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....

occasionally when I am doing my rounds I will come across absolute finds of people and stores that make me so happy that they are out there. A lot unfortunately are based abroad but it is so satisfying knowing that you have found exactly what you are looking for. One of these such finds is Hilary Batstone's store in Pimlico London. Hilary has carefully selected pieces that rival any collections on the market I have come across both here at home, in London or in Europe, everything is simple and has an understated 'wow' factor that would work well in a variety of settings. She is so good for ideas or when I just want to check that what I am looking for does actually exist! These are some of my favourites. www.hilarybatstone.com

the great outdoors

aren't we all about sitting in the sun right now? Everywhere I look I see happy people sitting at tables outside cafe's littered across Melbourne, picnic rugs slung over shoulders and many weekend bbq's soaking up the sun. I am loving being outside and I think some of these would look great in my garden, by the pool, or on a veranda looking out to sea.....