Decide on a color and whether you suffer from skin irritations or not - you don't want to buy a wool blend if you are allergic to wool!

Consider if you want to have hard or soft fabrics. Take a picture of your room and of the sofa - if you have a digital camera or camera on your cell phone then no need to print your images - just take your equipment with you!

Head on down to your local fabric store - and choose a washable fabric.

Adorn your sofas!

Easy, reasonably priced and when it gets scuffed you can throw it into the washing machine.

Oh, and if you would rather avoid the 'house of ill repute' look of a red bulb (which I love, incidentally) then use colored shades, soft tone bulbs and dimmer switches. Candles also add to the cozy ambience.

Bedroom - Neutral

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:48:00 +0000

When I moved into my apartment my aim was to not clutter the place with trinkets and baubles and so I decided on key pieces and only purchased those. For four months I lived with the bare essentials: a bed, 1 sofa, a chest of drawers, and a small occasional table.

That was a great experience and ensured I brought into my home only the furniture that I really needed.

My bedroom is calming and peaceful - like this one but with less furniture!

My Dinner Party

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:14:00 +0000

Finally, I have agreed to have a dinner party for 3 of my dear friends. I have decided to keep it small and as I am redecorating my house, have decided to hold it in my apartment in the city.

Unfortunately, due to my culinary past, my amigas expect much from me and I aim to please!

Here is my provisional menu:

Welcome Drink: Granita Champagne

Canapes (see above image)

Starter: Crab Confit with vinaigrette

Main course: Duck on a sweet potato and parsnip rosti with, asparagus and cranberry and orange jus

Dessert/Pudding: Raspberry and Marscapone cream with Almond Tuille biscuits

Selection of cheeses and a variety of homemade savoury biscuits

Wine will be served throughout the meal - both red and white. Coffee will be served at the end of the meal.

I have tried to do items which can be prepared well in advance and so am able to spend more time with my guests.

Hopefully they will enjoy my menu - expect some images here of the food sometime after the dinner party on 24th October.

Any suggestions??!

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Eco-Living

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:27:00 +0000

I sometimes wonder how future generations will live. [Click the image for a larger view.]

I am fascinated by this idea. Will we be more 'eco-focused'? Will beauty and aesthetics be enmeshed with practicality and an awareness of our environment?

You can read about this fascinating project here.

Do you like it?

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