“Please contact me if you would like a consultation or further information about any of the products you see here at Decorum.”Posts Tagged ‘Our House’
Littlest Pet Shops
My daughter is a collector. For the past three years she has been collecting little plastic animals called Littlest Pet Shops.
Littlest Pet Shop Party
They all have names and she keeps a book of their personalities and traits. She will set them up in various locations and groups and they all “chat” away to each other for hours.
It wasn’t until they all sat side by side on my office window sill that I realised we needed a permanent home for them.
I wanted a shadow box but something a little more “girly” than this one I saw on Desire To Inspire.
via Desire To Inspire
Then I found this image over at Decorology. But as she had over 100, this was far too small. So we enlisted Dad’s help.
via Decorology
I worked out how many rows and how many dividers we would need and a box was built. We enquired about framing but couldn’t find the right frame. Finally we bought some framing lengths and a frame was made.
Then we chose a paint colour and after numerous coats to cover the gilt, a shiny pink framed box appeared.
She had so much fun putting all the little guys into their new home.
It’s currently in animal order – you know, all the dogs in one compartment, the cats in another, etc.
But I can see that hours will be spent rearranging them in perhaps height order, or colour order, or accessory order, or…….
If you would like assistance decorating your home, contact us for an on-line or in-person appointment.
Strike me Pink……and Aqua
I wanted to share with you a new piece of art we have hanging in our home.
As you know, it was my daughter’s birthday recently and she has aspirations of being a fashion designer. She is also ready to redecorate her bedroom and has decided that her new colour scheme will be pink and aqua.
We found this image at Better Homes and Gardens and will be taking our colour inspiration from it.
via Better Homes and Gardens
So when I came across the works of Laura Trevey I knew it would be a welcome addition to the room – aqua, pink and fashion.
Chic in Pink by Laura Trevey
Girlie Girl by Laura Trevey
I bought four prints the same size and had them all framed together in one large white frame.I must admit I was a little worried the colours wouldn’t be as bright in the flesh as they were on my computer screen. But I had no cause for concern as they were exactly as I had expected.
Framed artwork
I love all of Laura’s watercolours for their bright colours and her whimsical style. She writes a fabulous blog on art, photography, fashion, design and entertainment.
Chesapeake Bay Crab by Laura Trevey
They would look great in any room in any home.
Caribbean Time by Laura Trevey
What do you think?
Dresses on the Rack by Laura Trevey
If you would like assistance sourcing the perfect artwork for your home, contact us to arrange an appointment either online or in person.
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Do Your Duty
I seem to have been noticing a sudden influx of Copper, lately.
London Bobby via Flickr
No not that one, the metal one.
via Axolotl
It seems weird to me that for the past eight years or so, we’ve been putting shades of brown on our walls, sofas and floors yet all of our metals have been stainless steel. Think refrigerators, range hoods, dishwashers etc.
via House and Garden Photographer Phillip Castelton
Now we are moving into a grey era and the metals turn to Copper.
I have lived with a copper range hood for the past seven years. I vowed and declared the day I moved in, that that range hood HAD to go. Alas, my new kitchen is still coming and now I’m wondering if I should be keeping the range hood and working the kitchen around it.
My kitchen range hood
These are some of the copper items I’ve spied of late.
Tom Dixon's Copper Shades
Boyd Copper Side Table
Bandhini Copper Coin Cushion
What do you think, is it a fad or is Copper here to stay?
Wall colours selected by Inside Out Colour & Design
We can help you create a harmonious environment in your home, whether you like copper or steel. Contact us to arrange an appointment.
I See Red
Today is Go Red for Women Day to draw attention to the Heart Foundation’s fight against heart disease in women. What a good day to talk about Red!
Red Paint
I have used red in my own home in both the casual and formal living areas. The casual area because it is dominated by a large artwork by Sydney artist Karen Benton, which my husband bought.
Karen Benton Painting - The Journey
The formal area has red accessories because we have a number of Asian furniture pieces from our time living in Hong Kong and we fell in love with a Jim Thompson silk that HAD to be in the scheme.
Touches of red from Jim Thompson
I love reading Leatrice Eiseman’s book, Color For Your Every Mood. Here is an extract from her chapter on red.
Red Sofas
“Throughout history, red has signalled excitement, dynamism, danger and sex. It elicits the strongest of emotions in every culture: love and the pulsating heart; anarchy and the waving war banner; Satan and the martyred saint. It is the colour of life and the colour of evil, the colour of danger and colour of excitement.
Red Dining Room
People don’t just like red – they love it. People whose favourite colour is red have a zest for life, they are, quite literally “movers and shakers.” They need to be well informed, involved. Because of its psychological associations with fire, heat, blood and danger, red is impossible to ignore and so is the person who prefers this most exciting colour. They are passionate in their pursuits, ardent and extroverted. Red lovers are achievers, intense, impulsive, competitive, energetic, daring and aggressive. They are exciting optimistic, animated people, leaders who like to be the centre of attention. Red people can also be restless and driven. Routine drives them crazy. They crave new things and new experiences. Because they are assertive, they can be opinionated and overbearing as well. They can be moody, bossy and fickly in the pursuit of new challenges. But what would the world be without these exciting people?”
Red Bedroom by Inside Out Colour and Design
Red can be used in so many rooms. It stimulates the appetite so is a good choice for restaurants and therefore works well in the kitchen and the dining room. It’s great for a library, family room, lounge room and even in a bedroom, especially if the red wall is behind the bed and you are not waking up staring at a red wall!
Red Feature Wall via Dulux.com
Enjoy some red in your life but also take check of your risk to heart disease by following these steps.
Red Living Room via HGTV
If you would like to add a touch of red to your home interiors, contact us for an appointment.
Ensuite Dilemma
I am starting to think about the finishing touches for our own home renovation. It’s been 3 years in the making and about 7 years in the dreaming.
As soon as we bought this place, we knew we wanted to change it and add our own stamp. The house, as they say, had loads of potential.
Real Estate Flyer
We tweaked rooms that won’t be affected and then left others that will.
Master Bedroom
This is a photo of our master bedroom. Whilst living in Hong Kong for 3 years, we purchased a number of Chinese antiques and the master bedroom has a definite Asian Influence.
Lamps from Wah Tung, Hong Kong
My dilemma is what to do in the future ensuite? Should I carry the Asian theme through or should I leave it and give it the hotel look?
Hotel Style Bathroom - stone tiles and neutral colours
I really like the images below and could do something similar but my husband is worried that once you take our furniture out of the bedroom, the next person will be left with an Asian bathroom.
I figure that by the time I’m ready to leave this place the bathroom will need re-doing anyway so why shouldn’t I have it my way. After all, it will just be the vanity.
What do you think?
How does your garden grow?
For those of you that don’t know, I’m a bit of an instant gratification girl. Therefore this business of colour and design really suits me as within a relatively short time I can suggest and implement a change and hey presto, it’s done! However, I do get alot of satisfaction from watching a garden take shape and that is never instant.
Behind this wall is our secret garden and over the past seven years it has been transformed. This photo was taken from Google Maps Street View.
We bought this house back in late 2002 and this is what the front garden looked like.
The centre of the garden had a huge Liquid Amber Tree in it and naturally nothing would grow underneath. Just before the house went on the market, I would say, a load of chip bark was spread underneath the tree. There was no path from the driveway or the front gate leading to the front door.
So after about six months, we mapped out a path using the garden hose and started digging. The base of the house, like most 80+ year old houses in this part of Sydney, has sandstone footings so it was decided we would use sandstone pavers for the path.
We then had some defined garden beds and planted underneath the tree with agapanthus and four strelitzias. The garden already has about 30 mature camelias and many clivia plants dotted around. We employed a landscape gardener to draw up some plans for the rest of the area and recommend some plants.
The garden seat we had made whilst we were living in the Solomon Islands, was given a paved spot against the front fence where we could take tea (yeah right!) and watch the garden grow.
The same principles for decorating on the inside apply in the garden and we changed textures for the winding narrow path off to the right, using loose pebbles. We had an electrician install some garden lights, one of which was a sunken spot light that would light up the foliage of the Liquid Amber at night.
A couple of years ago, we had the most bizarre storm on a Sunday afternoon which left our suburb looking as if we’d had snow. Something that NEVER happens in sub-tropical Sydney. It probably set the plant growth back a bit.
About a year later, we had another set back. One morning after a wild storm, we found half of the Liquid Amber lying across the plants. An aborist informed us that “these trees do that”. We figured we were lucky it had fallen between the house and the fence not damaging a thing except the struggling plants underneath. Council approved and we removed the tree.
This Christmas the agapanthus were out in mass and the garden certainly looked a picture.
The garden seat is well and truly protected now and I can usually find my daughter sitting there when I can’t find her anywhere else.
This was the scene from my dining room window. Isn’t it pretty?
Some things are worth waiting for…like this my 100th post!
