“Please contact me if you would like a consultation or further information about any of the products you see here at Decorum.”Posts Tagged ‘Outdoor’
One man’s trash…..
is another man’s treasure!
Nothing could be truer with this latest before and after I’m sharing with you.
My client found a cane setting on a footpath ready to be collected by the Council as part of their kerbside cleanup.
There were four chairs and a small frame that would be an occasional table. The cane was worse for wear, there were no cushions and no glass in the side table.
We decided that two of the chairs and the occasional table would be perfect on the front verandah. So we chose the best two chairs, ordered some fabric, had cushions made and the chairs and table repaired as required and sprayed white.
It’s the perfect place to sit and watch the afternoon sun go down.
If you would like assistance with colour or decor for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Walkin’ the ‘hood
Whilst I am technically back at work, many of my clients and some of my suppliers are still on holidays so I can enjoy a slower pace. However, I am enjoying my walks around the suburb each afternoon and watching the houses changing colours.
I live amongst Californian Bungalows and Federation homes in Sydney’s North Shore and many of them have undergone renovations over the last few years to accommodate the families that have moved into the area.
It’s interesting to see the colour palette moving towards grey rather than brown which is what the colour forecasters have been predicting.
Most of the houses subscribe to my 3 colour formula and I must say, I think the homes look smart with a light, medium and dark colour.
It’s a shame this homeowner hasn’t read my blog or decided to spend a nominal outlay on a Colour Consultant to get the overall look just right.
This was the house before via Google Street View and I really think it would’ve benefitted from a dark colour on the barge boards (they’re the wide boards at the top of the gable). Alternatively, the shingles could’ve been painted a colour between the dark grey and the white.
Remember a Colour Consultation is the cheapest part of repainting your home but will make all the difference.
If your home is brick then the brickwork is considered a colour so you only need to choose two colours. What do you think – two colours or three?
If you would like assistance choosing exterior paint colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Presenting……..the Front Door!
I love a coloured front door.
Yellow Front Door in Cape Cod
I think a front door should say “Here I am!”, “Entry this way” or “Come inside.”
Turquoise Door via The House Of Turquoise
Usually when using colour, I try to repeat it somewhere so it doesn’t look like we’ve run out of paint and used something to tie us over. Like in a bathroom if you use a feature tile as a vertical stripe in the shower, you should repeat it somewhere else, otherwise it might look like you ran out tiles and used any old thing. After all, Repetition is one of the Principles of Design.
Red Front Door in New York
But where a front door is concerned, I believe you can choose a colour from anywhere in the spectrum and place it on the front door. No repetition required.
Lime Green Front Door in Darlinghurst, Sydney
What about you? Do you like a coloured front door?
Pink Front Door via Colour Me Happy
Jennifer
If you require assistance choosing paint colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
It’s here again!
via Pinterest
Happy Weekend!
Folding Chairs
Now that title probably makes you think of something you’d pick up at the local hardware store. Something you’d keep in the shed for that camping trip or when there’s one too many around the outdoor table.
Folding Chair from Officeworks
Well let me introduce you to a new kid on the block – the Flux.
The Flux
It is made from a single piece of weather proof plastic that can eventually be recycled. The piece of plastic has fold lines and notches and with a quick (once you get the hang of it) flick of the wrists it becomes a comfortable chair for either inside or outside use.
Designed in Holland by industrial designers Douwe Jacobs and Tom Schouten it was awarded the Grand Designs Product of The Year in May this year.
Flux Founders
It is available in a range of colours and now has a mini-me to add to the stable. Flux Junior has been specifically designed with kids in mind and also comes in a range of child friendly colours.
Flux Junior
The chairs aren’t cheap at around $250 each for the adult versions but they are a work of art and will last much longer than that one you picked up at Bunnings.
If you would like further information on the range of Flux chairs or need help with seating for your home, contact us.
Cape Cod and Beyond
We have well and truly left New York behind now. We’ve been travelling around New England and taking in the sights we’ve read and dreamed about.
Newport House
Our first stop was Newport, Rhode Island. Famous for the home of the America’s Cup (which Australia won in 1983) and historic houses from the Gilded Age. It is a colourful, harbour town with cute homes and lots of shopping.
One of the historic homes
From there we drove the entire stretch of Cape Cod to the very tip and stayed overnight so we could explore the town the next morning. Cape Cod homes have a big influence on the houses in Australia and many people would like to replicate the style. The easy-going relaxed lifestyle suits our Australian way of life.
Cute Cape Cod Home with bright yellow door
Then it was into Massachusetts to meet up with fellow blogger Linda Merrill. Linda writes a number of blogs including Surroundings and Silver Screen Surroundings as well as co-hosts the popular podcast The Skirted Roundtable. I’ve been following Linda for a number of years now and we have exchanged emails and blog comments from time to time. When I knew we were visiting her “backyard” I emailed her for some insights into things to see and do for an Interior Decorator from Down Under. In true Linda style, she emailed back with loads of ideas and information so it was only natural that we should meet for a bite.
Linda and Me
We met in her pretty hometown for lunch and a long chat on design, country similarities, what’s popular and general chit chat before heading further up the coast to Maine.
One of the "neat" houses in MA
I wish we had more time to explore this interesting and beautiful state. The houses are so cute and the word “neat” kept popping into my head when I stopped to snap photos of them. I’m not sure what makes them appear so neat. Maybe it’s the symmetry of the architecture or the neat gardens. Maybe it’s the high pitched roofs which don’t attract leaf litter or maybe it’s the manicured, green lawns.
Don’t you agree, the houses here are “neat”? You can check out more photos on my Facebook page. Don’t forget to “like” it while you’re there.
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.
Dive In
As I sit here writing this post, the wind is howling outside and the temperature is in single digits. Just over the mountains there is snow. So it’s pretty hard to think about outdoor entertaining.
But now is the ideal time to consider pool renovations or building. This was the topic of my newsletter this month.
Did you receive your copy? If not you can sign up here.
These images have been provided by Argo an architectural firm specialising in pool refurbishments and pool cabanas.
Roll on summer!
If you would like assistance in choosing colours or furniture for your outdoor entertaining area, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.
Make sure your colours “hook up”
Really, you could choose any colour in the world in any tint or shade to paint your house or room and it would work. But the thing you need to choose carefully, is which colour it will hook up with.
via miloflamingo.blogspot.com
I recently gave some colour advice to clients regarding a colour for the exterior of their home. They were sold on a particular Colorbond colour for the gutter and downpipes which is always helpful as it gives us a starting point.
Choosing colours
They had already painted the interior of their home so wanted a connection between external and internal spaces. Excellent, that’s what you should do to create a harmonious environment.
via Dulux.com.au
So we set about choosing colours. They were keen to look at the browns but as the worldwide palette is moving away from the lattes, mochas and espressos we’ve had for the last 10 years, I was steering them towards a more grey palette. We settled on a colour and made sure it worked with the Colorbond.
Grey Bedroom via Home Beautiful
Now this is where it gets tricky and if it’s not chosen carefully, the whole scheme falls apart. We needed to choose a neutral or off-white colour for the eaves and window frames as well as a dark colour for the fence and front door. They needed to work with the wall colour and the gutter colour. And that is the trick. Make sure the undertone of all the colours is the same or sits well with each other.
The wall colours (grey) and the kitchen cabinetry colour (mustard) have not relation whatsover.
When I was studying to become a Colour Consultant, we spent the first few weeks mixing colours. This is the best way to understand colour and undertones and now I can discect a colour and work out it’s make-up. Makes it alot easier in selecting colours that “hook up”.
Harmonious colour scheme
I see so many houses where the colour is fine but it’s what they’ve hooked up with that just makes the scheme look off.
The colour of the second floor extension does not have the same undertone as the colour on the ground floor emphasising the addition.
If you need assistance in choosing colours for your home, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.
Colour Defines Location
I was recently at a seminar held by the Design Institute of Australia on Colour. Architect George Freedman was one of the speakers and explored the concept that colour defines location.
The warm sun inspires colour.
Majorelle Gardens, Marrakesh
Houses in a myriad of colours in Mexico
La Boca in Argentina where left over paint was used to paint the houses.
Cinque Terre, Italy
Painted Ladies in San Francisco
Where as cooler climates use more subdued colours.
Waldspirale Residential Complex in Germany
St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow
So what about here in Australia? We have warm sun yet most of our buildings are not brightly coloured. Is that our European Heritage? It’s good to see that there are pockets of daring emerging.
Famous Beach Huts at Brighton Beach. Victoria
New Buildings in Sydney. This one is a residential complex at Pyrmont.
So what do you think? Should we be adding some colour or keeping it neutral?
If you would like assistance with choosing colours for your home, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.
