Interior Design

I was born in England and emigrated to New Zealand when I was only six years old, I consider myself a kiwi but have regularly made trips back to the UK to visit family. The last time I went to England was about 7 years ago when I was living in Brunei and was in desperate need of some culture and floral inspiration for my paintings. During this time I stayed in a London bed and breakfast while visiting the beautiful Chelsea Gardens. The bed and breakfast I chose was a really pretty Victorian Semi detached in Kensington. Rather than stay in impersonal hotels I prefer to choose bed and breakfasts as I have always had pleasant experiences of kind people who go that extra mile to make you feel welcome. I don't truly think you experience a country until you have stayed with someone locally, shared their home and in England, eaten the genuine English cooked breakfast.  I'm really fussy when I'm planning a trip and when I find something I think will suit, I always read the review...

With the recent, fabulous hot and sunny weather we've been having in Auckland I have to admit that I have been consuming vast amounts of ice cream to the extent I have actually put on a kilo in weight over the past few weeks. For the sake of myself, I probably should not be posting mouth watering recipes. However, I  couldn't resist sharing my latest find, a delicious recipe for Cranberry Almond swirl ice cream. Also discovered were some delicious chocolates and an unusual cookie recipe, add to this a few DIY ideas and a  contemporary  interior and you have this weeks inspiration post.   With Valentines not far away how about these delicious Raspberry dark chocolate ganache chocolates discovered at "Desserts for breakfast"... See recipe  Salted caramel stuffed chocolate crinkle cookies from Cooking Classy... See recipe  from Liren at Kitchen Confidante, via "My Way Home"... See Recipe here . Note: I don't have an ice cream maker but manage perfectly by f...

I recently found myself having a conversation with a stranger at a dog park about my mum passing away last year and the predicament of sorting out my mothers house and furniture, of over 50 years of collecting. I would love to keep a lot of pieces of furniture and update them but I have absolutely no space left in my little cottage. My spare room, my studio, not to mention my Large Chinese wedding cabinet are overflowing with my mums possessions. During this conversation it was suggested  I look at some storage options as an alternative to having to sell a lot of my mothers treasured items, to be honest, this idea had completely escaped my mind. Today there are lots of different storage options and some very competitive prices. It's been easy for me to work out how much space I would need by using the on-line estimators. Some companies even deliver small containers to your home where your can load your own furniture, they then come back and take it away to their storage lockers. O...

I have always felt that Sweden leads the way when it comes to Scandinavian style. When we think of Swedish interior design we think white and bright but this fabulous interior I am sharing today is a little "out of the box" for Swedish style.  This is not just another white interior with minimalist decor, this fabulous home has twists and turns in the way of unusual architecture such as the stone, cave like walls and ceilings in two of the bedrooms.   I love the occasional use of colour against the white backdrop seen in the artwork in the living area and the bold floral wallpapers used on feature walls.  Each room has personality of its own adding interest and life to this fabulous home. Images courtesy of   Fantastic Frank

I have two friends whose children are marrying this year, one whose daughter has chosen to marry on an exotic island in the South Pacific and one whose son will marry in an unknown venue in Auckland, (still in planning stages... it's sure to be stunning!) I also have another friend flying 24 hours and 16 minutes, (to be precise), to attend a very "posh" family wedding in the UK. Sadly I don't have any daughters, I have two wonderful sons but neither are anywhere near marriage planning stages. Nevertheless, I suddenly thought, if I had the opportunity to plan a wedding, where would I start. My personal friends know I'm a dreamer but also a planner and this post today is about both dreaming and planning. Wouldn't it be fabulous to be given the opportunity to organise a wedding from start to finish, with no expense spared. Of course, it might be a dream but if it were real imagine what fun it could be. With money no object and wedding venues abundant, the world i...

I have a dream and my dream is to one day retire somewhere warm and sunny. In my dream I envision  many friends visiting, warm sunny days on  my terrace, weekends browsing markets and long balmy evenings around the dinner table with my guests. On my wish list I have three areas I may like to live, Tuscany, Provence and Antalya, most of us are familiar with the first two provinces of Italy and France but how many of you know about Antalya. Some years ago I spent 10 days in Turkey where I attended the Istanbul Tango Festival and absolutely fell in love with the people, cuisine, shopping and its historical magic.  During my short visit I was told by some locals that I must not leave Turkey without visiting Antalya province, especially Kalkan. Coincidentally this week, while seeking inspiration for a post and at the same time, dreaming of a warm and sunny place, I  came across Kalkan Property and discovered that living a dream with constant sunshine, remarkable his...

Christmas and New Year is finally over and it's back to the drawing board, so to speak. Currently I'm spending time working between the blog and preparing my mothers house for sale. I can't start my art again until I have sold my mothers house, there is just too much going on, although I have lots of beautiful Peony Images, and itching to get started.  I haven't featured my regular weekly inspiration post since Christmas, so I have spent time the past few days looking for fabulous ideas to share with you and really pleased with the ones I've found.  Once you have finished reading, you will find the links for the featured recipes and DIY instructions at the end of the post. Ideas with wallpaper from Farrow and Ball, see    see instructions plus more ideas  Fabulous stencilled curtains by Rhoda from Southern Hospitality. Simple step by step tutorial ...    read more. An ingenious idea for creating some light reflecting beauty by using mirror ti...