“Please contact me if you would like a consultation or further information about any of the products you see here at Decorum.”Celebrations
The Year of The Dragon
Happy Chinese New Year!
Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon fabric available from Inside Out Colour and Design
Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Dragon which is the most auspicious sign in the Chinese zodiac.
Interiors by Inside Out Colour and Design
I remember when we were living in Hong Kong and I was pregnant with my daughter, all the local Hong Kong Chinese would tell me how lucky I was to be having a dragon and that she was going to be very strong. Naturally they would’ve liked it better if she’d been a he, but I was happy no matter what.
Asian Decor items available from Inside Out Colour and Design
The dragon represents success and happiness, so let’s hope 2012 is a good year for us all.
Interiors by Inside Out Colour and Design
There’s lots of dragons to check out in Sydney over the next few weeks – Komodo Dragons, Dragons in Artefacts, the Blue Dragon and Musical Dragons.
Antique Huang Huali Folding Chair and Framed Antique Bound Feet Shoes
If you would like assistance choosing colour and decor for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
It’s a Brand New Year
Welcome to 2012! I do hope you have had a relaxing and re-energising break over the Christmas and New Year period. I know I have!
Our Christmas was a quiet affair this year, but that didn’t stop me decking out the house in colours of fuschia, turquoise and silver.
I alter the colour theme each year and decided on fresh, bright colours rather than the traditional red and green.
I found myself collecting Mercury Glass candle-holders of varying sizes and grouped them all together on a glass platter on the centre of my coffee table. They did look very effective when they were lit of an evening.
When I ordered my Turkey, I was half expecting to be feeding 9 people for Christmas, however through one reason or another I only ended up with 4! So I have spent the last couple of weeks trying every Turkey leftover recipe I could find and substituting cooked turkey meat in the myriad of recipes I have for cooked chicken meat.
We have had some delicious meals. But my favourite would have to be the Vietnamese Turkey Salad, which was just delicious. I’ve even frozen some turkey meat so we can have it again later in the season.
I’ve finally found the time to get busy on Pinterest. Have you succumbed to this new craze? It’s a bit addictive but oh so convenient to have all your favourite images in the one location. Check it out!
Well back to work for me this week. I’m offering a special to all my subscribers of a 15% discount on Colour Consulting services booked during the month of January. So if this is the year for a new colour scheme for the inside or outside (or both!) of your home, make a booking and take advantage of the discount.
MIA
I’m so sorry I’ve been Missing In Action this past week and a half. The time is just flying bye and I can’t believe I’ve missed so many posts.
It’s such a hectic time for everyone. Apart from finishing off the Christmas shopping, we have a number of December birthdays and I have been helping to celebrate and trying out four new restaurants in Sydney.
The first was The Winery in Crown Street. I’d been there earlier in the year for lunch and although it’s been around for a while thought the family might like to see the quirky decor.
We also went to a new local Italian restaurant. The decor there was very sleek, which in my mind doesn’t really suit the Italian food. I imagine Italian food to be more comfort food and therefore want the decor to be more cosy and homey. The red and black glass mosaics on the stark white walls were out of keeping for me.
I tried Pony Dining at Neutral Bay too. What a great space! And the food and service were excellent. Lots of use of timber on the inside made the decor very warm but it still had an air of sophistication.
Then one last birthday was celebrated at Felix in the city. It’s a little spot of Paris right in the heart of Sydney. Food and service were great and the decor was so very authentic.
I’m still helping clients with Colour Consultations before Christmas as they have painters lined up for early in the New Year and I have been buying bed linen for another client.
But the highlight of the past ten days would have to be my darling daughter being appointed as girl School Captain for 2012. We are all so proud of you sweetheart.
I’m going to now, officially, take a few weeks off to celebrate Christmas and New Year and recharge the batteries after a very busy year. I trust you have an enjoyable holiday season. I thank you for joining me throughout 2011 and look forward to your company again in 2012.
See you soon.
If you would like assistance with colour or decor for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
What’s on
Friday again! Yikes the time is flying. How’s your Christmas shopping? All done and wrapped?
Click on image for source
If not, you will love this. The wonderful people at Have You Met Miss Jones are having a clearance sale. I’ve been coveting her Christmas decorations this year and will be hoping to get my hands on three (remember, things look better in odd numbers) of the Woodland Deer. Sale starts at 9am today and continues tomorrow too.
Click on image for source
And while you’re in the area, pop in next door to KAS Australia to stock up on new bedlinen and other soft furnishings for all those rellies coming for Christmas.
KAS Bedlinen
There, that’s sorted a few more presents for you. Have a fabulous weekend.
Click on image for source
If you would like assistance creating a harmonious environment in your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
The C Word
I really don’t want to say it. Not yet anyway. But it would appear I can’t avoid it any longer.
Christmas is just around the corner.
via Pottery Barn
But there’s still time to create some beautiful linen for your Christmas table.
Very talented Brisbane lady, Jacqueline has created a range of designs for you to decorate your own Christmas tablecloth, runner or napkins.
Take a look and create something stunning that will be passed down through the generations.
If you would like assistance getting your home ready for Christmas, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Happy Halloween
When we were in the States last month, we loved seeing all the Halloween decorations in shops and hotels.
Pottery Barn, New York
Disneyland
Jewellers in San Francisco
Halloween Pet Costume Section at Target, San Francisco
Electrical Store, San Francisco
For the past few years, we’ve put decorations outside our home on 31st October to let the neighbourhood kids know we’re ready for trick or treating.
This year I decided to make some Halloween Cup Cakes using the Sanding Sugar and Halloween Stencils I bought at Williams-Sonoma Home in New York. There’s obviously an art to using them but I’m sure they’ll taste OK.
Halloween Cup Cakes
And for the first time, I noticed decorations in one of the shops at the local Westfield Shopping Centre.
Halloween Decorations in Sydney
What are you doing for Halloween?
If you would like assistance with your decor, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Each Day
via Etsy (click on image for source)
I’ve been reminded yet again, over the weekend, how precarious life is. We need to treasure every moment.
Home is where….
…..Mum is.
It really doesn’t matter if it’s a house by the beach
click on image for source
or a modern inner city pad
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or a family home in the suburbs,
click on image for source
home is where Mum looks after us, and we come together as a family.
This year, for the first time in many, my brother and mum are coming to Sydney for the weekend so we can all celebrate Mother’s Day together. I’m very excited and have booked a table at Sails Restaurant on Sydney Harbour.
click on image for source
I’m looking forward to updating this photo of the three generations that was taken a few years ago when we were last together for Mother’s Day.
Three Generations
I hope all the Mum’s have a lovely day and you all have a great weekend. And if you’ve forgotten to organise some flowers for Mum, ask Jennie to help you out.
Blogiversary
I can’t believe how quickly time passes.
It only seems like yesterday that I dipped my toe into the world of blogging and here we are two years later.
via inmagine.com
It’s been so much fun and I’ve met so many wonderful people. I love reading all about the lives of people all over the world and what intrigues them in the world of art, fashion, food and design.
I hope you’ve enjoyed being with me over the past two years as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing my views with you.
via sizzup.com
Thanks for visiting and here’s to another year of blogging fun.
Royal Wedding Colour Scheme
Did you enjoy watching the Royal Wedding? I did. I loved all the bright colours and thought the neutral bridesmaid and flower girls were such a sensible option with so much colour on the men.
Bridal Party via mirror.co.uk
I’m a bit partial to red and yellow in my decor and have it in my own home. Although I do have a lot of neutral and just splashes of red and yellow.
Photography by Lyn Johnston
Artwork with red and yellow by Karen Benton
Others like a bit of it too.
via palatialliving.blogspot.com
If you would like to add some bold colour to your interiors, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.
