oh to be beside the seaside...

I just had to share these images with you all.

A friend sent me these beautiful photos of a house for sale in Palm Beach.  It's your typical coastal home on the outside...but on the inside you are greeted with a contemporary feel that is spacious and inviting.  

I just love the exposed beams that feature throughout the house.  Having the walls painted a fresh white puts more emphasis on the timber, allowing your eye to travel up the walls and to the peak of the ceiling, maximising the size of the space.

I also love how the owners chose not to take the walls all the way to the ceiling.  This allows more natural light to pour through the room, giving the hard structure a sense of warmth.

If you want to create this look in your home the important thing to remember is keep it simple!  Let the structure of the space speak out.  Start with a crisp white on the walls and then choose some fantastic key timber pieces to anchor the rooms. When selecting your furniture, try finding something that is low lying with minimal detail.

Your rooms should have accents of whicker and ocean blue accessories that are organic in shape and matter.  With any fixtures make them stainless steel, and if you can, try white shutters on your windows.

Textiles in the space should be textured and kept in neutral colours with one hero hue carried throughout the house.  Blues and turquoise greens always look good in a coastal interior.  You can also used a dirty yellow to brighten the space like they did in the living room image above.  

My most favourite room of all in this house is the kitchen.  What a heart of the home hey?!  The combination of timber and stainless steel is just heaven and I love how the cupboards have been painted in a gorgeous charcoal - it really brings out the accents of colour found in the utensils and kitchenware lining the wall.  

If only, hey Monica?!

Original Thinking

A company that has grabbed my attention this month is Bison. Their range comprises of beautifully crafted dinnerware and decorator pieces that are made using 100% green energy.

Founder, Brian Tunks, began his career as an archaeologist.  It was his work on Greco-Roman excavations in the middle east that made him fall in love with ceramics.  It was during this time that he realised ceramics were one of the most significant symbols of great civilizations and he too wanted to produce something that perhaps would see another 40,000 years!

Personally, I find it fascinating when I visit a museum and see primitive utensils and homewares that are thousands of years old.  Not only does it give you a sense of where we have been in terms of utilitarian design but in some cases, it shows you that not a lot has changed in terms of workmanship and form.  

Each piece is modern, fresh and extremely durable.  Bison uses fine Australian stoneware clay that is lead-free and can be used in the oven, microwave and dishwasher.  

Now Sydneysiders can experience these fantastic products by visiting their new flagship store in Paddington.  

Please be Seated

The oh so wonderful 1950s Emeco Navy Chair has been reinvigorated - with the chair now incorporating a timber seat made of renewable, certified 'green' wood.  

I'm such a sucker for mixed materials and I just love the new aluminum and timber combination.  It brings warmth to the rigid and utilitarian structure - expanding its adaptability in a number of interior situations.  

This iconic phenomenon was born in 1944, when Emeco collaborated with ALCOA to produce a seaworthy chair for the US Navy.  Together they were able to design an in-destructible form comprising of one continuous piece of aluminum without seams. 

It takes 77 steps by skilled experts to construct the chair followed by a thermal treatment that makes the aluminum three times stronger than steel!  The chair is finally completed with a hand-brushed finish that gets better with age.  

This chair is designed to be used indoors and out, and has the life expectancy of 150 year!

Head to Living Edge to see the complete Emeco range.

Happy Birthday Wedgwood!

Josiah Wedgwood was a man with a vision.  As the founder of this international company, he revolutionised the way pottery was made and now, after 250 years, we can look back and celebrate the companies humble beginning and new creations.  

After falling ill with smallpox at the age of 14, he became disabled a year later with a bad knee. This caused lots of problems for the young apprentice as he was unable to make use of the traditional kick wheel to throw pottery.  His leg was eventually amputated and replaced with a wooden one which placed significant limitations on his pottery throwing. Instead of changing professions he persisted and began to experiment. He wanted to improve local pottery so he mixed different kinds of ground metals into the clay before firing it. This made the pottery far more solid and improved the colours and forms of the objects.

According to Diane Dunkley, director of the DAR Museum, Wedgwood was a 'marketing genius'. He understood the value of celebrity marketing so when Queen Charlotte ordered a set of cream servers he called himself "potter to a majesty" and then renamed the product "Queen's Ware". It was in 1759 that he went out on his own, proudly marking his name on each piece that was produced. He became the first potter to consistently mark his creations. 

He was also the first manufacturer to create the 'showroom' concept, allowing female customer to view his pieces which were re-merchandised every couple of days to maintain interest and create a sense of curiosity. 

To bring Wedgwood to a new generation of clientele, they have collaborated with a number of international designers including Jasper Conran and Vera Wang.

These beautiful pieces maintain the classic style of Wedgwood but incorporate a modern twist. These new ranges make perfect gifts as well as wonderful new additions to your existing dinner and serving sets.

Beauty is skin deep

I want to bring to your attention an amazing architectural firm that is turning dreams into reality.  

Lava stands for 'Laboratory for Visionary Architecture' .  These are the guys behind the Watercube swimming centre in Beijing, which opened everyone's eyes around the world to new possibilities in construction and design.

With each project, the aim is to bring 'a new intensity to the artificial environments' they work in.

One of the most recent projects they've worked on is the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart.  The combination of concrete and glass acts as a perfect backdrop for all of the amazing cars or show there.  I love the curvature of the building and how the lighting reflects off all the different surfaces.  

The Corniche Tower High-rise is a project currently still in contract stage...but it might just end up being my favourite.  The building will be constructed in Abu Dhabi and has been designed to reflect the changes in weather during the day and night.  Both the interior and exterior of this building will be installed with state of the art lighting as well as a glazed facade which will allow you to be in control of the climate conditions inside.  

Another design that caught my attention is the Future Hotel Showcase in Duisburg, which is currently under construction.  This building will give you an insight into the future of hotel spaces.  With this project, they used a continuous wall system and minimal furniture and decor to maximize the client's hotel experience.  Cutting edge technology will allow visitors to customize their rooms, providing a new quality of individual control.  

It's going to be like staying with the Jetsons...how exciting!

Note Paper...

I absolutely adore stationary...I mean who doesn't?

I particularly love paper, and in all forms it takes on.  There are just so many beautiful designs out there that I simply can't resist!

Don't just look at paper as something you write on - it can be wrapped, framed, stamped, coloured, folded, painted, cut, decoupaged...the possibilities are endless!

1.The Paper Place  2.Opus  3.Le Bon Bon  4.Vivid Room  5.Note Maker

6.The Paper Place  7.Paper2  8.The Paper Place  9.Vivid Room

Next time you wrap a present, instead of sticking to one type of paper, try layering 2 or 3 different designs to give the box more of a wow factor.  Let your paper reflect the gift inside and then team it with a beautiful card or gift tag and pretty ribbon.  

Covering a canvas in paper, or taking pretty off cuts and framing them, are great and inexpensive ways of creating pieces of art in your home.  The canvases pictured were made using hand printed paper, which have such a lovely texture to them and a metallic finish that reflects the lighting in the room beautifully.  

Another favourite of mine are paper lanterns.  They just look fantastic when entertaining outdoors and can even become an addition to your dining room for a fun night in with friends.  

I also love the idea of using origami as place settings.  You can create all sorts of designs on an array of different papers and then simply handwrite the persons name on it.  When the night is over, all your guests will have a little momento to take with them.  

Sea Breeze

There is nothing better than a cool breeze after a hot and stressful day at work!  I love how it just wraps around you and then quickly wisps away -  leaving you feeling clean and rejuvenated.

...and I think Harry feels the same way!

I heart thee...

With just over a week to go, you may have noticed all the oversized stuffed teddies, heart shaped chocolates and bouquets of red roses filling the stores...

How about trying something not so cliche this Valentine's Day?  Skip over all the stuffy flowers and candlelit dinners for two and perhaps try out some of these ideas...

Yummy hand made cupcakes, fun bedding, love

stamps, beautiful paper journals, edible bouquets, with bubbly, a love mug for your morning coffee, canvas love mail pouch to put all your presents in, pretty pandora charms and breakfast in bed on Limonge...divine!

Once you've picked out the perfect present...it needs to be wrapped with love.  I like to used plain brown paper as the foundation and then layer - using lots of different patterned ribbons in all shades of pink and red.  

Instead of tying your ribbon in a bow, stick a tiny wooden heart on top...such a simple way of adding texture and interest to the gift.

The gift tag on top was made using quality embossed paper and a stamp.  This will make your wrapping complete either attached with a little peg or tied on with string.  

To find out more about everything used here, check out the following stores:

• Hart and Heim
  
• Kikki K
• Pepe's Paperie
• Edible Blooms
• The Cupcake Room
• The Bay Tree
• Riot