Black and White

There's something appealing about a black and white bathroom. It's daring but chic. The wall tiles in this first photo remind me of quilting on a Chanel handbag.
I adore the pattern made with these mosaics from Bisazza. And to be controversial for a minute, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that personally, I think that the subway tiles should be left in the subway. Many will disagree with me but I'm just saying that there are alternatives............... What's your view on the subway tile?

(Photo 1 from devon and devon; Photo 2 from bisazza.com)

Bathroom Makeover

The most beautiful homes are usually not the most expensive homes or the best architectural show piece. I've always found that the most beautiful homes are the ones created with care and attention to detail by their owners. Well, that's what I told myself when we bought our beach house which was best described as an 'ugly duckling'. Or more accurately, a great example of a home from the 1980s.
The bathroom had all the top hits from the 80s including a corner spa bath, blue laminate bench tops and a matching blue tile floor. The style was finished off with timber cabinetry, a faux timber venetian blind and ready made mirrors from the hardware store. Photo above.
Luckily for us our tiler liked using a sledgehammer. After he'd finished the only things left standing were the walls, window and cupboards.
So what did we do? We started by choosing an Italian stone tile for the floors, walls and benchtops (from Mum's shop Traditional Tiles). We tiled to the ceiling which made the room look twice as large. We also added a decorative feature tile on the splashback and running up the wall near the bath. We also tiled over the laminate benchtop. This was a cost-effective way of getting a stone benchtop in the bathroom. After the tiling was completed, the cupboards and ceilings were painted white. We then added a new 'above the counter' basin and satin tapware, towel rails and door knobs. The final touch was the vintage mirror above the basin. It was a gift from my Mum and I love it. The only thing left to do is plantation shutters over the window.

Kitchen Makeover

Since our beach house was featured in Home Beautiful magazine, I've received lots of emails (which is just lovely) and heaps of them have been about the kitchen. Everyone wants to know how to transform a daggy kitchen like ours was (above) into a fresh, neutral kitchen. So I thought I'd show how we transformed this 'green timber horror show of a kitchen' into a kitchen with a relaxed beach vibe. The first step was to remove the peach coloured tiles on the floor and the splash back.
Underneath the old tile floor was a pine floor. We had the pine floor sanded, then stained in a matt chocolate. To be honest I just don't like that yellow colour of pine floor boards. By staining them, we've kept the wood grain look but have removed the yellow colour. The second step was the bench tops which were peach laminate. We simply tiled over the top with porcelain tiles. I wanted a super easy bench top as the house is let for holiday rentals. And I didn't want to worry about red wine marks etc. We also tiled the splash back and chose a white tile which has raised "dots" all over it. All tiles are from my Mum's tile shop Traditional Tiles.
The third step was the timber cabinets. They were in great condition but they just look dated. So we painted them. The paint colour is called Nappa from Resene (we chose double strength). Whilst we're talking paint, the interior of the whole house was painted white including the kitchen. We chose Resene's Black White for a really crisp white. To enhance the look of the cabinetry we also replaced the skirting boards which were looking a bit old and tatty. We chose a laminate which looks like brushed aluminium for a neutral but clean look.
The fourth step were the windows. I disliked the venetian blinds and got rid of them straight away. To create a real beach house vibe, we decided on white plantation shutters. They were an expensive but worthwhile change.
The sixth step was the lighting. I wanted something with a natural feel. So these rattan light shades from Ikea were ideal.

(Photo 1 by AJ Hawkins; Photos 2-4 by John Downs for Home Beautiful magazine)

Dream House - House of Windsor

If I was going to build a house from scratch, this is the house I would build. French windows, French doors, great roof line. It's on one level but there looks like a deck on the roof which has already got cute balustrading.
You can see that the house is undergoing some major work. The estate has been transformed from "a classic equestrian estate into the definitive luxury home for modern families". The project is being done by a US magazine, Veranda, to showcase interiors for a real house. The lead designer, is one of my favourite US designers, Windsor Smith. So the house is called "The House of Windsor". But the project is so large they've actually employed a team of famous designers including Kathryn Ireland to design different wings of the house.
The house has only got the walls, windows and doors so far but I'm in love already. That parquetry flooring is my idea of perfection. And can you also see the marble tiles in the foyer? I'm going to be following the progress of this house renovation so expect regular updates!

(All photos from http://www.verandaunveils.com/index.html)

Bentwood Chairs

I was fossicking through a vintage store recently and found these chairs. They'd been put up very high, almost out of sight. They were so high up it was hard to tell the condition.
But when they were brought down to the floor, I was pleased to find six chairs in good condition. Two of the chairs have lovely, rounded arms. They're all sturdy but in need of a paint job. And a few bits of rattan need to be fixed up too. So they're off to my furniture man for a makeover. The only problem is that I've already fallen in love with them. I should sell them in the shop when they're all fixed up but I don't know if I can part with them.

Confessions of a Shop-A-Holic: Part 1

Lately, I've hit the shops hard. But most of my purchases have been on-line. Some retail experts say that people love the experience of going into an actual bricks and mortar store. Not me. I love the experience of buying on-line. Buying on-line doubles the 'thrill of shopping', to coin a phrase.
You know that feeling when you find an absolutely to-die-for-item? Or when a dress you've been eyeing off for months goes on sale? You get a shopping thrill. When you buy on-line, it's doubled. You get the first thrill when you find a to-die-for item. And then a second thrill when you find a large brown box waiting on your doorstep a few days or weeks later. Plus, there's the savings to be made by buying overseas with a strong Aussie dollar. Although truth be told, this argument doesn't seem to cut the mustard when the Amex arrives. But still, I'm sure you can see my point.
So I got a shopping thrill today when I found a box on my doorstep with my latest purchases from US shop, J Crew. (All photos above.) For winter, I bought a navy pea coat and a sequin stripe knit. I can't go past a sequin or a stripe, so this top was a no-brainer for me. And for summer, a silk emerald green shirt. J Crew do not ship directly to Australia, so I used HopShopGo to send the items to me. I would definitely use them again as it cost about $50 in freight to ship these clothes to Australia and it was dead easy. The only thing is, you need to have a pay-pal account to use them. Not all freight forwarders are the same. More about that later in the week.

PS. I was going to post a few pics from the "Mad Men" theme party on Saturday night, but my photos are too blurry. Hopefully friends will send me some soon.

Mad Men Party

A friend of mine is turning 50. In other words he was born in 1961, so he's having a Mad Men themed party tonight. The invitation (above) lists the major events in 1961, what a year!
So in the spirit of the Mad Men show I'm wearing a 60's inspired dress complete with fur stole. Here's a sneak peak of the outfit. I'll post the pics from the party next week.

Herringbone Lounge

Regular readers know about my passion for restyling vintage furniture. Remember the pineapple lounge suite ? And that gorgeous manilla cane suite from the 1940s? Well, today I thought I'd show you one of my recent projects a "pretzel" lounge suite.
I bought it from Katherine at the Old Boat House. It was in original condition with a brown floral fabric. Structurally it was perfect but it needed a makeover (don't we all sometimes?). So I started by choosing a fabric and went with this herringbone fabric which I imported. I thought the pattern suited the style of the suite.
Then I asked my upholsterer to replace the foam padding before upholstering the entire suite. He did a great job, the finish is superb, with piping detail around the edges of each chair. I have to admit that I really enjoy updating a classic piece of furniture with a modern fabric. It's now waiting in my on-line shop for its new home.
And a big thank you to Lucy Brook from Brisbane News magazine who featured my on-line shop in her column recently.

Cate And McQueen

Fashion designer, Alexander McQueen, is the talk of the town of the moment. Not only did the House of McQueen design Catherine Middelton's wedding dress and Pippa's bridesmaid dress, there's currently a retrospective of his work in New York.

Cate Blanchett has chosen McQueen for many red carpet events. So in the spirit of celebrating the House of McQueen, I thought I'd show my favourite gowns which Cate has worn from McQueen. With my absolute favourite being the chinoiserie gown she wore to Cannes in 2006 (first photo).
Gorgeous green for the Aviator premiere (above) and the Napoli film festival (below).
Alexander McQueen said, "For me, what I do is an artistic expression which is channeled through me. Fashion is just the medium."
The dresses which Cate chooses to wear are often very much like works of art, like this "Eagle" dress which she wore to Cannes in 2010. To see photos from the McQueen exhibition in New York, click on this link from Habitually Chic - Savage Beauty.

(Photos 1,2 & 5 style.com; Photos 3 & 4 profashionelle.com)

Cream of the Crop

US magazine, Elle Decor, has nominated their top 25 interior designers for 2011. It's the cream of the crop from around the world. So I thought I'd share with you my favourites from the Elle Decor list. This bedroom by Jay Jeffers really stood out. He's chosen a neutral palette but kept it interesting by using different patterns. See the fabric on the ottoman? Love it.
I was very pleased that one of my favourite interior designers, Kathryn M. Ireland, was included on the list. I met her last year at a book launch where she discussed renovating and decorating Reese Witherspoon's ranch, which also happens to be where Reese recently got remarried. See all the photos at House Beautiful here. Kathryn also did this fabulous kids bedroom above.
For the Royal treatment, you can't go past Richard Keith Langham. I like how he's painted the walls in this loungeroom Tiffany blue. And I like the rug too.
And finally, I wanted to show you this conservatory style room by Ernest de la Torre. My crush on conservatories continues. Enjoy!

(All photos from elledecor.com)

Blue for Balmoral

The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine, chose to wear a blue dress as she departed for Balmoral, the Queen's remote estate in Scotland. Blue must be one of Catherine's favourite colours.

Catherine also chose to wear a blue dress to a friend's wedding (photo above).
She chose a sapphire blue dress from Issa to her official engagement announcement.
And she wore a navy blue suit to her last official public engagement prior to becoming the Duchess.

(photos from http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/)