Big Vintage Weekend

Today is the start of the Easter holiday weekend and a busy time for me with guests at all the beach houses and a frantic time at the shop in Berry.

I have been sourcing lots of great vintage stuff for the shop in time for this weekend, so if you happen to be passing Berry, drop in and say hello.

People always ask me where I come across these vintage "finds" but really they are everywhere, you just need to know how to re-invent them. When I pick up old things at op shops and garage sales, sometimes they just sit in my shed for a while why I think of how they can be re-worked. Sometimes its just a coat of paint, sometimes its new fabric on a lampshade or upholstery on a footstool.

The photo here from Bed Of Flowers B&B in Holland is something I look to for inspiration. I love the use of old things and traditional floral prints mixed with bright colours.

Schoolhouse 3-Rochford Lodge

I have found a third example of a re-worked schoolhouse to add to my inspiration collection. The first was the former home of garden designer Paul Bangay, St Ambrose Farm at Woodend. The second was interior designer Stuart Rattle's country retreat at nearby Musk. This one is in the same part of the world in the Mt Macedon area and has been converted into a holiday rental.

Rochford Lodge is an old brick building with separate Principal's house.

Though the school house is quite a different style of building, is still intriguing to see how other people interpret the spaces.

orla kiely at one kings lane

i really like the orla kiely journals, composition books and stationary sets that are on sale over at one kings lane.  they get me in the mood for spring…as if i needed any help with that.  i’m not a journal person but if i were i would buy up every single one.

 

 

LiveJournal Tags: orla kiely,one kings lane

Inside Musk Farm

For those who missed this issue of Country Style featuring Stuart Rattle's Musk Schoolhouse, here is the story.

	Look inside >
Magnificent obsession

color scheme

i saw this color scheme in last months fresh home magazine and was immediately drawn to it.  i can’t wait to use it in someones home.  

LiveJournal Tags: color scheme,fresh home magazine

Schoolhouse Re-Inventions

I have to say that having a few hours pulling weeds in the vegie patch in my country garden today made me dream of what the garden around the school hall could be like.
Probably the best example of how well a property like mine and a building like my school hall can be re-born is designer Stuart Rattle's country home, the former schoolhouse at Musk just outside Melbourne.
I can only dream... How glorious is the entrance? I am definitely inspired by the garden pavilion with the red striped curtains. Will I be able to keep up with all that hedge clipping? The challenge is on.

In The Garden Today

Ever since I was a child I have loved picking flowers from the garden. In every garden I've had, even in the tiny one right in the city in Sydney, I have always planted something I can cut and bring indoors. I love the casual style of garden flowers in a vase.
Today I am heading out into the garden to do some much needed autumn maintenance. The roses are looking gorgeous - a last flush before the cooler weather comes. My vegetable garden, however, is totally out of control after the heat and rain of the past few months. My Tahitian lime tree is overdue to be harvested and I'm looking forward to filling a bowl full of fruit in every shade of lime.

better after

a big thank you to lindsey from the blog better after for featuring charm home on her blog.  she posted pictures of a changing table transformation from a nursery that i’ve been working on for a good friend and client of mine. 

THANKS LINDS!!!

you can see her post here.

LiveJournal Tags: better after,nursery,my design

 

loving…

1.  this lafayette chandelier from pottery barn.  simply beautiful.

2.  this “kitchen love” post from paloma at la dolce vita.  so many great kitchen pics in one spot.

images la dolce vita

3.  this chalkboard decal from chiasso.  if you’re scared to used chalkboard paint on your walls then this is the perfect alternative.

4.  i’m not loving this sofa from cb2 but i’m really, really liking it.  it’s definitely growing on me especially since it’s 40” deep.  this could be a really close contender to the one i posted last week that i want for our living room.

5.  this amazing artwork from restoration hardware by atlanta-based artist todd murphy.  todd is actually a friend of a friend of mine.  i’ve never met him though.

 

LiveJournal Tags: loving...,pottery barn,lafayette chandelier,la dolce vita,kitchens,chalkboard,chiasso,cb2,sofa,todd murphy,restoration hardware

oh phoebe

a couple of weeks ago i took a trip to south of market over by adac.  just around the corner from south of market is phoebe howard’s max & company store so i stopped in since i was in the area.  max & company is set up like a home, and each room is designed with a particular theme.  i fell in love with the top floor of the store which had a very european feel to it.. 

i loved all the architectural elements and special touches that make the space truly look like a real home…or even better than most homes. 

this zinc top table with nailhead details was for sure my favorite piece of furniture in the room.

close up of the nailhead detail.

i also liked this little reading nook that was tucked into a corner over by the bedroom area.  i wish i had a small area like this in my house to set up like a reading nook…one day, one day.

i would love to have windows like the ones behind this bed.  the light poured into the and lit the whole room.  natural light is so necessary in designing a home.

for some reason the image below is my favorite one that i took while i was there.  the symmetry of this vignette speaks to me. 

i didn’t get pictures of the rest of the store but if you want to look at some you can view them on the store website here.  if you’ve never looked at them before believe me you will be completely inspired.

LiveJournal Tags: phoebe howard,max & company,atlanta design stores

Planning The New Laundry

My new/old church hall has a small annex which will house the laundry, scullery and a small bathroom. As these will be the first rooms to be renovated I have to make some design decisions asap.
One of my favourite laundries is in Jenny Larsen's Brisbane house, the photo of which did not make the cut in the article I did for Real Living last year. Love the dark grey cabinets with butler's sink and the wicker baskets hung on the wall.
The sink shot is from Martha Stewart's basement laundry. She is the go-to girl for tips on setting up a laundry, is she not?
I like the look of open shelves above the bench, too and the boarded cupboard doors echo the wall linings in the main room of the building.
BTW I must admit that doing the laundry is the only household chore I really enjoy doing so I was happy to discover that one of the best views from the new building is from the laundry door out over the paddocks to the mountain, framed by a giant conifer.

randomness

today i have two bits of randomness to post about. 

first bit of randomness…

i discovered angela(a picture of her from her blog is to the left – isn’t she beautiful) from the blog the painted house last week and was so excited to find out that she was working on a new blog design.  you’ll see when you take a look at her blog that she is an amazing artist and a very fun blogger.  she actually incorporated her own “doodles” into her new blog design.  to celebrate her new design she is offering a giveaway of one of her original oil paintings to a lucky reader.  no, you didn’t read it wrong, i did say an original oil and a very cool one at that.  head on over and check out her blog if you get a chance.  you’ll be glad you did. 

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second bit of randomness…

how to make the silhouette nursery artwork that i posted on yesterday. {this is for you amanda} 

i wasn’t planning on doing a “how to” on this artwork while i was making it so i’m sorry for the lack of pictures to go along with the directions.

things you need: quilting fabric, staple gun, acrylic paint, paint brushes, ribbon, paper, pencil

1) to make the silhouette artwork first i figured out the silhouette i wanted to use and i drew it out on paper.  this took a while because i had to play with the size and scale of each image.  after i got my image drawn then i cut it out.  you can use any image you like.  i suggest experimenting with different images.

2) then i took my fabric and wrapped it around the canvas.  i used my staple gun to attach the fabric to the back of the canvas.  i only attached it in a few spots in case i needed to move it later.  i used 2 different fabrics – a seersucker and a polka dot.

3) next i placed my silhouettes in the center of the first pair of fabric-wrapped canvases and i lightly traced around the edges of the silhouettes with a pencil.  then i flipped the images over and traced them on the second pair of canvases so i would have a mirror image.

4) once i had my silhouette traced i used my large paint brush to paint inside the silhouettes and i used a smaller paint brush in the areas that were small (like the bird’s legs and the owl’s legs.)  then i did the same thing to the second set but i painted around the image instead of inside. (repeat with 2-3 more coats of paint.)

5) after the paint was dry, i secured all edges of the fabric to the back of the canvas with the staple gun.  i used about 5 or 6 staples per each of the 4 sides of the canvas.

6) to give the art a more finished look i painted all of the edges a darker pink.

7) finally, i attached two strands of ribbon to the back of each canvas with my staple gun and tied the ribbons in a bow.

LiveJournal Tags: the painted house blog,giveaway,my art,how to,diy