“Please contact me if you would like a consultation or further information about any of the products you see here at Decorum.”Sydney
Buying Quality
Many years ago, I bought my very first lounge suite. It consisted of two two seaters and a matching armchair. It was in my blue phase and the fabric was called Windsurfers Denim. It had little tiny pink and cream triangles all over it that were meant to represent windsurfers. The proportions were good for the lounge room in my very first house in Brisbane and it suited my budget too.
New lounge suite with hand-me-down buffet
I then sold that house and moved to a brand new house on Queensland’s Gold Coast. As the house was still under construction when I bought it, I was able to choose the colour scheme throughout of tiles, carpet and paint. Knowing that I had my lounge suite, I chose a soft grey colour which worked well with the lounge. I had roman blinds in rose pink and off white stripes installed on the windows and the lounge suite looked like it had been bought for that house.
Window coverings to match the lounge suite
A few years later, I moved back to Brisbane and bought a workers cottage in Nundah. Again the lounge suite moved into the new house and the room was decorated around the lounge. This time I chose barely pink walls with a darker pink for the trim.
Barely pink walls
We then moved to the Solomon Islands and the lounge suite went into storage for four years before being shipped to Hong Kong. Again the living room was decorated around the lounge suite and I chose sheer white curtains with a blue valance for the window coverings.
Sofa with precious cargo in Hong Kong
Back to Australia and into a rental property in Sydney, the lounge suite again just fitted perfectly into the space.
Ming didn't mind where in the world he was as long as he had his sofa
Twelve months on, and we purchased our own home and moved the lounge suite one more time. Only this time, it was clashing with the existing curtains in the home. Time had finally come almost twenty years later, to upgrade the lounge suite.
Sofa and curtains collide
We looked around at other styles of sofas but couldn’t find anything we liked. I called in my upholsterer who thought we were mad to throw away a perfectly good suite. So the search for fabric started and eventually I chose an off-white embossed fabric and had the sofas reupholstered. The sofas looked like new and I’m sure will last another twenty (well maybe ten) years.
Reupholstered sofa has a new lease on life
So the moral of the story is to buy good quality in the first place and give it a facelift when it doens’t work anymore. It works out much more cost effective in the long run.
If you would like assistance sourcing lounge furniture for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Spring already?
Last week I posted this photo on my Facebook page with the comment – “I see signs of Spring.”
Early Spring Blossoms
Never a truer word was spoken with Sydney enjoying a run of 20+C days. So it was no trouble at all to sit and take in the view and the food yesterday at Quay Restaurant on Sydney Harbour.
My friends at Electrolux have just released their new range of premium barbecues and world renowned chef Peter Gilmore was putting them through their paces. I’d never been to Quay before so was delighted to be a guest at this esteemed restaurant and sit in the front row of an intimate masterclass with Peter Gilmore.
View from Quay Restaurant
Peter cooked four different cuts of Angus Sirloin Beef – grass fed and air aged for six weeks, grain fed, F1 and Wagyu. Peter likes to preheat the barbecue for ten minutes with the hood down on a very high heat. He then seasons the meat with salt and pepper before turning the burners to medium and sealing the meat. He then turns the barbecue off and lets the meat rest with lid closed for about 40 mins.
Dished Up
The Electrolux barbecues have inbuilt sealed grills with drip trays so the fat drips down and there is no spitting and flames. You don’t get any burnt bits of meat that way which is good when you’re cooking Wagyu which is in excess of $110 per kilo!
My meal - 4 types of Sirloin steak with Wasabi Butter and Barbecued Vegetable Salad
The En:tice Barbecue comes in two different sizes, 600mm and 900mm. They not only look smart and would be welcome in any outdoor entertaining area, but are made of easy cleaning materials like cast iron and stainless steel.
Finishing touches
Peter also cooked a vegetable salad on the barbecue with purple carrots!
Barbecued Vegies
I found his tale of the history of carrots very interesting. Apparently carrots originated in Asia and were purple and orange. The Dutch bred the purple out of the carrots as their national colour is orange. So now when we see a carrot other than an orange one, it looks kinda weird. But oh, what a beautiful colour scheme!
Carrots every colour of the rainbow!
Thank you Electrolux and Quay Restaurant for a lovely afternoon.
If you would like assistance with furnishing or design for your outdoor entertaining area, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Counting Down
Remember a couple of years ago I did a series of posts on Saturday in Design? Here, here and here.
Click on image for source
Well it’s on in Sydney again this year and the countdown has begun. I have registered and crossed out the day in the diary. Can’t wait. It’s always so much fun checking out all the showrooms and products and characters you meet on the way.
Click on image for source
And I’m also on the countdown for holidays. I’m heading to Brisbane this weekend to visit friends and family and celebrate my daughter’s birthday.
Click on image for source
Have a great weekend, a fabulous week and I’ll see you all the week after next.
Click on image for source
If you would like assistance with colour and design for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Now this looks like fun
If French Provincial or Industrial decor is you style, then you should take a look at this.
Check out the details here.
Vivid Sydney 2011
Ominous rain men
On Saturday evening we rugged up and headed into the city for the annual light, music and ideas festival known as Vivid Sydney.
Lights on the ceiling
The historic Rocks area and Circular Quay are swathed in light. The surrounding highrise buildings have coloured lights projected on to them and the Sydney Opera House is aglow with a magnificent light show projected on to those iconic sails.
Opera House aglow
The building that we loved the most this year was the Customs House which constantly changed and at one stage looked like it was crumbling to the ground. All done with lights! Amazing.
Customs House feeling rather blue
As my daughter said, “They took a very ordinary building and turned it into something spectacular.”
I had fun making my first movie and uploading it to You Tube. Click on the Customs House photo to have a look.
Vivid Sydney is on until 13 June.
Masterclass in Masterkitchen
On Wednesday night I had the very delightful pleasure to be invited into Tetsuya’s Masterkitchen for a Masterclass. The evening was hosted by Electrolux. It was a small select group of design bloggers and Electrolux personnel who gathered around the magnificent island bench to watch Tetsuya put the Electrolux induction cooktop through it’s paces.
Tetsuya's Master Kitchen
The kitchen is amazing. Apparently Tetsuya along with Electrolux designers, hand picked the piece of Calacutta marble that covers the island bench. I love this marble with it’s mixture of warm and cool colours.
Another design feature of the kitchen is the tap-less sinks. There are leather knee pads which can be leant on to bring water into the undermount sinks. This all helps in setting the stage. Because this kitchen IS a stage and nothing blocks your view.
Knee pads and tap-less sink
During the masterclass the room was filled with wonderful aromas of lobster, foie gras, garlic, ginger, chilli and sesame oil but we were so disappointed that the custom designed and built, Electrolux overhead exhaust worked so well.
Delightful aromas wafting straight to the exhaust
The nominal smoke and sumptuous fragrance was quickly sucked away. The exhaust is hidden behind smoked glass which hangs above the island bench.
Hidden exhaust above the island bench
Tetsuya talked and cooked his way through five dishes. He has been using Electrolux kitchen appliances for over 20 years and has nothing but high praise for them.
The Maestro at work
He loves the immediacy of induction cooking as well the ability to maintain the same temperature over the entire pan.
Wagu Beef with a touch of Wasabi
He demonstrated this by searing Wagu steak before popping it in the oven at 70C whilst he cooked the other dishes including Chilli Crab, an amazing lobster dish and a colourful chicken dish with couscous.
Chicken and Couscous
We then moved into the working kitchen and sat down to an 11 course degustation menu with accompanying wines.
Tetsuya's kitchen
The food was absolutely delicious and included Tetsuya’s signature dish Confit Petuna Ocean Trout with Konbu, Celery and Apple.
Tetsuya's Signature Dish
In between oohing and aahing over the food, the wine and the busy 7 chefs in the kitchen, we had time to talk amongst ourselves.
I was delighted to be seated next to three lovely fellow bloggers, Jo, Lisa and Camilla. We chatted about all things blogging and it was so much fun to put faces behind names.
Blogfest
The two polite gentlemen from Electrolux, that were seated with us, probably wondered what on earth they had struck. But they regaled us with their knowledge on current kitchen trends and the making of a fridge. Did you know that Electrolux manufactures fridges in New South Wales and Ovens in South Australia? And did you know that an energy efficient fridge uses about the same, if not less, power than a 40 watt bulb?
It was a wonderful night and we left singing the praises of Electrolux and Tetsuya, swinging our sample bags.
Contents of the goodies bag
Thank you Electrolux!
Spoilt for choice
Wednesday, half way through the week and time to think about the weekend. And what a weekend it is too. Look at all the events, sales and shows that are on. Great for those planning to renovate or decorate their home.
First, there is the HIA Sydney Home Show at Darling Harbour which starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday. It’s a great place to wander around and gather some ideas and see what products are available.
via www.sydneyhomeshow.com.au
Or if you are in the midst of renovating or building and need some tiles or stone slabs, Aeria Country Floors is holding a Warehouse Sale at their factory in Frenchs Forest. The sale will get under way at 8.30am tomorrow morning at 2 Aquatic Drive, French’s Forest and will be open each day between 8.30 and 3.30 finishing on Sunday.
Stone Basin and Tiles form Aeria Country Floors
Read and Bell are having a Trunk Sale at Newtown. If you are looking for a touch of ethnicism for your wardrobe or decor, you must take a look.
Quilts from recycled saris via Read and Bell
Markets? Finders Keepers is on again in Sydney at Eveleigh on Friday night and all day Saturday.
Click Image for Source
Need new bedding? KAS Australia is holding a Warehouse Sale at their factory, 78 O’Riordan Street, Alexandria from 9 – 5 on Sautrday and Sunday. Items start from $5.
KAS Australia Faraday Bedding
If art is more your thang and you are in Melbourne, head over to the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton for Art Melbourne. Over 80 galleries and 600 artists will be displaying their work and you could pick up a new piece for your home starting from $500.
via Art Melbourne website
And if you’re a US reader and happen to be in New York this weekend, Jonathan Adler is holding a Warehouse Sale at 513 Irving Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn. You can expect 70% off furniture, rugs, lighting and homewares. Wish I was there. I just love his OTT style.
Jonathan Adler Interior Design
And if you are about to build or renovate but are overwhelmed with all the choices available and decisions to make, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.
Build A Room From Scratch
Live House Bathroom
Did you manage to venture over to the Hordern Pavilion during the past week? The Live House of the 30 Days of Home, Food and Entertaining was there for 7 days.
Live House Dining Room
I managed to squeeze in a couple of visits and took these photos of the “rooms” to show you.
Live House Family Dining Table
Girl's Bedroom
Boy's Bedroom
The lounge room came to life before my very eyes as I attended the Build A Room From Scratch workshop with Real Living Magazine Editor Deb Bibby and Senior Stylist Sarah Ellison.
Deb Bibby and Sarah Ellison before the transformations
They put together two rooms with completely different looks using all items from Freedom Furniture. As Deb said, ordinarily she wouldn’t recommend purchasing everything from the one place as it can end up looking too matchy, matchy with not much personality. However, Freedom have extended their range considerably over the years and now stock items from many different styles including industrial, provincial, modern, retro, and contemporary. Putting a little bit of everything into one room is challenging but does create a unique space.
Metropolitan Sofa from Freedom
Starting with a black leather sofa and 2 white leather swivel chairs, Sarah created a comfortable living room for adults.
Completed Room
The “other” room was to become the children’s TV room or fun family area. The swivel chairs were turned around to sit adjacent to the limited edition Digital Sofa which would become the main furniture piece in the room. The end result was a bright, fun space for relaxing and watching television or playing games.
Digital Sofa and side tables
Sarah layered items into the room keeping in mind proportion, colour and height of objects to give an interesting result.
Completed Fun Family Room
There’s still time to check out the remaining events of 30 Days of Home, Food and Entertaining before the end of the month.
If you would like assistance, building a room from scratch, or just layering some more pieces to give it that unique look, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.
Californian Bungalows in Australia
I’ve mentioned before that many of the homes in my area are Federation style homes. The other architectural style that’s prominent around here, is the Californian Bungalow.
via L J Hooker
The Cal Bung, as it is affectionately called, became popular in Australia in the 1920′s. It was imported from Pasadena, California in 1916 by an Australian Real Estate Agent who assembled it for show in the Sydney suburb of Rosebery. It caught on rapidly and was so popular that not many other styles were built in the 1920′s.
via Real Estate View
It even underwent regional adaptations being built in local red brick in Melbourne, local liver-coloured brick in Sydney and in limestone in South Australia. The Queensland version was elevated and made from timber and galvanised iron roofing.
They were typically of sound and solid construction. They were often built of rustic materials including rough-hewn sandstone, heavy timber and wood shingles. The roofs were low pitched with two or three assymetrical gables with pillars supporting the front verandah. They were generally positioned on a good-sized block with a large backyard and usually had room for a driveway and a garage as cars were becoming more popular during the time of construction.
via Simplified Bee
The attractive brickwork at the front often changed to common brick, which was cheaper, down the sides and to the rear of the house. On the inside, the floor plan was more open than the Victorian and Federation homes which came before.
Colour and decor by Inside Out Colour and Design
They are ripe for renovating, as they are usually close to public transport within a relatively short distance of the capital cities. Families tend to add another level either into the roofline or ontop in the southern states, or build in underneath in the north. The back of the house can fairly easily be extended to take further advantage of the indoor/outdoor living and create open-plan family areas. Usually the many period features such as exposed beams, leadlight windows and ornate ceilings are retained.
Decor by Inside Out Colour and Design
If you would like assistance with renovating your Californian Bungalow, contact us for on on-line or in-person consultation.
Federation Style on Australia Day
One of the most popular style of houses around my area, is the Federation House. It was an early style of Australian architecture and consists of a sprawling, assymetrical structure. It often will have a verandah that encircles the house and roofs with gables, turrets and dormer windows.
via Domain
There are often unlikely angles, bay windows and towers at corners. It was developed to meet the demands of the prosperous middle classes who wanted to show off their new-found wealth that coincided with Federation itself in 1901. The Federation House borrowed styles from many countries and eras which is fitting for this melting pot of a nation, we call home.
via Domain
Inside the house, colours were muted but decoration was ornate. Australian motifs abound with flora and fauna both displayed in the plaster ceilings or used in fabrics, wallpaper or tiles.
from "The Federation House" by Hugh Fraser and Ray Joyce
Coloured glass or lead-light was used throughout Federation homes and the top panels of the front door often featured panels of colour in soft pastels with Art Nouveau or Australian motifs. Round bulls-eye windows as well as bay windows were popular. The bay window would often house a window seat which is such a versatile design.
Colour choice by Inside Out Colour and Design
Fortunately today, these houses are being remodelled (rather than bulldozed) to include many of the period details but with an emphasis on more contemporary living. The dark, muted tones of the turn of the century are gone and the window coverings are more streamlined and suited to today’s busy lifestyles.
Modern take on a Federation Living room by Inside Out Colour and Design
The verandahs are sought after and have often been extended to create an outdoor living space adjacent to the modern kitchen.
Wide verandah
The bathrooms have been updated but still include that old world charm.
Bathroom Design by Inside Out Colour and Design
I love working with these houses. Not just because they are iconic Australian houses but they lend so well to being enhanced and modified to suit today’s families. If you require assistance with colour or decor for your Federation Home, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.
Happy Australia Day
