“Please contact me if you would like a consultation or further information about any of the products you see here at Decorum.”Archive for February 2010
Style in Your Life
Yesterday was the first day of Life Instyle trade show in Sydney.
I went along to take a look at the new and exciting homewares and giftwares on display. I enjoy going to the Gift and Homewares shows (there are three on in Sydney this weekend) but not having a retail outlet, I’m really only there to look at trends and new things. Some of the bigger shows have furniture and rugs but in the main these shows are aimed at Retailers who buy lots of smaller items.
So I’ve selected my favourites. These are items I would buy if I had somewhere to sell them or I could put them in your home. Most of the exhibitors have minimum orders and I only want one of each…… just for me or you. What would I do with the other 29 I have to buy? Never mind, it’s fun looking.
Jo Luping Design has been in my little black book for a few years now as I quite liked her Hemp cushions.
Now she has these cute little bowls which could come in handy for all sorts of purposes. I think I would put mine on my dressing table as a good spot to put my earrings.
A company I had not seen at the shows before was Seletti. Imported from Italy, this company has a wide range of household items from mugs to containers to ornaments. I love these fine porcelain sardine tins. They also have a range of toys made in the white fine porcelain. Very quirky!
Images Francaises have a gorgeous range of cushions.
And who could resist these lamps……especially when your surname is French!
But what caught my eye was this adorable little bookmark.
With the current obsession of home cooking sweeping Australia, I could probably find 30 friends and family that would help me out with these.
Always looking for colour, I couldn’t help but notice this beautiful purple compote. The colour was stunning and I’m a sucker for plates on legs. Of course it was THE most expensive item on the stand.
Other items from Collect Home include Terracotta Urns, glass and pewter pitchers and amber and honey bottles. The philosophy behind the brand is inline with how I think a home should be decorated. “Treasures that are collected from different times, places and friends -pieces inherited and those we have fallen in love with.” That’s what makes a home.
I’m sure there is something there that appeals to you. If not in my round-up, then I have no doubt you will find something amongst the 500 brands that are on display.
Whatever you’re doing, enjoy your weekend.
Taking Tea
What comes to mind when you see this powdery blue colour?
Wedgwood? It’s a brand that’s been around for 250 years and is well known for it’s powder blue and white plates and trinket boxes.
I had the pleasure of taking tea with Lord Wedgwood yesterday……along with about 40 other people.
The Country Trader
We were gathered at The Country Trader at Waterloo for cucumber sandwiches, lemon tarts and champagne to hear Lord Wedgwood, the seventh-generation descendant of Wedgwood’s founder, Josiah Wedgwood.
The new range of exquisite works of art, celebrates the company’s 250th year and shows that whilst maintaining it’s classical roots, the pieces can sit comfortably in the contemporary home.
Wedgwood Panther Vase
Pieces like the Palladian Vase which is a crystal vase with black jasper lid.
Wedgwood Palladian Vase
Lord Wedgwood also announced that Designer Rugs will be releasing a range of Wedgwood inspired rugs. Again, these classical pieces would suit the floors of many homes. And I love the colours in this Renaissance rug.
Wedgwood Renaissance Gold Rug
This rug is taken from the dinner set that has been released with the 250th anniversary collection is just beautiful. The antique table at The Country Trader looked resplendent with this elegant setting.
Wedgwood Renaissance Gold Dinner Set
Makes me want to invite a bunch of friends over and cook up a storm!
Wedgwood Renaissance Gold Tea Cups
Maybe we could just have a cuppa?
The White Stuff
As I’ve mentioned before, I LOVE colour. I love it in my home, in my clothing and in my workplace.
Colourful interior by John Croft Design
However, there are times when one needs to rest. Too much colour can sometimes have a negative effect. This is when you need to include some white. White is pure and clean and creates a calm spot to rest the eyes or body.
Enter Whiteport. All your white accessories and small furniture items in the one place…..and online! You don’t even have to leave home.
Kitchen accessories by Whiteport
Jennifer McCabe, founder of Whiteport has sourced beautiful bath, bed and table items and put them all together on her website.
Many, many years ago, my Grandmother helped me buy my first dinner set. We chose an all white set which I still use today. White is timeless and goes with everything. The white plate allows the food to take centre stage.
White dinner set from Whiteport
I love going to hotels and having nice fluffy white towels and there’s something luxurious about slipping between crisp, white sheets.
White bed linen from Whiteport
At the moment, Whiteport is offering up to 40% discount on certain items when you sign up for their email newsletter.
Whether your style is Beach, French Provincial, Hamptons or Traditional, white will work for you.
So pop over and grab yourself some refreshing new items for your home.
Red, Orange, Green and Bholu
Remember that alarm I mentioned on Monday? Well it went off even earlier today as I needed to be in the city for breakfast.
Not that I was complaining. I was off to the Cafe in the Royal Botanic Gardens for the launch of Porters Paints new wallpapers which have been designed by the very clever Jodie Fried.
Jodie is the designer behind Bholu, pronounced boll-loooo. The name has it’s origin in India and means a term of endearment and affection towards a small child or is descriptive of naive and free artistic expression.
Tweet Dreams Wallpaper
Bholu products are designed in Australia and are brought to life by artisans in India. Proceeds of many of the pieces sold are put back into the Indian communities giving them independence and opportunity.
Frederick Elephant p Moo Night Wallpaper Frieze
Since 2007, Bholu, along with Architect Without Frontiers have built 10 Bholu schools and now have more then 250 children in school, receiving education, hygiene, nutrition and love.
Mavis Monkey and family is my favourite
Many of the wallpaper designs have been inspired by artworks by the children in India and would look gorgeous in a nursery or young child’s room. The bright colours and fun images are a refreshing change for childrens’ decor.
Porter’s Paints will be donating a percentage of sales of this collection to the “Bholu Anganwadi Project” which rebuilds preschools for slum children in under privileged communities in India.
Porters Paints and Bholu wallpaper and accessories are available from Inside Out Colour and Design.
I don’t like Mondays
JackARobinson via Flickr
When that alarm goes on Monday morning I really feel ripped off. It can’t be Monday again and back to the usual grind. The weekends, no matter what I do, just never seem long enough!
Art Nouveau inspired Bedroom by Inside Out Colour and Design
I am writing a couple of articles on personal spaces and thought I’d leave you with these images of bedrooms I have decorated for clients.
Modern Red Bedroom by Inside Out Colour and Design
They are all so different but speak volumes for the people that inhabit them.
Relaxing Bedroom by Inside Out Colour and Design
The bedroom is the only room in the house which is completely private and can be personalised to suit the inhabitants.
Calm Floral Bedroom by Inside Out Colour and Design
No one else has to use this space so it’s completely up to you as to how you decorate your retreat.
Once a lounge room, now a bedroom by Inside Out Colour and Design
I wish I could go back to bed!
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
or in English ….. Wishing you great happiness and prosperity!
Chinese New Year starts on Valentine’s Day this year, when Chinese people throughout the world will be welcoming in the Year of The Tiger.
According to Chinese Horoscopes it will be a period of drama, intensity, change and travel. This year is the year to be active – seizing opportunities and making the most of our personal and very individual talents. Everything happens quickly and dramatically in a Tiger year – blink and you could miss an important chance of a lifetime!
Chinese New Year is a time of much celebration. It is a time to join with families and friends to wish them prosperity and happiness for the coming year.
via Flickr
Symbols are very important in Chinese Culture and are incorporated in many ways throughout the home.
The blessing of Happiness, one which we all need, can be represented through various symbols, one of the most popular being Clouds of Happiness.
Clouds appear on many furniture pieces such as this Old Winged Burl Cabinet with Stone inlay which is over 60 years old.
The carving under the wings is symbolic of clouds
I’ve already mentioned my love of Asian Antiques. I think they blend very well with furniture from other styles and will often create a focal point.
Lamps from Wah Tung, Hong Kong
If you would like to see more beautiful Asian furniture pieces, like the Winged Cabinet above, visit Soul Design and the lovely Linda who helped me with information for this post.
So here’s wishing you great prosperity and happiness for the Year of the Tiger.
Happiness
City or the Bush
Do you browse the real estate section of the newspaper?
It’s one of my favourite past times. I enjoy looking at the different styles of homes and how they have been decorated. Lately there’s one house that has caught my eye.
Apart from the beautifully appointed rooms, it is situated on one of my favourite locations- on a cliff overlooking the water.
When you sign up to my monthly newsletter, you will receive my article How To Create YOUR Harmonious Environment absolutely free. One of the questions I pose is “Where are you most comfortable – country, city or beach?” No question about it, for me it’s near the water.
So this house would be my ideal. I love how you not only see the ocean, but also the coastline. That helps to give perspective to the view and provides a wonderful fairyland at night when the ocean is inky black.
So where are you most comfortable?
Sydney City Skyline via www.rogerswebsite.com
City,
Kangaroo Valley via www.kangaroovalleytourist.asn.au
Country or
James Robertson House
Water
What’s in a Name?
Phelan Pearl, Cavedon and Blissington. Do these names mean anything to you?
Phelan Ready is an Australian Race Horse that won last year’s Golden Slipper and all I can find on Cavedon and Blissington is people with those surnames. However, all of these names have been given to Paint Colours.
Phelan Ready winning the Golden Slipper
Have you ever wondered who chooses the names of colours? I can see that some names tell you exactly what you’re getting in a colour like Pate, Curry Paste and Chutney but then who wants that on their walls? There’s so much to think about, a bit like naming your first born.
Pate
Curry Paste
Now YOU can be the person that names paint colours? For the first time ever Berger Paints are giving the Australian public the opportunity to name six colours from the new Berger Premium colour range.
New Colours from Berger Paints
Think of a colour name and explain the inspiration behind it. Or just vote on the colour names that others have come up with.
If your colour name wins, you’ll get a $500 voucher to spend at your local Inspirations Paint & Colour store plus the glory of knowing your name was the most popular and the colour will be painted in homes across Australia.
Paint Colours
Everyone who suggests a colour name or votes will get a free membership to the Colour Clique (valued at $25), which is the Inspirations Paint & Colour loyalty program, offering lifetime discounts and a colour recording service.
So log on and have a look at the colours, come up with a name or simply vote on your choice of the names already suggested. The competition runs until 25 Feb 2010.
Good Luck!
Furniture, Decoration and Kathryn Ireland
Today is the last day of the Australian International Furniture Fair being held at Darling Harbour in Sydney. I went along on Wednesday, the day it started.
It was very exciting to be in the audience of Kathryn Ireland’s seminar. She is such a down to earth woman. Kathryn showed us some images of homes she has decorated and designed in the States and her own home in France. Kathryn’s style is very eclectic and combines English Manor (she was born in the UK) and French Farmhouse (her holiday home) with bohemian style.
Kathryn Ireland
Her philosophy is that rooms should look lived in and should look thrown together when in fact they have been carefully planned. You can easily see that Kathryn enjoys travelling (who doesn’t) and her inspiration is drawn from many corners of the globe. Morrocan tiles, Indian bed and French 1940′s furniture all sit harmoniously in the same room.
Similarly Kathryn loves colour and her rooms are a kaliedoscope of colours. She admits that if she was to show her clients the swatches of all the colours she was going to put in their room, they would have her committed!
Dining Room by Kathryn Ireland
An extremely busy lady, Kathryn also has a furniture line, fabric range and wallpaper range. The wallpapers and fabrics can be sourced through Inside Out Colour and Design. Her book, “Creating A Home” is available at our Amazon Store as well as some other highly recommended books on Colour and Design.
Fabrics by Kathryn Ireland
The Fair itself was broken into two main parts. There was the Decoration and Design area that mainly concentrated on small furniture and decorator items and then there was the Furniture section where many furniture importers were showing their ranges to the large retailers.
Naturally, I concentrated my time on the Decoration and Design area. I was looking for a coffee table for one client and came across this beauty.I like a shelf or drawer on a coffee table that can hold magazines and remotes and leave the top free for, well, coffee.
Antique Oak Coffee Table
I was also looking for a feature light for another client and thought this might fit the bill.
Migo Pendant from Hermon and Hermon
The exhibitor that I had not come across before, which had some great items, was d-Bodhi which combines contemporary and classical designs in a sustainable and affordable way. This is my favourite from their current range. Maybe it’s the soft shape of the legs on the raw looking timber that appeals.
Lucy Dining Table
It is “Fair Season”! Later this month Sydney will host three Homewares and Gift Fairs all at the same time, which makes for a busy and exhausting week. Then in April, Designex will be held here in Sydney. It’s a great way to be inspired and keep up with what’s new on the market.
via Getty Images
I’m hoping for a quiet weekend and wishing you one too.
Designer Black
Have you ever noticed that architects and interior designers all wear black? Why is that?
Sante Fe Interiors Designers - most wearing black
Personally I don’t wear black. I was told many years ago, when I had my colours done, that black was not for me. It drains the colour from my face and infact, only people with black hair should wear black.
So as a Colour Consultant, that suits me down to the ground. I LOVE colour and spend most of my time trying to inject colour into clients’ homes, so why would I wear black in any shape or form? Surrounding myself with colour makes me happy and puts me in a good frame of mind.
If I have to buy a new wallet, I bypass the black ones and go for red. I have a yellow work notebook, a green laptop, a blue car, a red laptop bag, etc, etc. The only black items I have are my briefcase (because I couldn’t find a coloured one) and the trolley bag or office on wheels, I take to consultations.
Red Wallet from Mahogany Leather
Yellow Notebook from Kiki-K
Dell Laptop
Now the other problem I have is that I’m a Virgo and I MUST have everything matching or at least working together. Last year when I upgraded to an iPhone I chose the white one, because I don’t do black.
I needed a protective case. I knew my daughter would play games on it and it was going to be moving around from handbag to handbag, taken on jobs, to the gym so I could listen to podcasts and sooner or later it was going to be dropped. I chose a Blue Silicone cover from the limited range at the Apple store. Blue is the world’s favourite colour so I figured blue would go with most things.
Blue iPhone Cover
However, last weekend as I was trying to multi-task (cook dinner and text my brother) it slipped off the kitchen bench and landed on the floor. My beautiful blue cover broke and I needed a new one. I went back to the Apple Store and stood infront of row after row of black cases.
Sena Black iPhone Case
There were also blue ones, but I wanted a change. The purple ones were nice but purple doesn’t necessarily go with every other colour. Then I spotted it.
It’s pink but look at the back. It is striped in so many colours it will definitely work with everything. Oh what a happy Colour Consultant I was to find an iPhone cover that was colourful and had a sense of fun. Thank you Kate Spade for designing such a wonderful item.
It’s the little things, isn’t it?
I’m off to the Australian International Furniture Fair today which incorporates Decoration and Design. There will be a large number of suppliers releasing their new products. It gives me a chance to catch up with colleagues and I understand there will be a number of design bloggers from around the country descending on Sydney too. I wonder if we will recognise each other, especially if they are all wearing black?
I’m also going to listen to Kathryn Ireland’s seminar which is titled Aesthetic Inspirations from Around the World. I’ll fill you in on all the details in a couple of days.
