winter wonderland

While thinking of all those poor people stranded in various parts of Europe - that isn't home - due to the shocking storms, I thought I would reminisce about how beautiful the Christmas shop window are - especially at night time (well after dark so any time not between the hours of 9am and 3pm in winter....) all light up and sparkling against the snow and cold.

time? what time?

I am desperate to show some of my recent projects to you all, however, now that the beautiful Freddie has graced us with his presence I don't seem to have the full 24 hours in my day that I had before his arrival to get the pictures done. It is my mission for January - to inundate the blog full of wonderful pictures of my work to date - especially as yesterday I received a brand new iphone which I have never had before! Until then, here are some images of a peony head that fell off its stalk earlier in the week. So pretty.

Ideas and preparations for Christmas

It has been a busy week or two..... but I LOVE the run up to Christmas and organising Christmas presents and decorations. This year I am doing an Alice and Wonderland theme. We are having 30 this year including 9 kiddywinks so it is going to be great fun. Here are a few of the bits that have inspired me so far, some christmassy, some not so, but they are all in the spirit!

LONNY mag

I have recently been looking at and subscribing to online magazines (dubbed to be the new thing now we all -apparently- have ipads and kindles). The first online interiors magazine sprung out of the GFC as publishing houses closed down their titles that weren't performing as well as others in their portfolio. LONNY (LONdon New York) is a fabulous offering that has sprung out of New York & is Edited by Michelle Adams. The magazine is currently celebrating its first birthday & is one of the GFC success stories.

LONNY is full of inspiring and colourful pages that are relevant to a world wide market with this Nov/Dec issue even features Australia's Sibella Court. Here are a few of my favourite pages from the the issue.

www.lonnymag.com

stunning fabrics with a punch of colour

I love fabrics, these small pockets of colour and texture can make a house a home. When house hunting, I found it so frustrating and sad that the majority of houses that had recently been 'done up' were completely void of colour beyond beige & dark brown (usually a leather sofa). I am not sure if this is the real estate agents advising sellers to make houses as neutral as possible so prospective buyers are able to comprehend what their furniture & personal touches will like in the space, or whether we are just slowly becoming scared of using colour.

During my times at various fabric houses, I have been rather stunned that many decorators would come in and start colour matching various shades of beige - & to be daring occasionally caramel. While I do not want to dismiss the usefulness & place these neutrals have in the home, it is a shame that they are used to the detriment of other colours. Here are a few fabrics that I have picked up recently that have been particularly beautiful. Enjoy!

Brunschwig and Fils

Brunschwig and Fils

Vintage Manuel Canovas

Brunschwig and Fils

beautiful storage

I have been looking for clever storage and shelving for my new office space (the dent in the wall on the landing at the top of the stairs that I have graciously been given as Greedy takes the whole of the third bedroom as his study) when I found these in my records. As you can see from my previous blogs I love brass and gold and loved the geometric design of these shelves. These ones were used by Phoebe Howard.

PS how GOOD is the summer weather here in Melbourne. loving it.

baccccccckkkkkkk

I am back! This year has bought many wonderful excitements including new babies and a new house. Hurraaaah on both accounts. Freddie joined us in September ( I promise not to fill the blog with pictures of his beautifulness, however, I may not be able to stop myself putting one here or there).

We also bought a lovely Victorian Terrace in May and moved in in August (it was very hard bending over the tea cartons 8 months pregnant!) - thank goodness the search is over and I will update you with pictures as I slowly get our new home organised.

And last but not least, I spent just over 6 months with Redelman fabrics learning about soft furnishings and the make up of fabrics from the wonderful Barb Devlin who is angelic and a fountain of knowledge.

some of the beautiful iceburg roses i plucked from my front garden

A few of the beautiful things...: Prince William's home sweet home

A few of the beautiful things...: Prince William's home sweet home

Prince William's home sweet home

Before each State Dinner, a butler has to measure with a

ruler, the distances around each place setting, e.g. from the

knife to the edge of the table.. in gloves!

where it all happens..... the Throne Room

Amazing ceiling carpentry and detailing

White Drawing Room

As Australia winds down from 'Prince William Mania' I thought I would share with you some of the beautiful pictures of Buckingham Palace. In my time there I gradually grew familiar with the vast halls and could navigate my way around perhaps only getting lost once when doing a full circuit!

It was a wonderful place to work, and a huge hats off to the restoration teams. Contrary to public opinion, there is not a lot of money to work with and I can only imagine how nervous they feel when approaching a priceless jacobean number with a paintbrush!

how do you like your stairs?

Today I have had a sort out day. A sort out of all of my clippings and tear sheets collected over the years (transported back from London to Australia - thank you Greedy) of all the fabulous houses, chairs and stairs I have been attracted to. I couldn't believe how much my taste had changed. Many of the images I had saved when living in the UK were of grand European houses complete with gilded ballrooms and 40 setting dining rooms. Unfortunately the convicts did not think these necessary out here and the most we generally get here is an informal and formal dining room and a terrace to have a boogey on, so alas while alot of them are still very beautiful they are rather redundant in my designing criteria. The one area which I find I have remained rather loyal to taste in all continents is that of the stairwell. Here I will share a few of my favorites with you, some designed for those wonderful proportions and glamorous lifestyles of yesteryear and others for our urban terraces of today.

shopping, sales, bargains, shopping......COUNTRY ROAD

very quickly........ always wonderful for a sale... COUNTRY ROAD HAVE A FURTHER 50% OFF REDUCED PRICES.

yay....!

OUR FINAL CLEARANCE STARTS TODAY WITH FURTHER MARKDOWNS ON ALREADY REDUCED PRICES.

YOU ARE NOW ENTITLED TO RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL

50% OFF

ALL REDUCED MERCHANDISE.

Conditions: This offer is available in Australia from Wednesday 20 January 2010 while stocks last. The 50% off is available on reduced items only and will be applied against the marked price. Offer available at Country Road stores (excluding Warehouse stores), and on Country Road merchandise in David Jones and Myer stores stocking Country Road (excluding towels in David Jones and Myer). This offer is not redeemable for cash and cannot be used to purchase gift cards. This offer cannot be redeemed against a prior purchase or an existing or new lay-by. This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offers.

gold and brass

David Collins's London Apartment

Venice, Italy

Kelly Wearstler setting for Pickard China

Dolce and Gabanna bedroom

ok joking, but it is 24 karat!

I feel a tide change, a surge of gold and brass..... still house hunting and still walking into people's houses of white and beige with some silver fixtures and fittings. I know this is old ground, I have been here before, and I don't have anything against white and beige per say, I just don't think it can feel homely in everyroom of every house. To add to my woes, I don't believe I have seen a gold or brass tap set either in any bathroom or kitchen post dating 1991. While silver is great, modern and sophisticated - I don't think we should look past a bit of bling....