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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.
It’s official – the hottest colour for 2012 is Orange
Pantone have announced the Colour of The Year for 2012is Tangerine Tango – a vivacious, reddish orange.
Pantone Color of the Year 2012
Orange is a friendly colour as well as being warm and energising and that’s just what we need to buoy the economy back to life.
Orange Interiors
Each year when the Colour of the Year is announced I like to look at how the new colour will work with past colours.
Orange and Pink (2011) looks great in girls rooms.
Barbie House
Orange and Turquoise (2010) has that electric zing.
Orange and Turquoise interior
Orange and Yellow (2009) is a very retro, mellow look.
Orange and Yellow
Orange and Purple (2008) can have a certain sophistication about it.
Orange and Purple Living Room
So orange could be the colour for all seasons. Will you be decorating with orange?
If you would like assistance selecting colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Homes with Soul
via decoracion.facillisimo.com
A collection of items can give a home personality. Whether it be a group of shells picked up from the beach on a string of family vacations or a collection of plates bought at markets overseas, a collection of items will provide a topic of conversation.
Decorating with plates
It will help the occupants of the home relive precious experiences from holidays and other family events.
Family holidays
One way to enjoy your collections is to only display some of the items and change them around from time to time to give the room a fresh look.
I have a collection of carvings of various sizes, I purchased when we lived in the Solomon Islands. What do you collect?
Solomon Island Carvings
If you would like assistance with displaying your collections, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Colour Trends for 2012
St Ives Shopping Village is a local shopping centre on Sydney’s North Shore. For the past few years I have been writing the Home article in their bi-monthly magazine, Village Life.
Lady Gaga epitomises bold and flashy
The latest issue has just been published and the article is on Colour Trends for 2012. The article was compiled with the help of Dulux and Resene colour predictions.
Greens from Nature
The magazine promotes the stores in the shopping centre and I’m always keen to see what illustrations they have used to go with my article. They add some great visuals to my words.
All blues go together
If you would like assistance choosing colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
It’s not orange
Supre Skinny Jeans in Sunset
Rusty Hyper Walkshorts in Fluro Orange
As I tear through the shopping centres on my quest to complete lists before Christmas, I have been noticing a plethora of orange.
Cotton Dress in Orange by Sportscraft
Blazer Short Sleeve Casual Shirt in Orange
It seems just about every shop window features an orange item of one shade or another.
Sandals by Witchery in Ginger
Corban and Blair iPhone Cover
Pumpkin, Amber, Coral, Clay, Tangerine, Peach, Melon, Splice, call it what you will, but it’s all out there.
Marmot Two Man Tent
I know that once a colour appears en masse in the fashion industry, we can expect to see it in the home industry very soon thereafter.
Sarah Story Design
I don’t mind touches of orange in the home, in soft furnishings, feature walls or even wallpaper, as long as it is in moderation.
However, I am really worried that we may return to that time in the ’90′s when everyone was giving their home a Tuscan makeover by laying terracotta tiles and painting the walls apricot.
Frances Mayes has a lot to answer for!
Authentic Tuscan Interiors
What about you? Are you a fan of orange and it’s many tints and shades?
If you would like assistance choosing colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
When Three is Not A Crowd
I was in a store yesterday and a lady was buying a number of ceramic balls to place on a tray in her entry. She was looking at two balls and I overheard the shop assistant say, “it has to be three”.
Yes, I thought, it has to be three or five or seven, never two or four or six.
Flower arrangement with three focal flowers
You see, odd numbers of items appear to be thrown together rather than arranged. Our eyes try to split even numbers into smaller groups but that can’t be done with odd numbers.
Margaret Olley's Artichokes via ANG Art Consulting
The asymmetrical arrangement of odd numbers will add visual interest to an area or collection and help create visual flow. Objects that appear in threes or fives are more appealing, memorable and effective than even number groupings.
We Three Kings photograph by Emily J Photography
Odd numbers also give dimension as we can create a front, middle and back and this creates a sense of balance.
3 cushions on a bed by Inside Out Colour and Design
We find odd numbers pleasing to the eye as well as being more intriguing.
Cushions on a sofa by Inside Out Colour and Design
If you would like assistance in making your home more intriguing, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
PS. And look, it’s my 300th post on the 30th of November. Freud would have alot to say about that!
White Hot
An all white room usually leaves me cold. But I did a double take when I saw this study recently.
via BHG.com
The all white room has been punched with colour bursts making the room so much more friendly and fun.
White Bedroom via Elle Decor
What about you? Do you like all white or loads of colour?
If you would like assistance choosing a colour scheme for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Fab Books for the Decorator
One good thing about birthdays, is people give you lovely gifts. In September, when I celebrated my birthday, I received three fabulous books which I can highly recommend.
New Books
The first book was very apt as it was The Stylist’s Guide to NYC. I cannot tell a lie, it was on my wishlist as we were celebrating my birthday in NYC. Unfortunately, that meant I didn’t get a chance to read it until I was back in Australia. However, I had read an excerpt from the book in a magazine and diligently wrote down all the places listed in the excerpt which was part of the Scents and Flower Merchants tour.
My photo of NYC - instagrammed.
The book is by Australian stylist, Sibella Court who has a very small but very full shop/studio in Sydney’s Paddington overflowing with things she has collected over her years as a stylist. Sibella spent 15 years in New York and this book lists many of her favourite places. It’s broken up into particular themes and areas with suggestions for stops for good coffee (hard to find in NYC), food and just to smell the roses.
We found Bond No 9 which has perfumes named after the different areas of NYC.
I had to laugh when I was reading the book back home in Sydney, one of her very first pieces of advice was to have a stash of bandaids, the wide fabric ones, as you don’t want to limp around the city, nor go home early, due to blisters. Oh how I wish I’d read that before I set out the first day. I did have flat comfortable shoes but was not prepared with bandaids which I quickly bought on the way back to the hotel the first night. You do a lot of walking in New York!
Easy to follow maps and suggestions
The other two books I recieved from my lovely friends in my Book Club, were books by two bloggers which I’m sure need no introduction. Grace Bonney of Design * Sponge and Holly Becker of Decor8.
Jonathan Adler has written the Foreward in Grace’s book, Design * Sponge at Home, and he calls it a Bible. I would have to agree. Grace has been blogging for 7 years and the book is a collection and extension of things she has written about online.
Design * Sponge At Home
Sneek Peaks into amazing homes all over the world, DIY projects, DIY Basics like Rewiring A Lamp and How To Paint Furniture, Flower Workshop and finally some Before and After projects with guides to cost and time invested. It really is the Home Decorator’s Bible – inspiration, tuition and knowledge.
A Sneek Peak into gorgeous homes
The subtitle of Holly Becker’s book, Decorate, is “1,000 inspirational design ideas for every room in your house” and that is what the book provides in spades. There is something in here for everyone with tips and quotes from a vast array of creative people the world over.
Decorate - the book
The book looks at Space and how to work with it, finding your own Personal Design Style, Room By Room decorating and finally, Attention to Detail. There is nothing overlooked with colour, texture, layout, displaying collections, storage, styling rooms and choosing fabrics.
Quotes, advice, inspiration and resources
If you have an aspiring decorator in your midst, any of these books would make the ideal Christmas gift.
